This is the moment George and George met – one a 16hh 30-year-old part-Clydesdale, the other a 15kg replica made entirely of cake.
The masterpiece is the work of Grace Eva Cakes, the result of four days’ work, to celebrate George’s owner Paula West’s 40th birthday on 5 March.
“It’s out of this world,” Paula told H&H. “I’ve only just been able to cut it – but most of it is in the freezer to keep.”
Paula said she first saw one of Grace Eva Cakes’ award-winning creations in 2019, and “always said I wanted a Grace cake one day”. She had a replica of her husband’s combine harvester made for his 40th, and Grace also made their wedding cake last year.
“Then he surprised me with George, and I was speechless,” she said. “It was extra special because of how long we’ve been together; it all got quite emotional.”
Paula said she has owned George for 25 years so it is a year of milestones; he is on loan to a friend and still happy being ridden a couple of times a week. And she said she had to allow him to meet the cake.
“He’s such a gent; there aren’t many horses I’d trust to go nose to nose with it!” she said. “I wanted those pictures so people could see what an amazing job Grace had done; it wasn’t just a random horse, it was my boy.”
Grace told H&H that seven years ago, she was just “baking the odd cake”, but she thought “there’s more to it”. She left her previous job and opened her cake shop in 2020.
She explained that although the custom creations like George involve a visit to B&Q or Wickes to build a frame, everything is edible.
“I built a flamingo standing on one leg and its neck wasn’t cake, it was Rice Krispies treats because of the weight!” she said. “But everything is edible. I do love a challenge.”
Grace said she spent a full day creating the frame for George, another baking the 11 layers of cake, another carving it and a final day – all 12 hours in duration – decorating it and “bringing it fully to life”.
“I tend to bake 10-inch cakes, which are stuck on the board with chocolate ganache, then once they’re on and filled and carved, I covered this one with about 2.5kg of white modelling chocolate, which is brilliant as it’s really malleable,” she said.
“Once it’s ganached, I take progress shots so if it’s not right, I can re-carve it. There’s definitely an ugly stage and you have to trust the process; I have to stop, go for a walk or have a coffee and come back with fresh eyes.”
Grace then uses edible paint to create the work of art, every detail of hair and markings – including edible glaze to make the eyes shine.
“The hardest thing with a person or animal is to get character across,” she added. “I did do art at school but couldn’t draw to save my life! It’s sculpture I loved. I opened my cake shop on the day that should have been my wedding day in 2020 – and have never looked back.”
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