Four Tier Spring Floral Wedding Cake

This cake is one I loved making! Four tiers with different tier depths iced in ivory then finished with beautiful dusky pink David Austin style roses, tea roses and hydrangeas all made from sugar. Really reminds me of my garden in summer as I'm lucky enough to grow all these!

Thanks for stopping by x

The Croods Birthday Cake

My customer contacted me to make a special birthday cake for her and her husband who were both celebrating their 40th birthdays. We created this Croods design with handmade characters and waterfall detail.

Happy Birthday to the Winters! x

Single Tier Roses and Lace Cake

We made this cake for an engagement party but it could easily be a wedding cake for a smaller wedding. Handmade sugar roses and lace applique detail make this a beautiful elegant cake.

Thanks for stopping by x

Cinderella Inspired Ruffles and Peony Wedding Cake

Here's a cake which was partially inspired by Cinderella. I love the blue and white together together with a hint of gold in the sugar peony style flower.

Bottom white ruffled tier and two tiers of beautiful blue icing with piped dots to the top tier.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Princess Inspired 3rd Birthday Cake

Here's a cake for a joint birthday. Lily and Lilah were turning 3, and love all things princessy, so what better cake for them?! Two tiers of delicious cake finished with pink icing, bows, pictures of their favourite princesses and a golden crown topper.

Happy Birthday Lily and Lilah! xx

Pink Peony Ruffles Wedding Cake

This is a cake which I spent a lot of time on. Ruffles take forever! I love the finish though - the ruffles make a nice textural contrast to the smooth sugarpaste top tiers. Finished with a handmade sugar peony and a few extra petals, this is a very girly cake!

Thanks for stopping by x

Cake Smash Session :)

I had the honour of making two cakes for Poppy, one was her birthday cake and the other was a giant cupcake for a fun cake smash session her mum had planned for her! Here are some photos her mum sent over. Photos by HD1 Photography (https://www.facebook.com/hd1photo)

Isn't she beautiful?! 

Jo's Cakes is on Tsu!

So we've joined Tsu! So far so good - it seems to be a place where everyone who likes a page gets to see its content, which is amazing compared to the post reach on Facebook.  I have approx 3,500 followers on my page www.Facebook.com/joscakeshudds however for every post I post, only around 300-400 of those people get to see it. I can of course boost the post BY PAYING which doesn't seem fair - if people like a page, they should get to see it!

Come join me on Tsu. Simply go to tsu.co and when prompted enter my shortcode joscakes. This will take you to my profile and allow you to create your own. Hopefully I'll see you there!

Tinkerbell 8th Birthday Cake

Here's a cake we created for Harriet's 8th birthday. She loves Tinkerbell, so we created a cake including Tink for her :)

Happy Birthday Harriet x

My Little Pony Birthday Cake

Another one of my daughter's loves is My Little Ponies. We were lucky enough to be given a load by a friend and she loves them! She was in love with this cake, which we created for Poppy's 5th birthday. Poppy's mum had seen a design she liked online and asked me to do a similar one, and here it is :)

Happy birthday Poppy x

Ivy and Rose Three Tier Wedding Cake

This was a cake which we delivered to Durker Roods Hotel and was an ivory cake finished with ivory ribbon. We then added some sugar ivy and one delicate sugar rose to the top tier as per a picture the bride had seen.

Four Tier Lace and Fresh Flowers Wedding Cake

This cake was great fun to make as I got to play florist! Four tiers of cake with a separator tier of beautiful fresh flowers in the middle, provided by Lincolns the Florist in Huddersfield. The top tier and third tier also have edible lace detailing. I love the colours of the flowers Lindsey chose :)

One of those days... but amazing wedding fair!

So yesterday was the first ever wedding fair at The Arches, which is a beautiful new venue in Halifax town centre. I was excited to be exhibiting there but my morning started out really badly! After packing everything for my stall into my car (which is the size of a shoebox!), I set off with enough time to get there, set up and have about 40 minutes before the brides started coming through the doors. Unfortunately for me, my Sat Nav had other ideas and took me all around the houses so I only arrived at the venue, all flustered and a bit panicky, with half an hour to go before the doors opened! Nightmare. 

