David Cakes Online Magazine

Celebrating free-hand cake decorating in Liverpool England

TOGETHER WE CAN PRESERVE CENTURIES-OLD TECHNIQUES

IN THIS SPECIAL EDITION

David's daily piping workout

BONUS FEATURE

Getting creative with my trifle!

Relax & Unwind

Welcome to David Cakes Online

During a calm meditative moment, David offers words of encouragement and emotional support for those wishing to master the art of free-hand cake decorating. He believes embracing the creative mindset not only increases potential, but also helps us reach our goals and achieve so much more.

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FREE TUTORIAL

Daily Piping Excercise

Embracing centuries-old piping techniques

David share’s free-hand techniques learnt during his time working in the cake decorating industry that now spans over 40 years.

For your daily piping workout you will need:

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the creative mindset

Before he begins piping, David prepares not just his icing, but also his mind and body, allowing him to increase the natural euphoria that can be reached during the free-hand piping experience, which in turn optimises creative performance.

 


David says
“I believe we should decorate which ever way is most comfortable, so if it feels better piping with my left hand rather than right hand, then why not!” 

“Ultimately, if  I am in a good place emotionally and everything else around me is in alignment, my free-hand creativity will be enhanced and my confidence increase, which in turn will enable me to level up in my approach allowing me achieve so much more than I thought possible.”

Consider the following:

embracing the challenge

David remembers “Piping a simple shell was the very first free-hand cake decorating technique I ever learnt. At first it was very challenging, at times frustrating, but I was determined. I practiced every day, becoming more and more confident as my free-hand life-skill evolved until piping became natural and effortless. When I started David Cakes retail cake shop I needed to be quick, but sustain high quality at the same time. The faster I could pipe, the more cakes I could create, generating more revenue for my business.”

Historical Over-piping

Centuries-old Royal Icing piping

Royal Icing over-piping techniques date back to the 1800’s developed by master craftsmen who decorated luxurious exquisite cakes free-hand.  Due to the production time involved and high expense of fine ingredients used, only Royalty and wealthy society could afford such ornate creations, which were designed to impress, boasting high social status and immense wealth.

Royal Icing Recipe

From traditional to modern methods

Royal Icing is traditionally made by whisking 3 egg whites, adding 600g sifted icing sugar and touch of lemon juice, then beat the mixture together until it is light and peaked in consistency. 

Instead of using egg whites, you can make Royal icing using meringue powder or liquid albumen and now there are instant Royal icing pre-mixes available.

Which is the best to use?

It’s a matter of taste, so always experiment first to find out which works best for you.

Remember, where you are located in the world with regards to atmospheric humidity, will depend how much glycerine you add to your Royal icing.

It is also worth noting that certain gel food colour dyes contain glycerine, so take this into consideration when mixing them into Royal icing, especially if you are colourising Royal icing with a lot of colour, especially in a humid climate.

Hilda's Still Baking!

At 85, David's Mum enjoys weekly baking days

There’s nothing quite like the smell of delicious freshly baked aromas that fill the air at David’s Mum’s home… 

Every few days David arrives to spend quality time with his Mum, to catch up on all the latest news and of course sample her latest cake and cookie creations, baked to perfection the old fashioned way! 

Baking the old fashioned way

Born in 1938, Hilda’s love for home baking began when she was a little girl, watching her Grandma home baking bread, pies and cakes.

In 1960 at the age of 22 she married David’s dad Roy, the love of her life and started a family.

During the 1960’s, the only way to get freshly baked cakes in Merseyside was from a specialised delicatessen or bespoke local bakery. Supermarkets as we know them today (with everything we could ever want on hand) did not exist, so home baking for the family during those times was very much the norm.

It is something that Hilda has now embraced for over 70 years, as she continues to enjoy her weekly baking days.

A delicious selection of Hilda’s home baked delights

“Mum’s home made scones really are delicious!” adds David  😃 👍

inspired by mum

David’s love for cake making began in his Mum’s kitchen in the early 1970’s.

