Leigh’s icing on the cake

After baking for family and friends, Leigh Hamilton decided others could have her cake and eat it too

Butterfly Bake’s Leigh Hamilton at her Maudsland home with some of her amazing cakes for every occasion, from kids’ birthdays to farewells to weddings. WHEN he blew out his candles and made his birthday wish, a little boy cried when it was time to cut his cake – and it wasn’t because he had to kiss all the girls.

It was because the cake was one that Leigh Hamilton made.

And Leigh Hamilton’s cakes are almost too good to eat.

The local creative cook spends 30 to 40 hours crafting one of her masterpieces, which range from adorable baby elephants to giant semi-trailers.

“I get a lot of people tell me they don’t want to cut them,” says Leigh.

“One lady sent me a message saying her boy was in tears when it was time to cut his Thomas cake. He eventually cut it in the end.”

Having enjoyed baking from a young age, Leigh got serious about her craft after a visit from her mother-in-law, who lives in Sydney but often comes up to celebrate her grandson’s birthdays.

“She came up to visit and said we should bake a cake together,” says Leigh.

“She brought up her fondant and showed me some tricks.

“I was instantly hooked.” After studying a short course four years ago, Leigh started experimenting with different designs for her friends and family.

“I have two sons and I am always told what I have to make for their birthdays,” she says.

“They have definitely had some good cakes over the years.”

Soon after, when friends of friends were knocking on Leigh’s door, she decided it was time to launch her own business.

“I started Butterfly Bake about 14 months ago and it has just taken off,” she says.

“I keep learning new techniques and I am slowly getting better at each little thing I do.”

Leigh says decorating her sweets a piece of cake.

“It’s not hard once you are taught a few simple techniques,” she says.

“I just love it. I am so glad I get up every day and get to do something I love while experimenting with my creativity.”

While some customers request specific designs, others allow the Butterfly Bake master to have free range.

The latter are the projects Leigh enjoys the most.

“With the wedding cakes you need to create what’s in their mind which can be hard,” says Leigh.

“I do love putting all those ideas together from what they visualised and then seeing their faces when you deliver a cake.”

“It’s very special because they put a lot of trust in me and I want to give my all.”

Leigh’s customers say her cakes taste as good as they look.

“I always try out new recipes and tweak them here and there,” she says.

“Generally everyone wants chocolate but it’s always good when they ask for different flavours like lemon cake or flourless orange. I like doing things I don’t do every day.”

Having always been into arts and crafts, Leigh says architecture and design have been a “background” hobby of hers for some years now.

“I have always done something, whether it’s painting or sewing,” she says.

“I am so much a baker. When I am not baking cakes I am making biscuits and scones. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t bake something.”

Pictures: MIKE BATTERHAM

Joking that her kitchen is her “best friend”, Leigh says it’s also her favourite place to unwind.

“I get lost in creating most days; it’s definitely therapeutic for me,” she says.

“Lots of people would find it frustrating but I get lost in my own little world.”

Leigh gets so absorbed in her work that she often loses track of time.

“I have to set an alarm on my phone to remind me to pick my boys up,” she says.

“A couple of times a week (the alarm) snaps me out of what I am doing.”