I brought everything in bar one cake and my samples tray, which I thought I'd bring in when I got back from moving the car. This plan worked well until I dropped the cake and the samples tray in the car park. My cake was ruined and my samples went everywhere - 50 odd individually wrapped pieces of cake. I picked them all up but I couldn't serve them so threw them in the car and rushed back inside. Then I couldn't put my pop up banner up (pop up indeed - haha!) and a kind guy from Smooch wedding rings had to do it for me. Then I broke a nail! Oh no! Luckily I got all set up with about a minute to spare, and had a fabulous day meeting loads of new bride and grooms.  

Here are some photos of The Arches. It was all set up for a wedding yesterday and looked stunning. If you're looking for a wedding venue that's a little bit different, this could be for you! 

And how gorgeous is that camper van?! Available to hire for your wedding from the Volkswagon Wedding Company (www.volkswagonweddings.com) x

Five Tier Roses and Lace Wedding Cake

This has turned out to be one of our most popular designs, shown here in ivory icing with ivory edible lace and blush pink sugar roses. Each tier is finished with delicate pearls and a few cascading rose petals add to the romance of the cake. We finished the cake with a dusky pink ribbon.

Four Tier Square Wedding Cake

Now I can't take any credit for these amazing toppers! I provided a simple four tier wedding cake with purple ribbon trim, however I think the toppers make the cake! We delivered this huge cake to the Pennine Manor Hotel, which has breath taking views of the surrounding area.

Rustic Chocolate Ganache Wedding Cake

This cake smelled divine! It was three tiers of chocolate cake covered in a rustic finish of chocolate ganache. The bride provided the cutest little toppers which had been personalised to represent the bride and groom :)

Five Tier Art Deco Style Wedding Cake

This is a cake with a little bit of bling to it! I made the original version of this for my best friend's wedding. and then my bride this time saw it, loved it and wanted it! Wafer paper starburst with diamante trim to the odd tiers mean this is a cake with the wow factor. We delivered this to the amazing Berties in Elland, which is a fabulous venue.

Claret and Ivory Wedding Cupcakes

These are from a while ago now, but I love the colour combination of claret and ivory. It's perfect for a winter wedding. This cupcake tower features a plain iced top cake finished with a brooch and bow and the cupcakes either have a blossom topper or bow topper to compliment the top cake. We delivered this to Durker Roods, which is a beautiful country house style wedding venue in the heart of the Pennines.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Thomas the Tank Engine Birthday Cake

My little girl is a huge Thomas fan, so much so she didn't want this cake to go to its new home! It turns out Eric is a big fan too, so for his second birthday we were asked to create a cake. Here's two tiers of chocolate cake, a hand modelled Thomas and an edible rainbow. What more could a two year old want?? :)

Happy birthday Eric! x

Purple Blossoms Three Tier Wedding Cake

Here's a cake we delivered to Bagden Hall, a beautiful venue on the outskirts of Denby Dale. Our bride wanted a cake with alternating tiers of purple and ivory finished with purple and ivory blossoms cascading down the front.

Thanks for stopping by x

Five Tier Silver Blossoms Wedding Cake

Here's a cake with a bit of bling to it! Top, middle and bottom tiers have applique blossoms and every tier is trimmed with diamante trim. Finished with a large sparkly brooch, this cake has the Wow factor!

Thanks for stopping by x

New Wedding Fair Booked!

So I've just booked my place at the wedding fair on 18 October 2015 at a beautiful new venue, The Arches. This place has seriously got the wow factor when it comes to somewhere different for your wedding. It's an old mill, with rustic brick walls, beautiful huge detailed windows and looks amazing. Click here to go to their website and check out all the fabulous pictures! http://www.thearchesdeanclough.co.uk/weddings/

We'll be there at the fair with some cakes and some cake samples - pop by and say hi! x

Ruffles and Lace Three Tier Wedding Cake

Here's one of our new designs, featuring a ruffled base tier and lace applique detail to the middle tier. Finished in ivory icing with an ivory ribbon and sparkly diamante brooch, this would be a stunning addition to your special day. Perfect for a vintage or glamorous wedding reception :)

Thanks for stopping by x

Three Tier Naked Wedding Cake

This little beauty was delivered to the Woodman Inn at Thunderbridge for a wedding recently. Three tiers of vanilla cake filled with vanilla buttercream and finished with summer berries - yum! An ideal rustic wedding cake :)

Thanks for stopping by x

Cadburys-style Purple Butterflies Cupcakes

Here's a cake we created for a wedding with some coordinating cupcakes. Unfortunately I didn't get to set the cupcakes up, so haven't yet got a photo of them all on the stand. A few different designs of cupcake including ones topped with fondant and some with buttercream.

