How to Pipe Two-tone Swirls on Cupcakes - Tutorial

I love the look of the two tone buttercream piped onto cupcakes, especially when using the rose swirl, as it is very effective and very pretty.

 When I first wanted to try doing this, I asked Mr Google and he told me to put the food colouring down one side on the inside of my piping bag. The more I thought about this, the more I was worried that it would be easy to use far too much colouring and also that it could easily produce a very uneven look to the colour. So I came up with the following way of doing it.

 First I put half of my uncoloured buttercream onto a piece of clingfilm:

Then I coloured the other half and put it on top of the uncoloured pile:

I then folded the clingfilm over the top and squished the two piles together:

I tied one end of the clingfilm into a knot to stop the buttercream squeesing out, and I cut the other end up close next to the buttercream. I then put the 'package' into a piping bag fitted with a 1M tube and started piping. Simples!!

 The effect is quite random (the first swirl had hardly any pink in it) but that is the beauty of the two tone swirl - each cupcake is individual.
 There's no reason why you couldn't adapt this technique to do a third colour, although I fear that four or more colours might look a little 'busy.

Guest Blog - Interview with Nadine Snijders

I'm not sure when I became aware of Nadine's blog, but from the moment I first laid eyes on her stunning creations I was hooked! She has such a beautiful, feminine style executed with such amazing precision, I challenge anyone not to be bowled over by her work.

I mean, just how stunning is this?!?!

I decided to chance my luck and approached her to see if she would guest here on my little blog and I was over the moon to find that she really liked the idea!! In the end we settled on doing an interview as this would give you all an opportunity to get to know her as well as appreciate her amazing creations. So here goes...

Hi Nadine, a very big welcome to Sarah's Cake Blog!

Thank you so much for being my guest today.

So let's jump straight in - When did you first start decorating cakes? Is it something that you have always loved or is it a more recent thing?

Before I started making cakes, I made cupcakes. In March 2009 I made my first cupcakes, for my own birthday, just for fun. I then began looking on the internet for inspiration and products.

After a while I started thinking about making cakes, but I found it hard as I had never had any lessons and didn’t know where to start. Again, I used the internet to find all the "how to’s" and I made two cakes for my sister‘s birthday in May 2010. She loved them and didn’t want to cut them... seeing her reaction made me happy and was the best reward.

How did this develop into making cakes for other people?

The perfectionist in me wants everything to be, almost, perfect. The details have to be right and I think people notice that. More and more people asked me to make them a cake and that’s how it started...

How do you juggle the demands of everyday working and such a time consuming pastime as cake decorating?

Until recently, I was living with my parents, so I could make time for cakes next to my full time job. Now, I’m living in my own house and next to my job, there is the housework.

After moving in, I wanted to take a break, making time for my house. Now, after a few months, there’s some time for cakes, but I can’t make as many as I did before.

As with anything else, cakes are subject to the influence of fashion and trends. From trawling the internet it is also obvious that styles of cake differ from country to country. Would you say that your classical style is typical of the Netherlands?

I would like to say that I have my own style, as do many people. Of course there are differences, such as colours (red-white-blue are often used in the Netherlands), use of piping royal icing etc., but the internet allows us to see cakes from all over the World and people inspire each other. So, I wouldn’t say there’s a typical Dutch style.

You describe your style as being inspired from the Victorian/Marie Antoinette periods; what is it that captures your imagination so much?

The gorgeous dresses, the soft colours and the use of lace and pearls. Which woman wouldn‘t be inspired?

What do you find most challenging about decorating cakes, and also what is the most enjoyable?

The design of the cake is always a challenge. I never have, and would never, make the same design twice.

In the beginning I had so many problems with getting the fondant smooth and without cracks on the sides. After trying out different fondants, I’m now very happy with the Satin Ice fondant I started using recently. In the Netherlands you couldn’t buy it until a few months ago.

The thing that’s the most enjoyable, is the decoration part, working on a smooth base and finishing it with the right decorations.

What interesting projects do you have in the pipeline?

I still have so many cake designs/elements that I want to use…

Next week it’s my birthday and I will have a high tea for my closest girlfriends, so I‘m making two mini cakes. In May there’s my third birthday cake for my sister and in June I will be making a wedding cake.

What would your dream cake look like?

Oh my, I think there a several dream cakes…

I love white on white, the combination of pastel blue and white, pastel pink with white and gold…. Things that are often recurring themes are pearls and lace, so my dream cake would have to contain these two.

How has using social media (such as your blog and facebook) helped you, both in terms of exposure for your cakes and inspiration for making them in the first place?

The internet is great! At first, I placed my pictures on Hyves (a Dutch version of Facebook) and a Dutch cake forum. People seemed to love my cakes and gave lovely comments. From then on unknown people started to ask me to make cakes.

I also placed the pictures on Flickr and enjoyed it when foreign people commented on my cakes. I started using Facebook and more people added me on Facebook - a lot from outside the Netherlands.

I met a close friend of mine, Tessa (of Cakes By Tess), on the Dutch forum. We have the same style and love the same colours and decoration. People on the forum noticed this and mentioned us in topics.

We thought it would be fun to have a Facebook page together. Now, after almost a year, we nearly have 1670 members and we still find it hard to believe that so many people like our cakes. Knowning that every cake we make will be seen by so many people is such a delight!

Thanks so much Nadine for being my guest today and sharing with us the photos of your beautiful creations!