Eager to learn, David helped his Mum bake and decorate cakes each week. From school to college, with unconditional support from both his Mum and Dad, David’s childhood dream of opening his own cake business became a reality, starting at home to opening up a luxurious high street cake shop…

but that’s another story!…

DEDICATED TO MUM

“This is a dedication to my Mum Hilda who has inspired me and given so much unconditional support, wisdom and guidance through all of my life. We have shared incredible and truly wonderful adventures together, working side by side at David Cakes from the very beginning, making what we considered ‘impossible dreams’ become a true reality!

It was my Mum who initially rang Buckingham Palace and promoted her son’s passion for cake decorating art, which ultimately gave me the opportunity to create not just one, but two Royal Wedding Cakes for the British Royal Family.

Going from strength-to-strength, Mum marketed David Cakes at every opportunity while networking with trade and commerce, ultimately achieving national recognition for the business, which was rewarded with multi-business awards from television and The National Training Awards council.

In 1993 Hilda personally received ‘Business Woman of the Year’ award. Yes! – my humble Mum Hilda – ‘the determined and tenacious lady’ as she became known in chamber of commerce was David Cakes business marketing ‘power house’ – who without her energy and dedication, I would not be here today, celebrating my own business success.

In 2002 after tragically losing Dad to cancer, Mum felt it was time for her to retire from David Cakes and became very much involved with helping the bereaved and many charities, as well as enjoying a return to the kitchen to enjoy old fashioned home-baking, which may I add is still as delicious as ever!

I thank you  for not just being a super Mum, but also for being my best friend. x

Read David Cakes book for FREE 

THE CAKE SHOP Trading 30 years 1982-2012

The story of David and his Mum making dreams of success become a reality, featuring 30 years of creative styles, trends and business stories from the 1980’s to the 2000’s in 4 exciting chapters. Includes over 600 original David Cakes wedding and celebration designs. 

 

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FREE TUTORIAL

Get Creative with Trifle

David shows you how step-by-step

Let’s step-up today’s piping workout! as David shows you how he makes a traditional English trifle. With a sponge finger base, topped with fresh fruit cocktail, jelly and vanilla custard, David embraces centuries-old free-hand over-piping techniques as he decorates the luxurious creation with lashings of fresh whipped cream topped with glacé/candied cherries and his childhood favourite – sugar strands!

A dessert filled with tradition!

To create a luxurious decorative trifle you will need:

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did you know?

The name Trifle used for this style of traditional English dessert dates back to the year 1585! According to Trifle history, the English Trifle is a cousin of an Italian dessert called “Zuppa Ingles” and also distantly related to a Spanish dessert called “Bizcocho Borracho.”

A selection of David’s decorative desserts and cream cakes

generations of making trifle

David remembers “When I was a boy I used to visit my Nan and Grandad every week. Most weekends Nan made a delicious sponge, fruit and jelly-filled fresh cream topped trifle – in the very same cut-glass trifle bowl  featured on the new David Cakes Online tutorial video! My Nan handed down the trifle bowl to my Mum who has now handed it down to me – 3 generations later!  That time-line spans over 100 years and it’s really wonderful knowing that so many fresh cream trifles have been prepared, decorated and served from that very same bowl ! So have fun with free-hand piping and get creative with your trifle!”

David Cakes Online

PRESENTS

AN ORIGINAL SERIES

David Cakes Online

World of free-hand cake decorating

Season 1 - The journey begins

Having made two Royal Wedding Cakes for The Royal family, multi-award winning, Liverpool England based David MacCarfrae takes you on an exciting journey into his world of free-hand cake decorating, as he combines centuries-old techniques with a modern twist, while showcasing his presenting persona and chilled-out teaching style.

