LOCAL mother of two Vanessa Wardle had no idea that the joy she got from decorating cakes for family and friends would eventually lead her to be named one of NSW’s best cake decorators.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mrs Wardle’s wedding cake took out the top prize in the bridal elegance section at the Cake Decorators’ Guild of NSW Cake Art Challenge 2010.
It was also awarded the guild gold award for being the best exhibit across all classes.
“I was highly surprised when I won,” Mrs Wardle said.
“I really admire the work of Kathleen Swansbra, she does such beautiful work, so I thought there would be no way I could ever beat her.”
Mrs Wardle has only been decorating cakes for three years, however her work is already in hot demand - she’s booked solid for the next three months.
While there are still some people who baulk at the cost of having a cake decorated, increasingly people are seeing the value of ordering a special occasion cake.
“When you get a cake made it’s not just about getting a cake it’s about the whole package ... it’s about being able to look back at photos of the cake and remember the whole experience,” she said.
While it took Mrs Wardle 90 hours to make her award-winning cake, most cakes take at an average of 16 hours.
Mrs Wardle now takes requests for a variety of different cakes with Bob the Builder, the Little Mermaid and characters from In The Night Garden popular with children.
When it comes to wedding cakes people are going for simple and elegant designs, Mrs Wardle said.
“I was just making cakes for family and friends and then thanks to word of mouth it just started to take off,” she said.
“I’m lucky because not many people find their passion.”
