Cinderella cake takes top prize
Cake decorator Carol Robertson waved her magic wand and pulled a top mark at the New Zealand Chefs Association National Salon.
Closely aligned with the ‘‘magic’’ was a lot of painstaking work and skill.
She began creating the cake in October last year and it took more than 250 hours to build by hand. ’’The flowers are all handmade, petal by petal.’’
She entered her Cinderellathemed celebration cake into the competition, held in Auckland during July, and earned a gold medal with 98 points out of 100.
‘‘I was happy that I got gold, but I was quite shocked that I got the top gold because there were quite a few high standard cakes there,’’ she said.
Cinderella cakes are special for Robertson. ‘‘It’s my third. When my granddaughter turned five, she’s now 13, I did my first Cinderella castle cake for her.
‘‘Then six years ago my son died and I did another Cinderella castle cake to help me cope. That was my therapy if you like. While I was doing the cake I didn’t have to think about poor Tony.’’
She describes the latest cake as the ultimate creation. ’’I decided I wanted to do another one. I could see an improvement and I had an idea for this one floating in my head.’’
Robertson started teaching herself how to decorate cakes about 40 years ago. ’’It was just something that I could do and it astounded me that I could do it. Now I astound other people.
‘‘I was never a high achiever in anything and I guess it was my thing but it got me through deaths and a broken marriage, through dramas, you name it, it was my go-to.’’
To enter the salon, decorations need to be built on an actual cake and Robertson’s favourite is a fruit cake. ‘‘It keeps indefinitely really. My Christmas cake is always so stunning we don’t cut it until about May, June or July.’’
Robertson is already planning her cake for next year.
‘‘I’ve got this idea floating around in my head of a tree with a fairy house and elves hanging off the branches,’’ she said.