Starring   David MacCarfrae

Featuring Edward Windsor, Phillip Rhudstein-Peers, Alysha Bibby and Callum Longworth

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Episode 1

Join David on an exciting journey into his creative world of free-hand cake decorating as he embraces centuries-old techniques with modern ideas.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS POSTED ON DAVID CAKES INSTAGRAM

Watch for FREE on Instagram

Duration  30 minutes

Rating Suitable for all

Audio language  English

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Episode 2

David’s creative journey continues as he celebrates his love for cake decorating, while combining artistic design with free-hand piping.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS POSTED ON DAVID CAKES INSTAGRAM

Watch for FREE on Instagram

Duration  30 minutes

Rating Suitable for all

Audio language  English

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Episode 3

David addresses fine detail and piping embellishment using free-hand cake decorating techniques on creative designs in the final season 1 episode.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS POSTED ON DAVID CAKES INSTAGRAM

Watch for FREE on Instagram

Duration  30 minutes

Rating Suitable for all

Audio language  English

David Cakes Online World of Free-hand Cake Decorating Season 1
filmed, edited and produced in Liverpool England by David MacCarfrae

Presented in association with 
Giant Communications | Liverpool Tech Group | Sparkz Network

ENJOYING FREE HAND CAKE DECORATING

David Cakes

Student stories

Celebrating achievements

David has had the honour of sharing his free-hand cake decorating techniques with international audiences from all over the world at cake decorating seminars, trade fairs and VIP corporate events.

You can enjoy browsing over 100 free-hand cake design ideas over 9 exciting pages created by David and his international students now showcasing in David Cakes galleries with FREE cake decorating tips and advice from David, with over 40 years of experience in the bakery and retail cake decorating industry.

David Cakes student Nicholas from Malaysia runs a successful bakery, cake shop and training academy in Kuching
David Cakes student Theresa from Ghana runs a successful bakery, cake decorating shop, restaurant and events business
David Cakes student Jill from England enjoys cake decorating as a hobby and also writes reviews on 'Jolly Jilly's' online blog
David Cakes student Nada from Saudi Arabia, a doctor of medicine enjoys cake decorating as a therapeutic hobby

Reviews

Student Testimonials

INTERNATIONAL

Student Spotlight

After attending David Cakes classes in Italy, Anna returns to Bulgaria and wins a gold medal award

David Cakes Online

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SHARING OVER 40 YEARS OF FREE-HAND CREATIVITY & BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

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Masterclass courses ideal for beginners, hobbyists and professionals

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David's world of cakes

Visit David Cakes World of Cake Decorating and take a creative adventure to see what can be achieved, not just David, but by students from all over the world who have attended David Cakes classes to learn the art of free-hand cake decorating, embracing centuries old free-hand techniques, many for the very first time.

There’s so much more to enjoy…

New courses

On their way!

David Cakes Online International Cake Decorating Academy will soon be launching 10 new 1-to-1 online cake decorating courses designed by David for beginners, hobbyists and professional decorators alike. Learn with David 1-to-1 in the comfort of your home – live-streaming via ZOOM from Liverpool England. 1

Watch

David on CAKEWALK

In 2011 David was invited to star as international judge on reality TV cake decorating series CAKE WALK. After being syndicated in over 20 countries around the world during the last 10 years, you can now watch all 13 x 45 minute TV episodes, currently streaming on Amazon Prime UK / USA / Canada and Australia.

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David says Besides indulging in eating Mum’s delicious melt-in-the-mouth cakes, I definitely am much healthier these days – teetotal and non-smoker for the last 15 years. So now as I approach 60, I am very conscious about my diet (after losing 4 stones in weight since 2018) I absolutely love freshly picked salad and adore fish of all types. Spending more time looking after my Mum gives me an opportunity to get creative in her kitchen. So while Mum’s got her feet up on the sofa, enjoying an cup of tea after all that baking, I start preparing an evening meal for us both to enjoy. Getting creative with salad is a real buzz for me and also a healthy one! To complement the salad, Mum makes some of her amazing home-made air-fried chips, which to be honest, I cannot resist!  After setting the table, we sit down and enjoy great food and conversation.” 

AND FINALLY

Creating with Salad

David heads back into the kitchen

Getting creative with a passion for salad meals

David addsIn time I am planning to film some video tutorials getting creative with salad and piping embellishments! We will replace the royal icing with cream cheese, whip up mayonnaise and cream mashed potatoes – fill a couple of piping bags and see what happens! I hope you are enjoying David Cakes online magazine and  thank you for joining me and I wish you a great creative day!” 🍰😀🌹

Wishing you a great creative day!

