Life-sized edible versions of the Prince and Princess of Wales and TV presenter Alison Hammond will feature among thousands of exhibits when Cake International, one of the world’s biggest cake decorating and baking events, returns to Birmingham this week.
“It is an absolute joy to recreate life-size figures,” says award-winning cake artist Emma Jayne, as she puts the finishing touches to an edible Prince and Princess of Wales.
Three months of work, 60kg (132lbs) of sugar paste and 20kg (44lbs) of modelling chocolate have gone into the centrepiece, to be displayed on a replica Buckingham Palace balcony when the event opens at the NEC, outside Birmingham, on Friday.
Organisers describe it as the world’s biggest cake decorating and baking show. Established in 1994, it attracts cake artists, bakers and chocolatiers from around the globe and is expected to welcome about 25,000 visitors over three days.
For Jayne, from Aberdare in south Wales, the event’s artist-in-residence, the final stages of the project have been a race against time.
“I should have started their heads in August, but because we had that very hot weather and I’m sculpting with modelling chocolate, it was impossible,” she said.
The royal couple’s bodies were carved from marshmallow and rice pops before being covered in sugar paste, with countless hours spent perfecting facial features, clothing and finishing details.
The edible display follows a series of headline-grabbing creations by the artist, including life-sized depictions of Michael Jackson, King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth I.