Interview with Suzanne, The Frostery

20 December 2017

Can you tell me a little about how you spend your time before you created cakes?

I have played about with cakes for as long as I can remember. In the school holidays and weekends I used to help my parents in their bakery from crimping pastry lids to filling chocolate eclairs with fresh cream, I've done it all...When I was allowed some precious free time, I loved to draw and paint. I studied physiology and pharmacology at university before realising my passions lay in cake making.

 

How did you get into cake making?

I loved to bake at my Grandma's when I was a little girl and then as my Mum started to make cakes in the bakery for her customers I became fascinated by the things you could create in sugar. I really didn't want to work in the bakery trade because I saw the long hours involved but after years of denial, I realised that actually I did have the makings of a great cake designer.

 

What inspires you?

I am inspired by all artisans, individuals who have dedicated years of their life to learn their craft and keep traditional skills alive.

I constantly take mental pictures of interesting architecture and flowers / floral installations as well as loving to keep up to date with couture fashion collections as it’s so important in my work to keep ahead of the trends.

 

Tell us about some recent commissions

The cake we made for Dorfold Hall which is in the show, was a recent highlight. I love English history and researching so much about this fabulous hall from the 1600's was fascinating and re-ignited my intrigue for this period in history. 

I also created a large four tier wedding cake recently which was covered all over in hand painted tropical birds. The colours were so vibrant, it was covered in blue and the tropical birds were in shades of greens and pinks with gold highlighting. It also had handmade sugar flowers for the top of the cake.  Hand painting the birds took hours and hours and was a real labour of love. The cake went down so well and created a lot of attention. It looked like a piece of art.

 

What’s your fantasy commission?

My fantasy commission has always been to create a cake for the Queen. 

 

Cakes continue to be at the centre of celebrations. Why do you think they are so magical?

A beautifully decorated cake makes the perfect centre piece for any celebration. Creating a cake takes so much consideration, dedication, planning and time, always having the extra addition of 'a pinch of heart and soul' and then sharing amongst friends and family to enjoy. A cake stirs emotion and I think it is these ingredients that make a cake magical.

 

Extreme Cake Makers S2 will air on Channel 4 in early 2018