Award category sponsored by
Winner: Shuga Budz
When Amelia Nutting’s shop in Wolverhampton became too small, she, mum Debbie and three staff not only moved to larger premises, but opened a coffee shop too.
The five cake artists in the Shuga Budz team have different styles and strengths. So, when dividing up the tasks for the week, they often work together on a project, with a couple of them making parts for one specific order.
For her cosmic entry, this year’s BIA theme, Nutting wanted a futuristic feel, so the standout model atop her creative cake is a spaceship, ready to explore new frontiers. However, a giant, well-muscled alien has ideas of pushing it off course.
Elsewhere, a power-woman standing on Mars is confident of her leadership role in the universe, quite oblivious to the alien floating in space.
Surrounding the scene, playful critters are diving into a planet, contemplating on a comet and larking around having fun.
“I wanted to give a feeling of space and flow,” says Nutting. “I iced the base in four layers of colours, cut out replica black holes and used lustres of gold and silver to pick out the planets.”
“Amelia’s cake captured the ‘cosmic’ brief perfectly – she designed an
action-packed cake that was well balanced, cleanly executed and showcased
her talents as a cake-maker brilliantly.”
Suzanne Thorp, independent judge
Finalist: Bonney’s Cakery
Nicola Bonney’s thriving East Sussex cake business, founded in 2017, is expanding through reputation.
Bonney specialises in creating bespoke celebration and wedding cakes while also offering vegan and gluten-free baked goods.
“It’s a business priority to use the finest ingredients and source our products from local and ethical suppliers,” she says.
Her cosmic cake is a chunk of moon rock in which two astronauts, wearing sugar crystal helmets, explore a grey moonscape riddled with rocks, moondust and amber crystals.
Unknown to the astronauts, across the moonscape resident aliens Ma and Pa Hoob are spying on them.
They must protect their family living in tunnels, accessed by moonrope. Their home includes a kitchen tunnel furnished with fruit bowl, mini cake, newspaper, photo frame, plant pot and kitchen stools. One alien is in the living room playing with his games console, another is asleep in the bedroom hammock and a third is taking a bath.
Finalist: Sugarlicious Cakes By Karen
Karen Mitchell trained as a cake decorator, then worked as a plumber before going back to her first love and winning gold at Cake International in 2018.
She opened her own shop, working alone. But, with the support of her four children
and ‘super-mum’ Gillian, her business has really taken off, and her creativity has earned her ‘local legend’ status in Nottingham.
“I make celebration cakes, muffins, cupcakes and old-fashioned puddings,” she says.
Her cosmic creation, called Stargazer, depicts constellations and birth signs, together with stars, planets, and the solar system. Down on planet earth, a hare gazes into space at the Moon Goddess, while six family birth signs, including Scorpio, Leo and Pisces, are topped off by Taurus, the bull.
Mitchell has used sugarpaste, marzipan, chocolate and royal icing in the design, airbrushing the base in a mix of blues, pinks, greens and whites, to represent nebula infusions.
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