Thanks for stopping by x

Frozen 6th Birthday Two Tier Cake

Here's one of our really popular designs with Olaf, Elsa and Anna from Frozen on. Featuring a huge number 6 as Maisie-Jo turned 6 this time!

Happy Birthday Maisie-Jo xx

Black and White Blossoms Wedding Cake with Monochrome Flowers

We created this stunning centrepiece for - you guessed it, a black and white themed wedding! Alternating tiers iced in black and white and finished with a swirl of black and white blossoms.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Gerbera and Drapes Three Tier Wedding Cake

Here's a cake we created a while back, but unfortunately it's not the best picture was it was taken in the hotel kitchen and I lack the most basic of Photoshopping skills to remove the background! Three tiers finished in ivory icing and decorated with handmade sugar gerbera flowers and bear grass.

Purple Ombre Hearts Wedding Cake

Here's a cake which has a double barrel base tier with ombre hearts in shades of purple. Finished with deep purple ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Cadburys-style Purple Cascading Hearts Wedding Cake

Some weeks I end up making cakes which all have similar colours, and this was the case when I made this cake! Also on the To Do list were some Cadburys-style purple cupcakes and another wedding cake with purple detail. This cake featured ivory icing and purple and ivory hearts tumbling down the front. Finished with some diamante trim to each tier to add a little bit of sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by x

Stars and Bunting Christening Cake

I have been lucky enough to make a few cakes for this family over the years, including birthday and wedding cakes, so I was thrilled to be asked to make Joseph's christening cake. I made a three tier cake with stars and bunting decoration, finished with little elephants to match the invitations and decorations.

Congratulations Joseph x

Hot Pink and Orange Gerbera Cascade Wedding Cake

Here's a fun cake we delivered to the Huntsman Hotel in Holmfirth. Four tiers of cake decorated in white icing and finished with alternating hot pink and orange ribbon with a tumbling cascade of handmade sugar gerbera flowers to the front of the cake.

Thanks for stopping by x

Octonauts 3rd Birthday Cake

Ayaan is a big fan of the Octonauts so I was asked to create a cake along that theme for his birthday. This is what I came up with. All edible figures and coral.

Happy Birthday Ayaan! x

Gordon the Big Engine Cake

After an especially horrible week starting with my little girl going to nursery for the first time without me and then ending up spending two days in the hospital (totally unrelated, I might add!!), I had five cakes to complete and this was the first of them. Jack loves Thomas and Friends, but especially Gordon. My little girl loves all things Thomas too, so I was able to use some of her books for guidance.

Hope Jack had an amazing birthday! x

Train and Stars Christening Cake

Here's a cake we created for Adian with hand modelled train, sugar bow and star decoration.

Thanks for stopping by x

Blush Pink Lace and Roses Wedding Cake

Here's a cake we created a while back which incorporates possibly my favourite colour of the moment, blush pink. Finished with lace details and a sugar rose.

Thanks for stopping by x

Blue and Ivory Wedding Cake

Here's a cake we created a while ago for a wedding at the beautiful Bagden Hall. This photo is in one of their store rooms! This cake was iced in a beautiful shade of blue and finished with ivory ribbons and pearl brooches.

Thanks for stopping by x

Purple and Ivory Wedding Cupcakes

Here's a cupcake tower we created for some good friends, Lydia and Chris. They chose a Cadburys-style purple colour and we made a cupcake tower for their wedding reception.

