Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee Cake 2022
It was an absolute honour to be asked by McVities to help in creating a commemorative cake for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee which was delivered to Buckingham Palace on 31st May 2022 to be displayed in the throne room for the jubilee week. Over two thousand hours went into the detail of a design reflecting the Tree of life and the Queen’s Green Canopy. It was all made possible by dedicated cake team comprising of Annie Relph (cake team leader/designer, based in Oxford), Alan Dunn (based in Gateshead), Rhianydd Webb (based in Pontypridd), Sue McMahon, Karen and Mike Cauldwell and myself, working with the wonderful Billy Kilvington and Eve Goldspink from Pladis Global, with on-site support from Jake, Tom, Mike and Gerry. The cake was placed on a beautiful wooden base, carved from English walnut by Philip Walker (it weighed 120kg/19 stones) and a silver tree topper by silversmith Ryan McClean. The amazing risers (and much more besides) were beautifully made by Kevin Hill of K2Associates, with branches in burr walnut veneer and white gold leaf on the chamfered sections.
The handmade sugar flowers were all flowers native to the United Kingdom representing floral changes from winter to spring (winter is the base tier). The jubilee cake was only put together fully by The Palace (staff) - so we were unable to take our own photographs of it beforehand. However, on the day of delivery we were asked to assemble some of the tiers in order to explain the mechanisms of how it fitted together (each tier was positioned precisely on the one below with locators). Not the most beautiful of surroundings, but this picture does at least show in more detail the amazing quality of work by the jubilee cake team.
There are many special touches to her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee cake – the corgis modelled by Karen Cauldwell. A small picture frame (hidden in the flowers) which showed Prince Philip and the Queen. Also hidden amongst the flowers were ladybirds, a spider’s web, a snail, a dragon fly, bumble bees, toadstolls
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The image of the Queen (tier 3) and the Royal Crests (tier 4) were all hand painted by Annie Relph.
This is a close up of the tier 3 side piece created by Annie Relph - a run sugar plaque incorporating a piped butterfly (based on the Queen's brouche). The sugar flowers which adorn this plaque were created by Rhianydd Webb.
NB.
On speaking to The Palace, they confirmed that no cake was commission (order) by them for this celebration and as such there was no 'Offical Cake'. All the cakes which were delivered to The Palace for this celebration were gifted.