Teapot Balance Class With Kaysie Lackey At Pretty Witty Cakes

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Teapot Balance Class with Kaysie Lackey at Pretty Witty Cakes (in Sussex).

Kaysie is an American cake designer from Seattle and specialises in extraordinary cakes ...... many of which are gravity defying structures !

Never having made more than simple shaped cakes in the past, Kaysie's teapot class was a little daunting and sure to push me out of my comfort zones. The class was very full on - creating this amazing piece took a total of 27 hours over three days.

Carving cakes to form the teapot created a LOT of mess and crumbs !

Teapot base crumb coated with buttercream and ready to cover in fondant.

Pretty Witty Cakes is a superb venue and has many visiting international tutors and pupils.

How Amy (PW staff) manages everyone's names and what they take in their tea / coffee is beyond me. It just kept coming ! I've never been so well hydrated in my life :-)

End of day two - a colourful array of some of the teapots, cups and plates / saucers all painted and dry ready to be assembled the following day. It looks as if most of it has already been done - but there was still so much to do !

Cobblestone bases, cake tables, assembling teapots and cups with spouts and handles and then the overall construction.

There is quite an element of fear in putting one of these together. In the very last moment's, it could all go so horribly wrong !

I must say, I've never before had to use screwdrivers, plastic pipes, metal rods and other bizarre things to construct a cake. There were a few concerned students when Kaysie went looking for a hammer...

If you ever want to try making a cake with a difference, I'd thoroughly recommend having a go at this class. Kaysie is back at Pretty Witty to take classes in summer 2013.

Thanks to Kaysie Lackey and the staff of Pretty Witty (including Suzi's husband - who will probably find half his tool kit missing next time he needs it !)