<\/p>\n
Normally this time of year us Wedding Cake makers are knee deep in icing sugar, sugar flowers and cake.\u00a0 As we all know, because of COVID 19 the majority of weddings haven\u2019t taken place.\u00a0 So I thought I\u2019d take this opportunity to interview a fellow cake maker Linda Ashcroft of Buttercup cakes.<\/p>\n
We have been friends\u00a0 for many years now and can truly say she is one of the most amazing and talented cake peeps that I have the pleasure of knowing.\u00a0 Like myself we have been caking for some years and often chat about things happening within the cake industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Linda owns and runs Buttercup Cakes based in Whaley bridge in the peak district. Not only does Linda make the most stunning Luxury wedding cakes, she also teaches and makes the best brownies ever which are posted all over the UK.<\/p>\n
When I asked Linda if I could interview her, she jumped at the chance.\u00a0 So without further ado let me introduce my wonderful friend and fellow cake maker Linda Ashcroft of Buttercup cakes<\/p>\n
What made you become a cake maker<\/p>\n
It started when I was a little girl baking with my Nana, it\u2019s always something that I have enjoyed. Like most mothers I used to make my children\u2019s birthday cakes, this blossomed into making celebration cakes for family and friends.<\/p>\n
Then my work life took me in a different direction and I didn\u2019t make cakes for many years.\u00a0 I got back into it about 12 years ago, again making cakes for family and friends.\u00a0 It soon took off and I made the decision to give up my day job and go full time with the cakes.<\/p>\n
The business was ran from home to begin with, then 7 years ago we moved into our studio based in Whaley bridge and I began to specialise in Luxury Wedding Cakes.<\/p>\n
What cake are you most proud of<\/p>\n
There are so many cakes that I am proud of because I put my heart and soul into each one. If I was to forced to choose, I would say that the one I am most proud of is the one I made for my daughter\u2019s Wedding. <\/p>\n
I have to say that trying to make a wedding cake and deal with all the last minute preparations for the wedding was pretty stressful. Having said that, it was wonderful to be able to create a beautiful cake for this very special day.\u00a0 I even set the cake up on the morning of the wedding in my rollers.<\/p>\n
Can you think of what cake has been the most challenging<\/p>\n
Cakes are often challenging but one in particular was particularly so.\u00a0 It was a huge 3 tier cake with each cake being 9\u201d tall and each tier consisted of 2 cakes with a thin board between to give extra support.\u00a0 By the time it was ganached and covered, it weighed an absolute ton and because of the design, it needed to be transported to the venue as whole.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because it was so heavy, it took two men to carry the cake into the van. A nerve wrecking hour and a half journey to the venue Thornton Manor on the Wirral. Placing it onto the cake stand was a bit stressful to say the least. It was all worth it to see it set up and the couple were absolutely thrilled with it.<\/p>\n
What do you love about your job<\/p>\n
I absolutely love my job (well most of the time.)\u00a0 I love the freedom it gives me to be creative, to set my own standards and work when I want to work.\u00a0 I also love creating a cake that is such a special part of a celebration and making memories.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m so proud and honoured to play a part in their special day and they often become lifelong clients for celebration cakes.<\/p>\n
What made you start Cake Decorating and Sugarcraft Classes<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always enjoyed sharing knowledge and was always asked how to do this and how to do that as well as people asking me to run classes.\u00a0 So I thought why not?\u00a0<\/p>\n
It started with cupcake classes and I absolutely loved it. So I then began to offer a wider range of classes including large cakes, wedding cakes and sugar flowers.<\/p>\n
You often mention \u2018Mr Buttercup\u2019 \u2013 Can you explain who he is, what role he has and how important it is having him around<\/p>\n
My husband Ian, is affectionately known as Mr Buttercup and he is an important part of the business.\u00a0 Whilst he isn\u2019t involved in the making of the cakes, he likes to think of himself as Head of Sales and Logistics!.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s my delivery man extraordinaire \u2013 there\u2019s no-one else I would trust to deliver and set up a wedding cake.\u00a0 He\u2019s my errand boy, my washer upper and my biggest supporter.\u00a0 I really couldn\u2019t do this without him \u2013 but sshhhhh, don\u2019t tell him.<\/p>\n
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer<\/p>\n
