I’ve always loved baking and decorating, and I rediscovered my passion for it; I kept honing my skills and as time went on, I decided I wanted to turn my hobby into my full time job…”
Krishanthi Armitt, founder of ‘Cakes By Krishanthi’
As with many of those we spotlight on these pages, our subject in this feature discovered her passion whilst home-bound, and in this case it was after having she had her first child back in 2004. Sri Lankan born/English raised Krishanthi Armitt is the founder of ‘Cakes By Krishanthi’, a company she started back in February 2010 which specialises in floral wedding cakes and other special occasion cakes. Her work has been seen in TATLER, VOGUE and MARTHA STEWARTS WEDDINGS, to name just a few editorials. Krishanthi now shares her skills and experience by teaching sugar-craft, in particular decorative sugar flowers, for which she’s best known…
I’m really lucky to get to work with some very talented planners such as Natalie Hewitt, Luxury Wedding Planner, Studio Sorores, Quintessentially and Sarah Haywood to name just a few…”
Krishanthi Armitt, founder of ‘Cakes By Krishanthi’
C&B: ”How did you first learn how to create the beautiful sugar flowers that decorate your cakes?”
KA: ”After having my son, I wanted to do something creative, just for myself and that’s where sugarcraft came in! I started by enrolling in college to understand the basics of wired sugar flowers and as I progressed, my passion for flowers and floristry just grew and the journey unfolded from there…”
C&B: ”What is your USP? Is it the cakes themselves, or the decoration – what would you say?”
KA: ”Clients come to me for one thing: over the top florals! That particular craft is what I specialise in and is where I constantly focus on honing my skills; in terms of flavour, a classic vanilla bean with raspberry is very popular. Lemon and elderflower is popular too for those who have a tangy palette, and pistachio layered with rose-petal jelly appeals to my clients who are looking for something a little different…”
C&B: ”One question we always ask suppliers because it’s fascinating to know the response: “What’s your biggest challenge when getting your gorgeous, delicate cakes installed in one piece at the venue?’”
KA: ”The biggest challenge for me isn’t necessarily installing the cake itself, however traffic and parking can be an absolute nightmare, especially in London. I also have to be very careful to avoid potholes in the road so the cake could easily be damaged, plus very hot or very wet weather can add yet another layer of difficulty because chocolate melts and sugar flowers wilt. Over the years, I’ve found ways to avoid these potential hazards – or remedy on the cake’s arrival – and my clients have always been delivered a perfect, immaculate cake…”
Sugar flowers are the most time-consuming process when designing and making a cake; I can spend over seven hours making sugar flowers each day and it can take weeks, or even months, to work on a single wedding cake…
Krishanthi Armitt, founder of ‘Cakes By Krishanthi’
C&B: ”What’s been your most memorable ‘cake experience’ so far?”
KA: ”One of the event planners I work with closely once told me that she often has to point out to the guests that the flowers are made of flower paste because they assume they’re real… apparently, they do a ‘double-take’ and gasp with disbelief. That’s has been the most memorable occasion for me because I really do take great pride in creating the most realistic flowers possible, and the very first time I received I compliment like that I felt like all the hours I’d put into learning my craft were really worth it…”
C&B: ”Yes, your flowers are almost completely indistinguishable from the real thing and we admire the fact that you may occasionally also deliberately include the tiniest ’natural defects’ such as slightly faded leaves and tiny spots on petals so as to recreate the most realistic effect possible! On another subject, which locations that you’ve delivered cakes to have been your favourites, so far?”
KA: ”My favourite event locations so far have been the Cotswolds, which is an absolutely beautiful area; I also once designed a cake for a very special birthday event which was staged in Edinburgh Castle – the very long drive from London to Scotland with a tiered cake was well worth it!”
C&B: ”And the proudest moment of your career in producing gorgeous cakes, so far?”
KA: ”There are very many to choose from! I’m really proud to be regularly featured in the media, I get to work with top planners and super-talented suppliers who respect my work, and often my clients trust me with complete freedom to design their cake. However, if were to choose just one ‘proudest moment’, it would be when I was invited to act as a judge on ‘Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas’ on Channel 4!”
CONTACT: http://www.cakesbykrishanthi.co.uk
