London Cake International Day 2

Ok, so day 2 before day 1??  Well today was an amazing day!  Firstly as I had been yesterday – and traipsed all around the stalls I decided to take my eldest daughter who is 6 AND today I had a VIP pass!  We had the most amazing day!  Thank you so much to Coffee, Cake and Kink.  http://www.coffeecakeandkink.com/

I had entered my Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcake Recipe (to be posted here soon) to a competition.  I was so thrilled to win a VIP pass on Friday night with Coffee Cake and Kink which also included another great experience of baking Black Forest Cupcakes on the main stage with Paul De-Costa Greaves.

The VIP lounge included a show guide but at first did not seem like much – a few tables and chairs next to the main baking stage.  However soon there were refreshments out – and the day started kicking off.  We grabbed a quick juice and then got stuck into looking at the cakes and their awards.  Sophia did a little modelling class…as I don’t have the patience – like asking your parents to teach you to drive.  She did so well, and I barely had to help – I was so impressed, she even told the teacher that rabbits have whiskers – “So I’m adding my own!”

We then returned to the lounge – and Mary and Paul were on the main stage.  It was brilliant, we grabbed some more refreshments which now included sandwiches and crisps sat down at our little table, and had an amazing comfortable view!

We then saw some cakey friends and had a good chinwag; in fact this is my favourite part of Cake International.  I love the people!!  Catching up with old cakey friends and making lots of new!  In the caking world, we know lots of pages and companies – and rarely the people, so here is the occasion to meet the face behind the cake.  I’ll link them on the facebook page  (hope to get a copy of a photo not by a 6 year old to add)!

Mary and Paul returned to the lounge – so we said a quick hello!  The lovely Jen from Jen's Just Deserts kindly took this photo

Mary was reading a sweet card written by a friends daughter.
The other fab thing arranged by CCK was to go on stage with Paul De Costa Greaves, we had a good catch up before (in the VIP lounge while he had a sandwich and Sophia probably had her 10th and another juice)

Time came to get on stage; I was really chuffed to see the lovely Isabelle (and husband) from Let’s Bake Cake in the front row giving support! 

Not entirely sure what Paul was describing here but it was this big! ;-)

It all went smoothly, we made a truely delicious Black Forest Cupcake.  I was making the batter and whipping the cream (although I would not usually make a cupcake in a processor but it worked fab) Paul gave fab anecdotes as we went along too.  On top of the whipped cream, Paul grated some of his Mistress Chocolate which added an amazing kick!  I perhaps should have tried this first before giving Sophia a square – we ate it at the same time and it is seriously heaty!  It is delicious and fruity, but the warmth builds and builds - yummy (She just went to get another juice from the lounge to put the heat out!)!!  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, it was a real blast!  Sophia sat at the side (she asked to have a chair on stage instead of the front row as offer) her job was to take photos…

I made the huge mistake of telling her about the zoom function earlier in the day!

We ended up decorating a giant cupcake and I took home the top!!!

(good pic S!)

More catching up with friends, and then time to get home for the other kids before daddy started work!  Sophia had an amazing day too!

I am exhausted having had so many sleepless nights decorating the cake, and then 2 long days and early mornings at the show so I’m off to bed – I am a little delirious from tiredness, so may have to edit this into logical English.  I hope in the mean time it makes enough sense?

I will add another blog with some pictures of cakes!