I always pride myself on excellent customer service and will do my utmost for my clients. However, 12 months ago this was taken to a whole new level.<\/p>\n
Our studio and home are in Whaley Bridge in the Peak district. You might remember the very serious situation when the dam near the village looked as it was about to collapse.\u00a0 This situation made national news and was covered by most news channels.<\/p>\n
When the order came to evacuate the village, I was working on a 4 tier wedding cake. As we were evacuated from our home too, I couldn\u2019t even take the cake home with me. I had to leave the almost finished cake in the studio. The situation became even more serious when a cordon was placed around the village, with no-one being allowed in.\u00a0 I was so determined that the couple should have their wedding cake the following day, that I posted on social media that I needed to rescue the cake.<\/p>\n
What happened next<\/p>\n
The post got shared and Derbyshire Police contacted me to see if they could help. After much discussion and deliberation, they agreed I could go to the studio, at my own risk for 5 mins so I could get the cake and any equipment needed. It was so eerie \u2013 no sound except for the Chinook flying overhead with sandbags to prop up the dam.\u00a0 I managed to grab what I needed into the car and off I went to the venue Heaton house farm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The venue was so lovely and allowed me to use their kitchen to finish the cake.\u00a0 The couple were overjoyed and it was certainly a talking point at their wedding.\u00a0 Needless to say I was pretty much chuffed once I recovered from the stress of it all!<\/p>\n
What do you find most challenging about being a Cake Maker<\/p>\n
So much of what we do as cake decorators is quite difficult and not straightforward.\u00a0 There are so many things that can affect a cake. Working in hot and humid conditions is particularly challenging.\u00a0 Buttercream can melt, ganache won\u2019t set, sugarpaste is super sticky, sugar flowers won\u2019t dry etc. Yet somehow we still manage to cope, even if it means working late into the night and starting very early in the morning.<\/p>\n
What would be your dream cake and why<\/p>\n
Most definitely, beautiful elegant luxury wedding cakes and would love to make a huge cake with many tiers and masses of sugar flowers\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you were to give any advice to somebody starting out in the cake world, what would it be<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t do it unless you are prepared to work very long hours, often to very tight deadlines and that you must have an absolute passion for what you do<\/p>\n
Name you top 3 cake tools you couldn\u2019t be without and why<\/p>\n
My favourite tools are \u2013 my Sharp Edge Smoother.\u00a0 I pride myself on the flawless finish and sharp edges on my cakes.\u00a0 The sharp edge smoother enables me to\u00a0 achieve this quickly and effortlessly, its a game changer<\/p>\n
Agbay \u2013 I absolutely love it, so easy and quick to torte a cake<\/p>\n
For more information on the Sharp Edge Smoother\u00a0click\u00a0HERE<\/p>\n
I have a tiny PME palette knife that I also love and use all the time for all sorts of things.\u00a0 My ganache plates, my Kingpin rolling pin.\u00a0 Oh, my silverwood multi pan and spirit level!!<\/p>\n
And not forgetting my pasta machine<\/p>\n
Linda said it\u2019s hard choosing which were her top 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
So I then asked Linda, if you were to lose one of them you mentioned above and it made you lose your paddy, which one would it be?<\/p>\n
I\u2019d have a paddy if I couldn\u2019t find my tweezers when I\u2019m arranging sugar flowers, egg crate foam mats \u2013 I couldn\u2019t live without these either.<\/p>\n
However, if there was a fire I\u2019d grab my Agbay and Sharp Edge Smoother!<\/p>\n
Thank you so much Linda for taking some time out in your busy schedule for this interview. <\/p>\n
I hope you enjoyed reading about her life as a cake make and decorator.<\/p>\n
If you would like to order Linda\u2019s amazing Brownies click\u00a0HERE\u00a0I can vouch for them, they are delicious!<\/p>\n
Till next time<\/p>\n
Carol<\/p>\n
If you would like to keep updated with the latest blog, any new classes and offers we have click HERE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Normally this time of year us Wedding Cake makers are knee deep in icing sugar, sugar flowers and cake.\u00a0 As we all know, because of COVID 19 the majority of weddings haven\u2019t taken place.\u00a0 So I thought I\u2019d take this opportunity to interview a fellow cake maker Linda Ashcroft of Buttercup cakes. We have been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-deserts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanabaking.snipsglow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}