Every day, cake bakers such as myself post pictures of beautiful creations on websites and facebook. These are blogged and tweeted out, pinned and shared.

But we rarely see – or hear –  what lies behind these glossy images – until now!

Some of you may be familiar with my “other” blog which is where thoughts such as this would more usually be shared. But to amuse those of you who follow Filled With Love here is a summary of today’s fun and games!

It all began yesterday if I am honest. I had been asked to create a set of cupcakes with babies on the top. But the babies were to be of different ethnic origins.  I messed around for ages with food colouring but somehow things went horribly wrong. Late last night I was remoulding them in chocolate fondant which tastes wonderful and hopefully looked the part too.

Up early this morning to bake thirty cakes for a thirtieth birthday party. And the cakes to nestle the babies on. Somehow my brain wasn’t computing properly and I hadn’t baked enough. Neither did they rise as I would have wished, but I cut one in half to test and taste and it was divine. The rind of three fresh lemons had been grated into the batter and you could taste the fresh citrus flavour! Not to mention the home made lemon curd I’d squeezed into the centre (remind me to blog about the sauce bottle…)

This order was needed in Waterloo by lunchtime so I dropped everything to catch the tube to and from Starbucks where the handover took place.

Then back to leafy Croxley Green and the realisation my sugar and chocolate fondant babies were too big to sit on a standard cupcake!

Another batch later – baked in large foil cases with 48g of batter in each and high fondant tops levelled to make a surface for them – the babies were settled. Have to say I was pleased and I think the recipient liked them.

But we both smiled when we realised just how dark the chocolate had dried. I need to work on my use of food colourings if I am to make more babies in future…