Francine’s novelty cakes are just too good to eat
CAKE-maker extraordinaire, Francine Donnelly, is getting slightly miffed that no-one wants to cut her cakes, but at the same time she knows it is the best compliment she could ever get.
The Armagh-based Graphic Design student has turned novelty cake-making into a work of art, so much so that impressed customers are loathe to take a knife and actually cut into her quirky creations to eat them.
“I once made a detailed Mickey Mouse cake for a first birthday order and the parents would only cut the back of the cake,” she says. “In the end, they left it so long that the cake had to be thrown out. I know this is a huge compliment, but I want people to enjoy the taste as well!”
LFD Cake Design is really taking off after Francine completed the Invest Northern Ireland Go for it programme at Armagh Business Centre when she was made redundant from her job in event management.
With a BA Degree in Media and Advertising and an MA in Graphic Design, she is now using skills in both areas to bake bespoke decorative cakes for corporate events, weddings, birthday parties and anniversaries.
“The Go For It programme at Armagh Business Centre was invaluable in helping me formulate my business idea and making sure I did not forget something important,” said Francine, who creates her masterpieces from a dedicated corner of her kitchen at Portadown Road, Armagh.
Standing in her apron sprinkled with icing sugar wasn’t the image she had in mind when she first studied Design, but she loves her new career and enjoys coming up with clever, quirky ideas for her cakes, almost as much as baking and decorating them.
“I have always been a bit of a joker, so I love to inject a bit of humour into the design,” she adds. “If I know the person and a little of their personality, it is so much easier. I want people to look at my cakes and smile.”
She once baked four cakes in one day and regularly spends several hours meticulously decorating them with colourful figures, symbols and shapes made from regal icing.
One of her favourites to date has been a ‘Wonky’ three-tier cake she was asked to make for an 18th birthday party which she intriguingly describes as a sort of “upside down cake” which leans at angles, rather like an edible Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Another, made for a grandmother of 90, her brief was to combine the themes of travel, dancing and Italy – ideas which would stir memories of her youth for the ‘birthday girl’ in question. “This was quite an interesting one and I had a lot of fun with it,” said Francine.
“I created a mother figure lying on a beach, a husband sitting on the edge of the cake in his swimming gear and their four children on the other side. I added a pink dancing dress, a newspaper with fish and chips on the top, as the family used to own a fish and chip shop, and put a big ‘90’ in the middle. The grandmother loved it all, except the number which reminded her of her age!”
Having always enjoyed helping her mum bake cakes when she was a child, the idea for LFD Cake Design snowballed after Francine helped her mum bake a wedding cake for a family member – and on seeing the results, there followed more requests from family and friends who wanted to celebrate a special occasion with a rather special type of cake.
“I started thinking I could make a hobby into a business and that was when I decided to get some proper business training on the Go for it programme which really helped me put my plan into action,” added Francine. “ I am now extending the business to included branded muffins and cupcakes for corporate events and I would love some day to have my own specialised shop – now that would really be the icing on the cake.”
Anyone who would like to check out Francine’s cakes or who would like further information, can contact her on…..