Here at Amanda Macleod we can become a little obsessive about cake. Odd I know but it happens. Personally I am astounded by the number of people doing amazing and impressive things with cake and sugar. You only have to have a look on sites such as Pinterest and Cake Central to see the mind boggling array of wonderful creations. Just when you think you have found your favourite cake in the whole world you scroll down to find that actually the next one is your fave.

Naturally we all have styles and themes that we are drawn to and I have decided to share with you my five favourite cake designers. The are in no particular order because they all have different approaches and strengths in different areas. And, it would be impossible to put them in order.

Karen Portaleo

I discovered Karen’s cake work around a year ago and immediately loved it. She produces the kind of work that stops me in my tracks and keeps me looking at every detail. Her career background combines creativity and artistic flair with technical ability and it really shows in her current creations. Her work is bold and brave and shouts “look at me, look at how amazing I am!”

The thing I love about Karen is not just the finished piece which is so engaging but her ability to have the original idea and then transfer it into something edible. Much of her work is sculptural and manages to capture both realism and surrealism. The details in her pieces are so realistic and yet some of the ideas are really quirky.

If you like to see innovative creation in sugarcraft, you will love Karen Portaleo

 

Colette Peters

I have followed Colette’s work for many years and she was one of the original inspiring forces for my work as a cake designer. Colette is the owner of Colette’s Cakes based in New York City and has been running her business since 1989.

She is another cake designer with a creative background and has a masters degree in painting. This amazing talent is reflected in the cakes she makes.

Her signature design details are part of many of her cakes, making them instantly recognisable. What draws me to her cakes is that whilst she is clearly an accomplished technician, her work is fun and vibrant and lovely to look at. Colette uses lustrous paints and a wonderful variety of shapes to create her vision.

To see some truly inspiring and original cake designs have a look at Colette Peters

 

Alexandria Pellegrino

Alexandria is the artist with the The Cake Opera Co. based in Ontario. Her creative roots are in fine art. Every one of her cakes is visually stunning with sumptuous textures and rich materials such as 24 carat edible gold leaf.

Many of her creations feature 18th century French figurines with layers of petticoats, luxurious garments and rich gold details. They have an air of mystery and decadence and I love them. The figurines in particular have exquisite detailing on the faces and incredible wigs and it is easy to see the hours of dedicated and passionate work that goes into each one.

For more elegant and opulent works of art visit The Cake Opera Co.

 

Francesca Pitcher

Francesca runs North Star Cakes in Kent. She is a fine artist who decided to make cakes for her daughter and then founded her business in 2011. Her cakes have such variety and display a really wide range of knowledge and skill.

When looking through her gallery of work, the cakes range from pretty birthday cakes with cute modelled figures through to cakes that have such depth of detail that they look like the real thing.

 

Francesca’s talents include hand painting, modelling, sculpting and stunning sugar flowers. This lady is not only a very talented cake designer but as someone who started her business in 2011 and now has over 30,000 likes on Facebook, she is an inspiration to anyone considering a career in cake decorating.

Have a look at North Star Cakes for more of her cakes

 

Mimi Liew Man Kwan

This talented cake decorator is based in Malaysia. She has strong artistic talents and gets satisfaction from applying this talent to cake decorating.

In my opinion her greatest strength is modelling and both her cute characters and more detailed figures are finished to an impressive standard.

She is an accomplished and versatile sugarcrafter whose gallery of cakes displays and ability to apply her skills to producing a wide variety of cakes and sugar artistry.

You can see more of Mimi Liew Man Kwan’s work on her Facebook Page