“I suppose it all started with my mother who was an excellent baker and liked to try her hand at icing and decorating. She did the usual birthday and Christmas cakes and I recall the exciting experiment with a Simnel cake, complete with balls of marzipan on top and fluffy chickens and little eggs. The tradition of ‘travelling’ cakes began when I got married in the South of France and she baked and decorated a one-tier cake which she then carefully carried on her lap in numerous trains from Scotland to Montpellier. Thereafter I took a cake to my parents for their Golden Wedding anniversary and more recently, for my nephew’s wedding cake, transported a carry-on bag full of sugar roses much to the amazement of the lady on the security X-ray machine at the German airport I had to travel through. When I explained what she could see on her screen she asked for a closer look and then oohed and aahed in admiration and thanked me for showing her. This display of womanly chumminess visibly did not amuse her male colleague. Since then I’ve carried birthday cakes to Germany by train and even managed to pack and send one by post. There have been the classic flowers but also special requests for birthdays of people with particular interests (travel, computer games, dancing, Rabbie Burns…) And vast numbers of mini Christmas cakes sold for charity (via Lyon Anglican Church and the local Salvation Army). At such times my kitchen becomes my workshop and the hours fly by unnoticed as I work on modelling flowers or ‘carving’ famous churches.”
DIANA SARRAN
“Teaching, translating, language learning, fiddle-playing, sewing, DIY, cake decorating – these are some of my favourite activities – not to mention taking pride in my numerous grandchildren!”
“Here in the Lyon area of France where I live there is not the same tradition of iced and decorated cakes that exists in the English-speaking world. I can provide that custom-made cake for a special occasion just like ‘back home’ – christening, birthday, graduation, wedding, anniversary, Christmas. Delivery in and around Lyon, or cakes can be picked up from my home. Rich fruit cakes can be made in advance and travel well if adequately packed. Cakes such as Madeira cake or cream cheese pound cake have a shorter ‘shelf life’.”
Don’t hesitate to contact me for the price which varies according to the type of cake (rich chocolate, sponge, madeira cake, rich fruit cake, etc), the size and the complexity of the decoration. Send me an email to info@dianascraftycakes.com