Behind the scenes: design secrets I’ve never shared before
When I first started making cakes 10 years ago, I spent hours scrolling Instagram and cake websites to see what other cake makers were doing and how I could learn from them. I longed to visit Peggy Porschen’s Cake Parlour in Belgravia and taste her perfect pink cupcakes. I studied the Primrose Bakery Recipe book for sweet flavour ideas. I admired Poppy Pickering’s Wedding Cake designs and even spent a week in Ilkley so I could attend Dominique’s wonderful Cake Masterclass.
Finding MY style
I quickly realised that in setting up Judith Bond Cakes, I wanted to develop a style that played to my strengths and could be identified as mine. I wanted people to point and say “oooh that’s a Judith Bond,” and after 10 years, I hope I’ve managed to achieve my aim of creating cakes that are distinctive with a clear recognisable style.
Finding MY niche
The main change I’ve made is to stop trying to be all things to all men. There’s a misconception in business that you need to “turn your hand to everything”. It’s much more about developing a clear niche and then showing your clients what you’re best at. Then they will follow, love, and keep buying. Noone is good at everything and if they say they are – don’t believe them.
Finding MY distinctive
Here’s a few words I would hope that my clients use to characterise my cakes.
Simple and elegant where less is more.
Classic aesthetic with distinctive style
Graceful, clean lines and neat finishing
Aspirational story telling
Custom colour schemes with natural blended shades
Understated arrangement with thoughtful use of white space
Handcrafted flowers with tiny pearl centres for detailed interest.
Subtle sugar embossing and a love of stripes
Pretty. Oh, so pretty.
But where do I find my inspiration?
I thought you’d never ask. If you follow my Judith Bond Writes blog, you’ll know that I enjoy spending as much time as possible in nature, by the seaside and in the country. I love hanging out in National Trust gardens, hiking the Great Orme pathways, and mooching around my cottage garden. I’m inspired by plants, trees, and flowers of every kind. I love sunny beach walks and stunning sunsets. I love a cold frosty morning with snow on the ground. Love snow. Living on the edge of Snowdonia is great for mountain drives, lakeside walks, and toasted Welsh cakes by a roaring fireside.
Travelling is my tonic. From the rolling beauty of North Yorkshire, the stunning Northumberland coast to the spectacular Scottish Highlands. We love the North. But we also have soft spot for the rustic charm of South West France, often packing the car and heading south for a late summer break.
I seek out the quiet and calm of off-peak seasons, choose the Airbnb that’s tucked away in a tiny village or off the beaten track on the edge of a forest.
I’m addicted to a good coffee, a freshly baked French pastry, a drive through the Dordogne vineyards and my Olympus PEN E-P7.
Everything is inspiration. I see something inspiring – a river view, a lavender shrub, a pretty village, a Scottish castle – and it gets logged in my camera, printed in a photo book, and emerges in some form in a cake design. Soothing blues and muted greens. Warm neutrals and leafy life-giving plants. A pretty silk scarf or a notebook cover. A ceramic vase in a shop window. A handwoven tartan blanket or a tub of spare buttons.
Let me show you some recent examples and where my design inspiration came from.
Helen’s Cake
Here’s a pretty cake I made for Helen’s 58th birthday. The person who ordered it wasn’t sure what colours they wanted so, as it was late December, I suggested winter/early spring colours. Mixing the colour tints, I was thinking of early daffodils and snowdrops, hellebores and camelias, magnolias and irises. The first flowers of the year and some of my favourites. In my mind, I was strolling around the National Trust Bodnant’s ‘Winter Garden’ - with my camera, as I often do. And this is the result. What do you think?
Jacqui’s Cake
Jacqui orders her July birthday cake from me every year. A 6” double chocolate sponge which she and her Mum devour with glee and then rave about to everyone they meet. Be more like Jacqui.
Mostly Jacqui just lets me decide on a nice colour scheme for her. This cake was decorated in vivid purples and lilacs inspired by hot summer days in my own cottage garden. Vibrant Delphiniums (King Charles’ favourite flower), Scabiosas Butterfly pincushions, and the loveliest French lavender.
Amy’s Cake
Amy turned 21 last summer and she wanted a centrepiece cake for her birthday party which matched her hand stitched dress.
We blended shades of peony, mulberry and burgundy, with greens and pale greys to create the prettiest stacked cake for her family celebration. Let’s just say it was a triumph.
There are many more examples like Helen, Jacqui, and Amy which I hope to share with you in blogs to come. But for now, as we head into 2024, I wanted to share how important every cake and every box of cupcakes is to me. A cake is so much more than flour and eggs and I hope that this blog has shown you just how much heart and soul goes into every creation that comes out of my kitchen.
That’s all for now.
Judith x