Julie Larkin talks Sugarcraft and Cake Decoration

Introducing our very own Julie Larkin!

Julie is Payroll Manager at Swann-Morton so is well placed to know that there is a wide selection of knives at her disposal to help her in perfecting her art that being the making of bespoke cakes for all types of special occasions. 

Julie is a member of the British Sugarcraft Guild and not only creates her own designs for her cakes and cupcakes but inspires her colleagues to join her in a Time for Tea a fund raising event to raise money for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity here in Sheffield. 

She first finds a picture of the main subject of her cake, be it a Dinosaur, a Dragon or even a Minion. Star Wars also seems a popular subject at the moment. 

Creating her template for the cake out of a piece of Polystyrene Julie talked to us about the cutting process:

''Having drawn a rough outline I then use the Swann-Morton Trimaway 01 to cut away the excess material leaving me with the basic shape I need. I then change over to my standard Trimaway knife which assists me in creating a more precise and smooth outline from which to work.'' 

Having baked and shaped her cake Julie then begins the transformation using her Sugarcraft skills to add various layers and inserts of sugar paste (fondant) coloured and shaped to resemble the features of the character she is creating. 

''At this point I would use either my Swann-Morton No.11 Disposable Scalpel (Yes the same ones you would find in a Hospital Operating theatre!!) for adding the fine details or my No.11 ACM blade mounted into a No.1 ACM barrel handle which provides me with more dexterity when cutting curved lines and features.'' 

Julie is finding that her skills are always in demand creating cakes which look literally too good to eat!