Teamwork

It's what we're all about !

Would like to thank our friends in business
for their continued support in helping us make
this next chapter of David Cakes journey possible.

David Cakes Online

Presented in association with 
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terms and conditions

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David Cakes gift vouchers can be purchased exclusively at David Cakes online store and are valid for 3 months from the time of purchase. After receipt of purchase is issued, a David Cakes gift voucher will be sent via e-mail directly to the person who purchased the voucher. It can then be printed out to be enclosed in a greeting card. We ask the recipient of the gift voucher to contact David Cakes to arrange a preferred date and time to attend 1-to-1 online private tuition.

Vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash, but can be used as additional payment method when booking extra hours of 1-to-1 online training.

20 NEW 1-TO-1 ONLINE COURSES COMING SOON

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Hilda's

Home Made

SCONES

Served with a freshly brewed cup of English tea, Hilda’s melt-in-the-mouth scones will complement your afternoon tea-party.

Let's get baking!

for 8 scones you will need

Hilda says “I always recommend you weigh the ingredients exactly rather than guessing. This ensures that the recipe is as it should be to give the best baked result possible.” 

Embracing old school

mixing dough by hand

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and lightly run your fingers through the mixture to combine it all together. Add the butter, using your finger tips to lightly rub it into the flour, raising your hands above the bowl, allowing the crumbs to fall back into the bowl between your fingers. When the mixture is finely crumbed, sprinkle sultanas and/or cherries into the crumb (optional) Now beat the egg and milk in a jug, then slowly stir the liquid into the crumb mix using a palette knife. Use your hands, bring the mixture together to form a soft dough, ensuring all crumbs are mixed in. Be careful not to over-mix. Now remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface, kneading it gently for a few seconds. Lightly flour your hands and pat the dough to about 3cm thick. Using a 6-7cm diameter cookie cutter, cut out the scones and place evenly on a lightly greased non-stick baking tray. Press off-cuts of dough  back together to ensure there is no waste. Using a pastry brush, dab the top of each scone with the last drops of beaten egg/milk left in the jug. Bake scones in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and place each scone onto a wire tray to cool.

finishing touches

Hilda says “After all that baking, spoilt yourself with a warm scone, sliced in half. Spread on a layer of strawberry jam and a generous spoonful of fresh clotted cream!” 

David Cakes

bakery

trade secrets

Time management is essential when running a business from home or commercially. Preparing and freezing cakes in advance of decorating can be very beneficial, especially if you have many orders to complete for same day.

Once frozen, buttercream coated wedding, celebration and cup cakes can be decorated while still frozen, then placed back in a freezer. Clients can then collect / you can deliver cakes frozen, so they will travel without any problems and defrost on the display table. Defrost time depends on how cool or warm the venue is.

As frozen buttercream coated cakes defrost, fat content in the buttercream will retain moisture inside the cake, so cakes will stay moist for longer. You can also lightly brush the cake surface with rum or fruit juice to add additional moisture to the crumb.

When defrosting cakes in a warm room, as the warm air touches the frozen cream, condensation will form on the cream surface. So maybe consider using pale shades of  creams rather than dark shades, as the moisture forming will be less noticeable. Remember you can defrost cakes in a refrigerator, which will minimalize the amount of condensation that forms on the cream surface. This method is recommended for cakes decorated with darker shades or to be served at a very warm venue / location. Discuss with your client all the details and let them decide what they would like you to do. Every situation will be different, so make a plan of action before hand to avoid any stressful issues.

Before covering a cake with fondant, apply a layer of buttercream over the cake. This will help keep the cake moist and stop it from drying out. Freezing a cake covered with fondant is not recommended because as it defrosts, it will become very wet and sticky, realistically the cake will not be visually acceptable.

