Just in time for spring (and hopefully some sunshine soon), here is the Cake of the Month for March 2012: a bright red Ladybird Cake by Michele Peters. The cake was made for 4-year-old Cerys — and from all we heard, she had a great birthday. If you’re interested in the story behind this cake, please hear from Michele below.
Ladybird Cake by Michele Peters
Q: Well done, Michele. That ladybird looks so sweet, it almost seems too precious to be eaten.
No cake is too precious to be eaten, it’s fun to make another one.
Q: How did you come up with the theme — was this your own idea?
I have sometimes made mini ladybirds to decorate cakes and cupcakes. When I knew I was going to bake for a little girl, I had this idea of making a full size ladybird cake. The Dad was thrilled with my suggestion and the little girl loved the cake when we delivered it. Funnily enough, the girl was wearing a red dress with black dots. Since I made the cake, another parent (who was at the birthday party) has called Free Cakes for Kids to request a ladybird cake. That was very flattering, although we can unfortunately not promise specific cake designs as they depend on the baker.
Q: How or where do you hand over your cakes?
It depends. As I don’t have a car, I used to ask parents to pick it up at my house. But sometimes parents don’t have cars either and I ended up building and waterproofing boxes to take the cake on the bus. I have learnt though, lately, I ask Alban, who is a taxi driver and another Free Cakes for Kids volunteer, to drive me. Alban is always happy to help and I don’t need to worry about a cake getting soaked anymore. Alban has a huge umbrella.
Q: What kinds of cakes are actually most popular with kids in your experience?
I tend to offer a choice of a vanilla or chocolate sponge. They are equally as popular. The theme I most often get asked for is flowers for girls.
Q: Is there anything, any theme you could not bake?
Provided I have enough time, I am happy to give any theme a go. I work full-time, therefore if I make a cake during the week, I tend to go for something simpler. Weekend cakes are more elaborate. I would love to have a go at making a hedgehog. My grandmother used to bake those and it was the most wondeful thing for us grandchildren.
Q: How did you actually get into Free Cakes for Kids?
I saw a news report on Free Cakes for Kids by Sinead who is a journalist and another volunteer. I come from a baking family and immediately wanted to be involved. I contacted Henriette, the group organiser, the next day. Being able to use my skills to give children a special treat on their birthday is wonderful.
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The idea behind our Community Baking series is simple: about a dozen parents and their kids get together with our volunteer bakers in a community kitchen for a day and try some simple recipes together. After a short food safety briefing, we split up into smaller groups and start preparing tasty cupcakes and cookies. Together with our experienced volunteers, the families prepare the dough, bake the cakes and — most importantly — decorate the final product. Three hours and many more cups of tea later, we tidy up together and everyone goes home with a load of yummy cakes and some new baking and decorating skills. Overall, a great way to make baking social, accessible and fun.
A fabulous time was had by all at the launch, particularly Henriette Lundgren (Founder of Free Cakes for Kids in the UK and Oxford Coordinator) and Stephanie Griggs-Trevarthen (Free Cakes for Kids Network Coordinator), who were on hand to represent our project to the Prince. The Earl of Wessex took the time to speak to each of the projects on display at the event and seemed particularly enamoured with the jubilee themed cupcakes Jette and Steph had on offer. Despite not remembering his own birthday cakes particularly well –- and no, we weren’t cheeky enough to ask if the Queen made his birthday cakes! — he was delighted to hear how far and wide the project has spread across the UK in such a short amount of time.
The first Free Cakes for Kids group in the UK was founded in December 2008. Having read about the Free Cakes For Kids project in the USA, Henriette Lundgren adapted the model to her local community and started the first group in Oxford. Since then the group has grown steadily, extended its activities to community baking sessions and helped others set up groups in their communities. Especially 2011 was an extremely busy year for Free Cakes for Kids UK, going from only a handful of groups in January to over 30 by the end of the year. Groups now exist all across the UK including: Inverness, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol, Torbay, Manchester, Birmingham, Norwich and many in London. 
