It’s not often you find yourself being taught how to ice a cupcake by the woman who made Alexa Chung’s birthday cake, in a department store. Yet somehow, that’s exactly how me and Sarah found ourselves spending our Saturday afternoon! I’m not going to lie, Cake Boss isn’t a brand that I’m overly familiar with. But when Fenwick got in touch asking if I’d like to go see a demonstration from leading cake designer, Juliet Sear, it seemed like a good time to learn more. And I figured there’d probably be free cupcakes in it for me.. so what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?

From learning how to make rose shaped cupcakes to tips and tricks on how to ice a cake, Juliet talked us through a range of techniques. And showed us that while some of it is in the skill, you can get a lot of help with the right tools! I’m not saying it’s easy to make buttercream petals (as you can probably see from my attempt compared to Juliet’s), but there’s a lot to be said for having the right gear at hand. I’ve never been a huge baker, so I’ve never thought to much investing in good quality cake tools. But from turn tables to special paddle things to flatten the icing down, it seems like a pretty serious business! What is cool about the Cake Boss brand though is that it’s aimed to make your life easier, from printed rollers to make your fondant icing look extra special with pretty patterns, to a letter press for icing that works as a guide for your lettering. Their tools help you create the perfect cake for any occasion.

After dabbling with our own icing techniques, we left sticky-fingered and feeling creative with a bunch of Cake Boss goodies! Since I’m not the most ambitious baker, I’ve decided that my mother will probably offer them a better home, so I’m wrapping them up and adding them to her pile of Christmas presents. One thing that was included in my bag (although I’ll not spoil the surprise of which one since she’ll probably be reading this) was one of their cookie pans. Made from a really thick metal, it reminds me of the old fashioned madeleine moulds. I can’t wait for her to see them!

Cake Boss products are available from Fenwick’s Basement (located with the rest of the baking equipment)