The Open Road, Hand-Painted

This bespoke cake was commissioned by a husband for his motorcycle-loving wife – and the most important detail was making it unmistakably hers.

I sculpted the motorcycle by hand from edible modelling paste, carefully matching the shape, colours and character of the bike she actually rides. The top tier became a New Zealand landscape, with mountain ridges, open sky and drifting clouds recalling the scenery experienced from the road.

Nothing in that landscape was printed. It was painted directly onto the cake using edible colours, making the finished piece part celebration cake and part original painting.

Inside were two substantial chocolate tiers with different flavour combinations, designed to serve more than thirty guests. From the miniature motorcycle to the hand-painted mountains, this creation required many hours of patient work – but personal details are what transform a cake into someone’s story.