Spring 2019

64 Dec18089 A Champion Cake Creator Exceeding Expectations Since 2015, Dilicious Cake Creations has been creating elegant and intricate cakes for every occasion. Late last year, Dilicious Cake Creations was recognised in LUXlife Magazine’s 2019 Best of the Wedding Industry Awards programme as Best for Wedding & Celebration Cakes for the town of Northampton in the United Kingdom. We spoke with Owner and Cake Creator Diane Ostler to find out more about her work and inspirations. A cake is one of the core centrepieces to any wedding day. Whether a multi-tiered masterpiece or a simpler statement piece, the wedding cake is an extension of the couple at the centre of the event: it is, to put it simply, something special indeed. It becomes all the more impressive then that Diane has, for the last three years, forged an exceptional reputation on the back of an uncanny ability to meet already sky-high expectations, whatever the client brief. Perhaps this is no surprise considering that Dilicious Cake Creations was born out of a passion for baking, as Diane explains more: “I decided to start my own business for two reasons. Firstly, when I married my husband in 2014 we had gone through the process of getting quotes for cakes and were very surprised at the quotes received, bearing in mind that I could bake and understood the cost of the ingredients and the time that it would take to create the cake itself. After some deliberation, I took the decision to make my own cake and, with the help of a friend who was making children’s birthday cakes, made, and royal icing and various other techniques. Ultimately, I was (and still am) keen to learn more, and I discovered that I really enjoyed making wedding cakes the most as they were intricate and pretty. I loved the creation process for these cakes in particular.” This love of designing wedding cakes eventually led the way to specialising in wedding cakes, when, in January 2016, Diane started to attend wedding fairs to promote her considerable abilities. As Diane works alone, she can offer what larger businesses cannot – a dedicated personalised service working one on one with her clients. “I offer a consultation service to all couples, taking cake to our meeting for them to sample along with an abundance of ideas to discuss and design with them their most special of cakes. Following this meeting, I send the clients a quote. If they accept this and choose me to make their wedding cake, I then take care of everything for them regarding their cake. I liaise with the venue and arrange set up and delivery, ensuring that the couple need do decorated and set up my own wedding cake the day before our wedding. “The second reason for starting my own business from home was to allow me to create a better home life/work balance as we were in the process of adopting a child and I needed more flexibility that my current full-time role offered me.” More impressive is Diane’s dedication to her craft and willingness to learn new skills and techniques. “Initially, I made celebration cakes, learning as I went to carve, cover and decorate. I was primarily self-taught using YouTube and various cake forums as a means of learning and honing new skills. I started to receive regular and very positive reviews and recommendations from my clients, reinforcing to me that I was achieving my goal of producing high quality cakes that people enjoyed. As my interest in the industry grew, I knew I would need to learn more to allow me to stand out from other local businesses. I began to take courses in making sugar flowers,