Cake Note 30: "Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world" - Virgil A. Kraft

I, for one, am ready for the Spring - it's dull, it's wet, it's dirty and it's cold.

This cake is a very special one. I have been asked if I would make a cake to raffle off for our local charity, Aurora. Aurora is based on site at our District General Hospital, and it is a lovely place where the well being of patients living with cancer, can come along and have some pamper time - a massage, pedicure...that kind of thing.

So they are having a fund raiser and I was asked to make a cake. YES, I would love to. The theme was anything you like, but the raffle will be held around early April, so Easter was suggested.

What I decided to do was use colours that are my particular favourite, and rather than stick to the Easter themes ( Religious themes, eggs, rabbits chocolate etc) I thought I would concentrate on Spring.

So this cake is my representation of the long awaited Spring - lilacs and lemon colours, bright cheerful flowers and an oval shaped cake with a ribbon! It's a 10x8 inch fruit cake - soaked in Brandy (very soaked), covered with sugar paste and decorated with flower paste narcissi, primroses and foliage, and a few fantasy flowers and twirly bits!

I hope it raises a few quid for our cancer charity:)

Still haven't thought of an inscription - but there will be one:)

Cake Note 29: "A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year" Paul Sweeney

Wedding anniversaries - I never made it past my 16th but some people manage a lifetime together.

This is a special blog about a very special couple and therefore, a really special cake. When I started my cake decorating course in 2009, my first thoughts were  'who can I make a celebration cake for?' and the answer came to me - my eldest brother and his lovely wife - my sister -in - law Lilian are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversay on 18 February 2011.

An odd phrase, sister -in-law, to describe a lady who I have known since I was a very small girl, and who is just as much a true sister to me as my own two 'blood' sisters. She is genuinely one of the lovliest women you could ever meet and has been a part of my family so long - she is a very special person to all of us! Not many people can say that about 'in-laws'!

So, because she is so special and because she always takes the time to come and see me, even though I am the worst person in the world for returning the visit - I have planned this cake since 2009 and have loved every minute of making it and designing it - if I could wish them another 50 years of wedded bliss I would - so here is my cake - My personal tribute to my lovely brother Michael and his lovely wife, our 'sister'Lilian -

Happy Golden Wedding Anniversary!

Technical info! An 8 inch fruit cake, iced with ivory sugar paste and decorated with hand made flower paste roses and jasmine - the board has been decorated using Marion Frost's Patchwork Cutters 'Entwined Roses' then painted with edible gold dust colouring.

Cake Note 28: "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough " - Mario Andretti (Racing Driver!)

Happy Birthday to my lovely nephew John - a few days late but better late than never:) My Nephew loves fast cars, fast motorbikes........and my chocolate cakes! In fact, ANY cake - all the scraps from my cakes, the bits of marzipan, and now he's a fruit cake fan.

Anyway, all that this is leading to is that instead of having to cadge the scraps, I made him a special cake for his 30th birthday. It's an 8 inch square Death by Chocolate cake, crumb-coated in white chocolate ganache - filled with raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream....and iced with white sugar paste.

The decoration is in honour of his obsession with fast cars and it's made using Marion Frost's Patchwork Cutters, racing car and Formula 1 flags.

Love him as I do, I will NEVER make those flags again - they're an absolute nightmare and I had to cut each little square to make it fit.....nightmare!

Many Happy Returns to my lovely  John Boy xxx :)