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My grandmother was diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer in May 2007 and passed away at the end of that
year at the age of 84. I was incredibly close to her and took
a break from work to nurse her until her passing. Yet
through her time of illness, she continuously encouraged
me to make use of my artistic side. She would say, ‘You
have such a talent. You must make use of it.’
So after she died I decided to take her advice and
started being creative again. I started painting and one
evening I saw a cake designer on a television programme
and thought ‘I could do that’. So I taught myself all the
cake decorating techniques.
In my spare time, when I was back in Manchester, I
made cakes for family and friends – birthdays, baby
showers and then my first wedding cake. The response I
got was amazing and I discovered my new passion. I was
able to use my artistic capabilities once again, so many
years after leaving art college – and the joy of the faces
of the couple, when they saw their wedding cake for the
very first time, made me incredibly happy.
So after 16 years within the hotel industry I decided
to start up a cake business, which I launched in March
this year and run from home. The business has taken off
well and I have just completed two amazing wedding
cakes over the last few weeks. I’ve had some word-of-
mouth orders and received a lot of interest from online
enquires for my bespoke cakes. I make them not just for
weddings, but all sorts of celebrations.
*****
Every cake created is custom tailored to suit my clients’
tastes and style. I use only the finest organic ingredients
and the cakes are baked fresh from scratch. I don’t use
cake mixes and my goal is to make each cake a
spectacular presentation and a delicious dessert.
Because of the amount of attention to detail
required to create each bespoke cake, I only take one
wedding cake order each week. The latest peacock cake I
made took me 74 hours to make, with all the hand-
painted edible artwork, but on average a wedding cake
with edible flowers will take around 25-35 hours. I have
great passion for what I do and my attention to detail
makes my work really stand out.
*****
My grandmother had a true love of cake and I founded
the Lily Ireland Cake Company in her memory. In every
cake I make, I use what she taught me through the cake-
making process and believe that only through patience,
attention to detail and a love for the craft, you can
produce a masterpiece.
I continue her imaginative and stylish approach with
each cake and ensure that each one is a work of art. And
each year The Lily Ireland Cake Company will make a
donation to Macmillan Cancer Support in her memory.
www.lilyireland.com
pink weddings magazine » 71
cake design