If you are wishing to coat / decorate a sponge cake with Royal icing, first cover a buttercream coated cake with marzipan, creating a ‘boundary’ layer between the cream and Royal icing. If Royal icing comes into contact with fat present in buttercream, it will break down, become soft and  runny and never set. 

Yellow marzipan will take more coats of Royal icing to conceal it’s colour, compared to using white marzipan. It is best to use a high quality pale marzipan that is not oily, otherwise the oil from the marzipan will ‘soak’ through the Royal icing, resulting in the icing becoming discoloured. If a client does not like marzipan, apply a thin layer of fondant instead or suggest a ‘fake’ cake with separate slabs of cake to be served during the celebration.

Depending on geographical location and humidity, adding a few drops of glycerine into Royal icing make it easy to cut and enjoy. Freezing Royal Icing is not recommended as when it defrosts, condensation will form, dissolving the icing. It is always best to experiment in order to find out what works best, so you have all the answers to present to a client as they are placing an order.

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INTERNATIONAL

Student Spotlight

Anna from Bulgaria

An emotional Anna is presented with the gold medal award for best cake decorator in class at the Bulgarian international wedding and celebration cake competition ‘Cake Art Bulgaria’ 2021

2014 – Anna discovered centuries-old cake decorating methods at David Cakes Masterclasses in Italy where she enjoyed learning free-hand piping techniques for the very first time.

In 2014, with a love of creativity and art, Anna travelled from Bulgaria to attend a special David Cakes international masterclass taking place in Italy, where she enjoyed free-hand cake decorating with Royal icing for the very first time.

During her masterclass training experience David guided and supported Anna step-by-step through the free-hand cake decorating process. Embracing centuries-old cake decorating techniques, Anna enjoyed creating a personalised birthday cake and a luxurious 3-tier wedding cake decorated with English over-piping and suspended string work cascades.

With her new found creative passion for free-hand cake decorating with Royal Icing, Anna told David that she dreamed one day she would be able to share the centuries-old techniques she had learnt with other cake decorators in Bulgaria, taking her new-found free-hand art form back to her homeland. David encouraged Anna to follow her dream so to continue preserving the centuries old art form for generations to come.

Upon returning home with determination to achieve her dream, Anna began to practice and practice, nurturing her free-hand cake decorating life-skills day by day, levelling-up her creative challenges and technical understanding of Royal icing, while embracing more and more complicated free-hand piping techniques.

Anna had found an art form she loved, which allowed her to express herself through her free-hand piping creativity and in 2021 she decided to showcase her free-hand piping creativity and entered ‘Cake Art Bulgaria’. The national wedding and celebration cake decorating competition event was organised by Chef Maria Oztürk and took place at Hotel Mak Gabrovo, Bulgaria.

On the 22nd August 2021 the judges awarded Anna with a gold medal and recognition for creating the best cake of the show in the wedding cake category.

Having remained friends with David on facebook since meeting him in Italy, Anna posted a message exclaiming her joy and happiness saying…

“Hi, David! I would like to share with you my success, which is yours too! It was my dream to bring your art to my homeland – Bulgaria and it happened! I participated in the first edition of ‘Cake Art Bulgaria’ in the wedding cake category. I won a gold medal and best project in the category. All thanks to you!!! A big hug to you, Ed and your team!” 

David and his team in Liverpool England congratulates Anna…
“We’re so happy for Anna and thank her for sharing her achievements with us all”

2023 – Anna continues to enjoy her creative journey and now runs her own small cake decorating business, doing what she loves – baking and teaching her free-hand art. 

Anna also enjoys the challenge of carving fruit and vegetables using free-hand techniques. Like Royal icing, fruit and vegetable carving is steeped in history and is centuries-old in it’s origins, with many historians disputing this creative art form to have begun in Thailand about 700 years ago. Others believe it originated in the time of the Early Chinese Dynasties: The Tang Dynasty (AD 618-906) | Sung Dynasty (AD 960-1279)

If we keep embracing free-hand creative life-skills and sharing the cultural history, knowledge and centuries-old techniques associated with a particular specialist skill, it will ensure it’s long-term survival for many generations to come – Let’s hope so!

David Cakes Online

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