CAKE INTERNATIONAL | BLOGS BY JANE TAYOR

If you’re in the cake industry you’ll understand the excitement of this annual event!

This year most certainly did not disappoint! Double the amount of tickets sold which is amazing for stand holders. Loads of top cake artists attended and ran classes, it’s so good to actually meet the people that inspire you everyday!

I personally love being able to meet my students and fellow business owners! As always I spend most of the time walking around in awe of the competition section! You are all so talented and it still blows my brain how you all do it. You must have the patience of a saint 🤣

One of my students Emma Nettleship from Botanical Cupcakes won GOLD in the cupcake category! I cannot tell you just how proud I am of her. She deserved getting a gold for her beautiful floral cupcakes.

Also Jane Tucker from Blooming Marvellous Cakes, was a finalist in the Cake Awards for her beautiful buttercream blooms💐 I first met Jane years ago when I ran a buttercream flower course in Surrey! And now look at her, so so proud.

As you probably know I ran 3 buttercream flower classes on the Saturday! I met some amazing women wanting to learn this skill and they most certainly smashed it.. each taking home 4 floral cupcakes which they piped so beautifully! Most not having ever picked up a piping bag. I do,
I’m afraid have a very smug moment at the end of each class.. I say to them all at the beginning you will be piping 4 flowers that will look like flowers and they always look at me and say ‘I’m not sure’ and I prove them wrong every single time 🤣 they were all so proud of themselves and so they should be! You are all amazing.

It was also so nice to meet some of my students and people I talk to on socials. They attended my classes so it was a joy to hug them and put a face to who I talk to.

Even though I am professional in the sense of teaching my skill we do also have a laugh. The cake industry can be so serious and it is possible to learn and have fun. The feedback I’ve had has been so humbling and can’t believe the comments I get! “You’ve changed my life” makes me teary writing it, because for me it’s just a case of sharing my skills and not keeping secrets. I simply don’t understand this concept that some bakers have? Why would you not want your students to be successful ! That’s surely all it’s about isn’t it?

The gorgeous Ranj from VE Cakes by Ranj supplied my cupcakes for my workshops this year, she offers completely vegan cupcakes and they were fantastic to pipe onto. Thank you so much Ranj!

I had students from Nigeria, France, Switzerland, South Africa and Ireland 🇮🇪 attend my classes, I am so honoured! Even though you all seem to think I’m something special I am not I am exactly the same as you. I am a mum of 5 who’s running a business!

You know I’m all about abundance thinking and make this a part of my everyday life. You’ll be amazed if you did this just want an amazing feeling it is and what you actually get out of it! Keeping all your secrets close to your chest is selfish! Successful students are a reflection of you and your brand. It’s all very well me teaching my skill but if none of you made a successful business out of it then I have failed. It’s also a waste of your money and time!

Comments like “this is the best cake class I’ve ever attended” and “I’ve learnt so much, not just how to pipe” is the biggest buzz I get! One of my students said to Fran and I “don’t stop being you, you are both hilarious” we know we are 🤣 humour and being relatable is my whole being. Life is hard enough these days without being too serious.

As you’ll have probably seen I launched my buttercream colour range at Cake International this year! I’ve been in talks with Sugarin for some time and it was only right that the next phase of my business moving forward was to launch my own colours! I still absolutely love Rainbow Dust Progel colours and I will still continue to use them alongside my own Artists Choice colours with Sugarin! Angela Henderson from SugarinUK is my cake
Bestie so we loved working together to produce my initial colour range! The colours that are now available on my shop are the first edition! I will be editing them in the next phase! It’s essential for me that the colours are true to what I use and what I recommend! What I love about them is the little amount you need to produce beautiful colours for your buttercream flowers. I will add my colours can also be used in fondant! They are oil based so this the best medium to use with buttercream. There is no after taste also! It’s all very well your cakes looking beautiful but they must taste beautiful too. Another huge bonus is they are VEGAN 🌱 , suitable for halal diets!

I ran a demo at Cake International on the Sugarin stand using my colours and showing how easy they are to use! As you can imagine this went down a storm, 5 deep of people watching causing all sorts of havoc for people trying to walk past.. it was very funny but I can imagine annoying for others. Angela’s face was a picture, once she realised how busy it was and that they all went and bought my colours straight after! I feel it’s key to any product your launching that you prove how good your product is!! My most popular colour was my Plum and Olive
Green. Just so you know the Plum if only using a tiny amount makes THE most beautiful dusky pink! I’m so proud of my colours and I hope you love them as much as I do!

Please do let me know your thoughts and feel free to tag me in your beautiful flowers using my colours. I love to see your work.

Now time for apologies…I had so many of you message me because you couldn’t find me or when I was teaching! Fran had to man the door of my classes as people were knocking on the door and calling me! I hope you understand that my students had paid a lot of money to attend my classes so I couldn’t keep abandoning them.
I did come out to a few of you as I do love to see you all but I hope you understand my position.

To all I did get to meet, it was a pleasure and I love putting a face to who I talk to. I had loads of my students who I met last year come and see Fran and I… lots of cuddles, yes I am a hugger 🤣 I’m so proud of you all.

I hope to meet more of you next year as ‘potentially’ I will have my own stand! Demoing and meeting old and new students! Roll on 2023!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Cake International this year please comment below, I always reply personally.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming 🐠

Love Jane x