The choices behind the cakes at The Flowering Baker
When you see one of my wedding cakes, you see the buttercream flowers, the colour and all the little details that make it uniquely yours.
What you don’t see is everything that happens behind the scenes. At The Flowering Baker, I’m continually looking at the tools, materials, processes, systems and packaging I use and asking myself:
“Can I make a better choice here?”
I’m not claiming to be a completely sustainable business, I don’t think that’s realistic. But I do believe that lots of small, considered choices can make a difference.
More height, less waste
One of the things I’m particularly excited about is being able to offer couples a more thoughtful alternative to traditional cake dummies (aka faux cake) when they want to add height to their wedding cake.
Cake dummies are incredibly useful. They allow us to create those beautiful, tall, statement cakes without needing to make every tier edible. But the problem is what happens to them afterwards.
Traditional cake dummies can ultimately end up sitting in landfill, and I wanted to find another option for couples who want the drama of a taller cake without creating unnecessary waste.
Enter the Made With Flower BLOOMbase.
Above: 6-inch BLOOMBase™ cake base.
Above: The second tier of this wedding cake is a BLOOMBase™ cake base. Photo: Stuart Wood Photography | Belvoir Castle.
How does it work?
It’s a faux cake tier made from natural, compostable materials, allowing me to add height and impact to your cake without simply adding another traditional dummy.
(A little note: At the time of writing, the Made With Flowers BLOOMbase was patent pending. I’m excited to be sharing it while this innovative idea is still so new, and I’ll always aim to keep this information updated as things develop.)
And, importantly, I can decorate it just like a normal cake tier.
The second tier of this wedding cake is a BLOOMBase™ cake base. Photo: Stuart Wood Photography | Belvoir Castle.
How to cover a BloomBase™ with buttercream
Same cake decorating. Different ending.
For the BLOOMbase™ tutorial created with Zoe, founder of Made with Flower who invented the BLOOMBase™, I used buttercream, my usual cake decorating tools and my signature hand-piped flower technique. I used the Prop Options Cake Compass secure to keep this BloomBase fixed. (You can enjoy a 5% off, using the code “FLOWERINGBAKER” or head to this link*).
There was no complicated preparation and no need to completely change the way I work.
I can still create the intricate floral designs and beautiful finishes that are at the heart of The Flowering Baker.
The difference is what happens afterwards.
Instead of the tier simply becoming another piece of waste, the BLOOMbase™ has the potential to grow wildflowers after the wedding.
More height. Less waste. And potentially, more flowers. I think it’s absolultely wonderful!
It’s not just about the cake
My sustainability choices don’t stop with the BLOOMbase.
I use Reusable PME Piping Bags wherever I can, which makes a big difference when you consider how many piping bags can go into creating my hand-piped floral cakes.
You can find the Reusable PME Piping Bags at Vanilla Valley (use my code ZIGGY10 for a 10% discount)*.
I also choose wooden and metal tools and storage over plastic wherever practical, and I try to invest in things that can be reused and will last rather than reaching for single-use alternatives.
Then there’s the packaging, the systems I use in the studio and all the other small decisions that happen long before a cake arrives at a wedding.
Some of these choices are obvious. Others are things you’ll never see. But they all form part of how I want to run The Flowering Baker.
Better, not perfect
I think sustainability can sometimes feel overwhelming because we’re looking for the perfect solution. I don’t have one. What I do have is a willingness to keep looking, learning and making better choices where I can.
Sometimes that means choosing reusable over disposable. Sometimes it means choosing wood or metal over plastic.
And sometimes it means finding a completely different way to create the height and impact my couples want.
For me, better by choice is about exactly that. Not perfection. Just making thoughtful choices, one cake at a time.
And if one of those choices means your beautiful wedding cake can eventually bloom into wildflowers, even better.
*This is an affiliate discount code, which means I may receive a small commission when you use it, at no extra cost to you. I only share products I genuinely use and recommend. Vanilla Valley: available for orders of £45 or more).
