Where it all began
On 2 August 2011 my first born was turning one the next day.
My mum had always baked mine and my sister’s birthday cakes every year. I had vowed to always do the same for my children.
Not having had any interest, WHATSOEVER, in baking before this date, I was a very unexperienced baker, but that did not deter me!
The project
I searched the internet. Found my design. Borrowed a smoother from my friend’s mum (I didn’t actually know what to do with it but it was offered, so I accepted),.and set to work.
I baked. I whipped. I filled and crumbcoated. I had a nightmare trying to cover the cake in a large enough piece of icing. In the end I rolled out sections and ‘smoothed’ it out to hide the joins. I made my model cars and race track details.
By the end of the day (and it was a very long day) my back and feet were killing me and the cake looked nothing like my internet inspiration.
My husband came home from work to find me sitting on the kitchen floor crying.
He took one look at the cake and said “Don’t worry, I’ll nip to Tesco and buy one”. That just made me feel worse. Even he thought I had failed. I said “no” – maybe a bit too angrily. I had worked hard on that cake. It was far from perfect, but I WAS going to serve it at his party.
The cake
It tasted disgusting. The sponge was dense and the buttercream was, well, butter with a few spoonfuls of icing sugar mixed in. To describe it as ‘not good, would have been the understatement of the year.
The promise
That day I made another promise to myself. By the time my son was 18, I would master the art of cake decorating and make him a cake he would be proud of.
Each year my cakes got a little better…by his 4th birthday friends were asking me to make their children’s cakes.
A little more commitment
As time went on, I decided to register as a business. In doing so it meant I could charge a little on top of ingredients and have no annual sale limits. This in turn enable me to buy more equipment for my hobby and ever growing passion. It wasn’t long before I realised could be more than a hobby.
The realisation
I soon realised to ever be able to make a career out of cake decorating, I would need to set myself apart from other cake makers.
I knew I didn’t want to spend my time replicating other people’s work. It needed to be my own.
In between my orders I would play with family cakes and slowly but surely, my style and imagination took hold.
And now
11 years on and I am now a very proud luxury modern wedding cake designer. A wedding cake designer who prides herself on not only how her cakes look but also on how they taste.
A wedding cake should taste just as good as it looks
My sponge cake recipe took 4 years of searching and tweaking before I decided I had found ‘the one’. It now forms the base of many of my flavours. The words “the best cake I have ever had…” has appeared many times in feedback, on my social media sites and through emails/conversations. Again, something I am very proud of and believe me, something I never tire of hearing!
No copy wedding cake designs here
My designs are my own. I enjoy nothing more than to meet my couples at their consultation and chat over tea and cake. We discuss inspirational images they have sent me (if any) and the elements of each image that drew them to it. Then an hour later they leave with their very own unique design. Excitement clear on their faces and in their voices.
Searching for a passion
Prior to having my two beautiful children, I spent 17 years working in law firms in the City. I would daydream about what job I could do, that would take me away from the monotony of my 5-9 work life. I came up with plenty of ideas, by never once was any of them becoming a luxury wedding cake designer.
Is this just a job to me? Definitely not. It’s my passion. My happy place. One which is made even better by the amazing couples I get to meet, who allow my cakes to be a small part of their big day.
Is it stressful? In a word yes. Any cake designer, who is passionate about their work and tells you otherwise, is, at the least, being a little economical with the truth.
Is it all worth it? Most definitely.
If you have enjoyed reading my story and would like to see how my work has come along, click the link below.
Who is Sue Hurst – Wedding Cake Designer in Essex
Hey, I am Sue! I am a wedding cake maker in Essex, specialising in modern and bespoke wedding cakes in Essex, London, Suffolk, Kent, Surrey and beyond. After 12 years of cake making, my business has changed over the years, until I found my biggest passion – weddings.
I absolutely adore everything about designing and making wedding cakes. From getting to know my couples, right through to setting up their dream cake (quite often a design they would never have dreamt of before their journey with me).
Having the honour of being a part of such a special day in my couples’ lives, is something I never undervalue.
My blog posts about weddings cakes in the South and South East England are based on experience and aim to help you plan your dream wedding.
