Valentine’s Day Competition: Fiona Cairns’ Bake and Decorate Book Giveaway

As the masterful cake decorating talent behind the royal wedding cake, if we could choose anyone to show us how to say it with cake, we thought Fiona Cairns might be just the lady for the job. This Valentine’s Day, we’re giving away 10 personally signed copies of her fantastic book, Bake and Decorate to inspire you in making bakes and decorating cakes for loved ones in years to come.

Competition Details

All you have to do is share your Valentine’s Day creations for your amour on our Facebook page. Simply upload your snaps, and each day we will collate all your entries and share them in a dedicated Facebook photo album titled; ‘Valentine’s Day Competition: Fiona Cairns Bake & Decorate Giveaway’.

Each day, we will showcase all of the recent entries and invite fans of the page to see your creation. At the end of the competition, those 10 entries we like the most* will win a signed Fiona Cairns book!

We won’t be upset if you share around your own creation, as at Renshaw, we believe cake decorating talent should be seen and heard (then always eaten up afterwards). The competition starts Monday 11 February and closes Thursday 21 February at midday, just in case you’re too high on love (or sugar paste) to post it in the run up to the actual day.

Fiona Cairns Q&A

As for inspiration, we have plenty of Valentine’s Day recipes to get the baking ball rolling, but we thought Fiona Cairns herself might best be able to help you out. We caught up with her last week to discuss all things cake and romance…

If you were to design the perfect Valentine’s Day cake, how would it look and taste?

Clichéd though it may sound, I think that the perfect Valentine’s Day cake has to bring together chocolate, roses and hearts! The cake would be a dark, decadent heart-shaped chocolate cake, made using the best chocolate. The cake would be decorated on top with lots of deep pink or red sugar paste roses (if time permits) or fresh full bloom red roses.

What’s the most romantic cake you have ever made?

Years ago, I was piping messages onto cakes in a London department store one Valentine’s Day. A customer asked me to pipe a message in another language and I had no idea what the message was. I later found out that it said ‘Will you marry me?’ It’s the little personal stories that stick in your mind.

What are the most popular trends in wedding cake decorating currently?

I think there is still a strong trend for the ‘vintage’ look, but I think brides are interpreting this in different ways. The vintage theme doesn’t always have to be mismatched and mad. It can be beautiful, nostalgic and romantic. We are still seeing a continual demand for lacework on our wedding cakes, too. Lacework, combined with simple, clean, piped details on a wedding cake is very elegant.

If someone were to make you your dream cake or bake for Valentine’s Day, what would it be?

My dream bake would be a big box of freshly baked heart-shaped shortbread biscuits! I don’t think anything beats fresh shortbread – perhaps pistachio and rose flavoured. I think the simplest things are often the best.

For more information about the Fiona Cairns bakery and its fabulous creations, check out www.fionacairns.com

Competition Terms and Conditions

1. Entrants and winners must be aged 18 or over and be residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Republic of Ireland.
2. The competition is not open to employees (or their immediate families) of the Promoter, its agents or anyone professionally connected to the promotion.
3. No purchase necessary to enter.
4. Entries must be submitted by posting a picture to the Renshaw Baking Facebook Page.
5. Winners are chosen at Renshaw’s discretion, and only likes registered within the designated competition photo album count towards winning entries.
6. The prize entitles ten fans to one Fiona Cairns Bake & Decorate book each.
7. The competition closes at 12pm on 21/02/2013
8. No cash or alternative prizes are available.
9. All entrants agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.
10. These Terms & Conditions are subject to English law. The decisions of the Promoter are final and no correspondence will be entered into

*Further to feedback from fans, the winner selection process has changed. As of Tuesday 12 February 2013, Renshaw will now choose the best 10 creations when the competition closes at midday on Thursday 21 February 2013. The entry mechanism has not been affected.