Congratulations! x

Three Tier Naked Wedding Cake

Here's a cake I made for some good friends, Ellen and Paul. They were having a beautiful wedding in New Mill, about 5 minutes from us, so delivery was easy! They opted for three tiers of vanilla cake filled with jam and vanilla buttercream and decorated with some fresh flowers and loads of seasonal fruit. The cake perfectly suited their barn-style wedding reception and was displayed on our rustic log/tree stump cake stand. 

Massive congratulations! 

Vintage Wedding Cupcakes

Here's a tower of cupcakes we created for Emily and her new husband for their wedding at Durker Roods Hotel. Pinks and pearls were the order of the day, together with some handmade roses and edible lace.

Thanks for stopping by x

Ivory Hearts Wedding Cake

Ivory hearts cascading down the front and diamante trim to each tier make this a simply elegant wedding cake. Topped with a sparkly hearts topper.

Thanks for stopping by x

Bunting and Lace Wedding Cake

Here's a cake based on one of our popular designs but tweaked to suit the bride and groom's day. We changed the colour of the roses and added bunting to alternate tiers to tie in with the bunting used to decorate their beautiful wedding reception.

Congratulations to Sam and Gary x

How Many Portions? A Size Guide for Wedding and Celebration Cakes

It can be confusing, knowing how large a cake to order. The amount of portions you get from a cake depends on a number of factors, not least the generosity of the person in charge of cutting the cake! Some things to bear in mind:

• You get more portions of cake from a square cake than you do a round cake. 

• Cakes are generally portioned up into 2" x 1" portions and this is what we here at Jo's Cakes use as a guide when suggesting portions. This applies to sponge cake, as opposed to fruit cake where the portion size is usually around 1" x 1" due to the cake being richer. 

• Novelty carved cakes are a while other kettle of fish! It is always difficult to say how many portions you can get from something such as a dog shaped cake as the way the cake has been carved means that not everyone will get an equal portion (if that makes sense!?). 

	Round		Square
	Fruit	Sponge	Fruit	Sponge
Single Tier	Approx no of servings
6"	22	12-15	28	18
8"	40	20-25	54	32
9"	54	27	70	39
10"	68	35-40	90	50
12"	100	65	134	72
Two Tier
6" + 9"	76	38	82	41
8" + 10"	108	54	144	72
9" + 12"	154	77	204	102
Three Tier
6" + 8" + 10"	130	65	170	100
6" + 9" + 12"	176	88	232	145
8" + 10" + 12"	208	104	278	155
Four Tier
6" + 8" + 10" + 12"	230	120	304	170

Hopefully this guide is useful! It's a good way of seeing how many portions you could get from a cake if you mix and match flavours and sizes, for example a 6" round fruit cake, a 8" round sponge cake and a 10" round sponge cake will give you approximately 80 portions of cake. 

Another way of having more portions for a cake is to have a separate "cutting cake" which your venue will keep in the kitchen. This cake is iced on the top only. When your venue serve up the actual wedding cake, they serve the cutting cake at the same time and your guests will have no idea that the cake from the cutting cake didn't come from the main cake. This is a good way to save a little money on your cake, as you can have a smaller main cake which is decorated and the extra portions are made up from the not so decorated cutting cake :)

What you might find however is that it's best not to cater for every single guest, unless you're planning to make sure every guest goes home with some cake. There will inevitably be people who forget to get a slice of cake, don't eat cake, are on a diet, don't like that particular flavour of cake etc, and you could end up with a lot of leftovers! Our cakes are baked fresh and can be frozen, but it's a shame to have a lot left over, not to mention a waste of money. 

If you need any more advice when it comes to choosing portion sizes, speak to your cake decorator. He or she will be able to help you and guide you towards the right size for your cake. 

Thanks for stopping by x

Poppy themed christening cake with cupcakes

Two tier christening cake for Poppy's christening. Based on some images her mum had seen online but we tweaked them. We also created some matching cupcakes to go with the cake display.

Congratulations Poppy! x

Cascading Roses Wedding Cake

We created this romantic four tier wedding cake with edible lace and hand crafted sugar roses.

Little Miss themed 1st Birthday Cake

Isabella is turning one, and her mum asked if we could make her a cake based on my own daughter's second birthday. This cake features some handmade Little Miss characters and is two tiers of vanilla cake.

Happy Birthday Isabella! x