If you would like to see more of Nadine's beautiful work then check out her blog Nadine's Cakes & My Little White Home. She has decorated her home just as exquisitely as she decorates her cakes! You can also follow her on the Facebook page which she shares with her equally talented friend Tess at Tess' & Nadine's Cakes.

All that Glitters is Not Gold

Recently in UK caking circles there seems to have been a bit of a stir about glitter on cakes - is it edible or not?


Often packaging has been confusing or misleading, and the situation hasn't been helped by people seeing TV chefs using the stuff with gay abandon on their creations.


The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has decided to take a close look at what is going on. You might like to read this letter from the FSA to the Director of Trading Standards regarding the misuse of these products.


In very simple terms, there are glitters (and dusts) on the market which are labelled as being foodsafe and 'non-toxic'. These are not the same as 'edible'. What it means is that they are safe to come into contact with food items, but they are not designed to be consumed (although  if consumed they aren't toxic). These glitters are intended to be removable decoration, not consumed along with the food item.


My black and white shoe cake is an example of non-toxic glitter being used in the correct way - while being perfectly food safe, the shoe is not intended to be eaten and was removed completely from the cake before consumption.


At Canterbury Cakes you may see glittery decorations, which can be easily removed (and when you collect your cake you will be advised as such), but you will never see our any of our cakes with glitter applied in a way that it cannot be removed  - as a result, perhaps the cakes may not be as pretty and sparkley as some things you may see on the web, but I take the safety of my clients very seriously and when you think about what glitter actually is (see what Wikipedia has to say), small particles of plastic and metal, would you really want to be eating it? I certainly wouldn't!   

How to Make Coral for a Novelty Cake

I am decorating a nautically themed cake this week and the great thing about this kind of cake is that you can include loads of little details, which is always good fun. As well as obvious sea-life such as fish, crabs and seaweed, I like to add the impression of a coral reef as I think this sets off the theme beautifully. I used this technique previously when making Emily's Octonauts Cake and it really added something to the impact of the cake. I'm not sure where I picked up the technique (so I unfortunately can't credit anyone), but it's simple and quick and I am sure you will love it!  


So, all you need to make some realistic(ish) looking coral is some royal icing (any colour will do; the more the merrier!) and some grape stalks...yes, you read that right, grape stalks!

Cut the big grape stalk into smaller pieces that you think will look interesting 

Then go to work piping the royal icing onto it - it isn't an exact science so just stick it on there and you can always use a cocktail stick to manipulate it around the 'branches' a little if it's not looking quite to your liking

Once it's covered all over, leave it to dry and then

arrange it with other coloured corals, a bit of sea-life and some weed - voila, a mini-coral reef!

What do you think?

Black & White Cake with a Hint of Purple

This was a very last minute leaving cake for some friends who were leaving the area to start new jobs. As I had free reign with the design, I decided on a different, more simplified, take on a black and white cake. I think the little splash of purple sets it off perfectly - how about you?

It May Not Be Manolo Blahnik, But Carrie Bradshaw Would Love This!

Looking back over some of the cakes that I really enjoyed making last year, this one really stands out in my mind. It was for an 18th birthday party and the remit was a black & white cake. The invitations for the party featured a fabulous platform stiletto shoe and so I decided to incorporate this into the design.

This cake represented a lot of firsts for me - the first time I had made a gumpaste shoe and the first time I had tried stencilling royal icing on to a cake. It was nerve-wracking to be using black royal icing on a first attempt at the stencilling as if I made a mistake there was no where to go with it....the white icing underneath is ruthlessly unforgiving. 

Despite never having made one before, the shoe turned out to be relatively straightforward. I was so pleased with the finish that the red glitter gave to it. The photographs don't do any justice to just how sparkly it was. It set the cake off beautifully and, to be honest, there was a part of me that didn't want to let this one go. I am glad that I wasn't there to see it cut! 

A New Year - Looking Forwards & Reflections

I can hardly believe that the last time I posted something to my sadly neglected blog it was last September. The time has flown by since then. There are never enough ours in the day and I have to admit to maintaining my facebook page (canterburycakes) in priority to my poor little blog, but my new year's resolution is to split my time evenly between them both...all good intentions!


2012 promises to be an exciting year on the cake front, as I have (slightly) more time to dedicate to learning the craft since finishing full-time work (although looking after the little people in the house is a full-time job in itself!). I have a workshop booked with the amazingly talented Lorraine McKay (which I am SO excited about), tickets booked for the Cake International show which is taking place in London and a place reserved on the British Sugarcraft Guild's skills school. I am also hoping to fit in a second professional diploma course in either royal icing or sugarpaste to compliment the one that I did last year in sugar flowers. So, hopefully I should have plenty to report back here.


2011 was an amazing year on the cake front. Given that the official start date of my business was 1st September I have had an amazing response and been kept quite busy. I have even had to turn work down because I just couldn't fit it in, which I really didn't imagine would happen so soon. I have worked on some extremely enjoyable projects which have allowed me to explore my creativity while honing my skills (often working out of my comfort zone - the best way to improve one's skills I find!). So, for my next few posts I will look back at, and share with you, some of my favourite cakes of 2011.


Lets start with this one

A good friend of mine, and her twin sister, celebrated their 40th birthday at the end of the year. I offered to make them a birthday cake as my gift to them and I was given free reign on the design. Earlier in the year I had made this cake inspired by the style of Cath Kidston:

and I really liked the idea of doing a similar cake but (hopefully) improved with the benefit of all I had learnt during the course of the year. The flowers were a joy to make and I think they finished the cake off perfectly.