AN EXTRAVAGANT baker from Roxwell wowed judges at an international cake competition.

Amanda Macleod, who runs a baking business in St Michael’s Road, got the top prize in the decorative exhibit category at Cake International 2013 held at the Excel Centre in London last weekend.

The master baker bagged the gong with her Marie Antionette cake, which is two-and-a-half feet tall and features a beehive hairstyle supported by an internal structure.

Everything barring the structure supporting the hair is edible and took Amanda nearly a week to put together from scratch.

She said winning the competition was fantastic and makes all her training and hard work worthwhile.

“I started getting creative with cakes about 20 years ago when I made them for friends and family,” she said.

“I went to to Brooklands College to do a cake decorating and sugarcraft course in 2002 and started my business in 2008.

“The prize winner took me around 150 hours to complete and if I was to create a cake with the same level of detail, it would cost around £2,000.

“I did appear on TV a couple of years ago and did an amazing steampunk cake that many people still consider their favourite, but Marie Antionette is certainly my favourite.”

Her advice to budding bakers who want to get creative with their designs is to cover the presentation of the cake with matching sugarpaste and constantly practice covering your cake until it’s perfect.