Karen Wright's vintage caravan cake was a crowd pleaser

Karen writes: Last week was fantastic!
Karen's impressive vintage caravan cakeKaren's impressive vintage caravan cake
Karen's impressive vintage caravan cake

I left home on Tuesday bound for EventCity in Manchester. I had been asked by the Caravan and Motorhome Club to help host the event and to make and take along a large cake shaped like a caravan. This was a big challenge for me as I have very little experience in this sort of thing, kids’ novelty cakes are one thing, but this called for real artistry. I made the cake using my own Christmas cake recipe as I knew it would hold up well to the mission being quite a solid cake and it keeps well. I decided to make a vintage caravan as this would allow for some artistic license and if it had a few lumps and bumps I could put it down to age!

When I finally finished tweaking it, I was very happy with the result, I added as much detail as possible including number plate, lights, handles, gas bottle and much more. The cake was too heavy to carry so we constructed a trolley to pull it along.

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When I finally made it to the venue everyone was delighted with it, we had a ceremonial cutting of the cake and we were serving slices of it to hundreds of people.

It's all about the little details.It's all about the little details.
It's all about the little details.

I was at the event for two days and then I travelled down to London for another brand-new event. I had been booked to host a baking event for a company called Bake with a Legend. I stayed the night before with my nephew and took a tube to the baking class the next morning. The class was made up of 12 people who were keen to learn some baking techniques and to spend some time with one of the bakers from the Great British Bake-Off TV programme. We all had a splendid time, everyone got along like a house on fire, chatting about the programme, making the tartlets and sipping prosecco.

I finally returned to Wakefield on Saturday evening on what must have been the longest journey from London to Wakefield on record, it took four hours! The train was packed but we all got friendly and the time passed quickly.

I have been asked to make another big cake as the caravan was so popular but a different theme this time, so as soon as I was up and about on Sunday, I was rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck into another mammoth baking session. This time I have enrolled my husband John on the project, and he is chief stirrer.

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Next week I am heading off to Brighton once again as we are expecting a new grandbaby any day now, so I have deliberately kept my diary empty for the next few weeks. I am, however, still mulling over ideas for the Wakefield Food, Drink And Rhubarb Festival, I love cooking with rhubarb, so I am trying to be inventive. It's a fabulous festival and Wakefield is unique having its own celebratory weekend every year, we should all make the most of it and enjoy it. Pop the date in your diaries - February 21-23.

That’s all for this week folks, I hear Brighton calling, be good everyone and I look forward to sharing all my news next week!

For more tips and recipes go to http://www.karenwrightbakes.co.uk