A GREAT-LOOKING cake really is the icing on top of your wedding day.

So getting it right is a must. Not only should your cake confection look incredible, it should also taste good – a factor that is really important if you want to serve it for dessert.

For cakes that look and taste wonderful, look out for Amazing Cakes by Jean at any of the wedding shows in Suffolk this autumn.

Coming from a family of cooks, self-taught baker Jean Barker started out as most parents do, making magical birthday cakes for her children.

But pretty soon everyone wanted a slice of Jean’s edible masterpieces.

So she created her own business making novelty and special occasion cakes, even being chosen to ice a cake by St Nicholas Hospice – a cake that was cut by Prince Charles and Camilla.

Over the years Jean has been approached by more and more brides, and baking wedding cakes is now the major part of her yearly calendar.

Talking about the name of the business, Jean said: “We were trying to think of a name and somebody looked at one of my cakes at a show one day and said ‘wow, it’s amazing’. It’s interesting how many people come up and say that my cakes are amazing – it still happens.

“But the really satisfying thing is when you see a bride after the wedding and they say that the cake really made the day – it’s lovely to get feedback from people.”

If, after seeing Jean’s work at a wedding fair (she normally has 15 to 20 cakes on display) or on her website www.amazingcakesbyjean.co.uk, you decide to ask her to make your wedding cake, you’ll be impressed at her personal touch.

All consultations are with Jean, she bakes and decorates your cake, and then even comes along on the wedding day to set-up the cake (included in the price). There is no middle man – or woman.

At your consultation with Jean she’ll do everything she can to help you envisage the type of cake you’d like.

First you have to choose the cake base – moist lemon or vanilla sponge, a wickedly delicious chocolate cake, continental coffee cake or a rich fruit cake.

Each of the cakes is what Jean would call, ‘real cake’ made with good ingredients and to recipes that give delicious and moreish results. “I believe passionately that cakes must not only look good but taste good,” Jean enthuses.

“To that end, I pride myself on creating what I genuinely believe to be the most light and moist sponge cake available.”

You’ll talk about what shape you’d like, how many tiers you need, the colours you want to use, whether you’d like to use fresh flowers or whether you want something totally different.

Your only limit really is your imagination- Jean can create something simple, to a cake enrobed entirely chocolate, or even cakes based around a hobby or perhaps your honeymoon destination.

Jean said: “I believe that it is important for a bride to see for herself what different ideas will look like. I therefore create mock-ups of cakes. This is so much better than simply looking at pictures and trying to imagine how a variation will look. I always  finish with a mock-up of the chosen design, which most brides then photograph, often on their mobile phone, before leaving.”

She added: “The most challenging cake was probably a chocolate church. A couple was getting married at Culford Church and wanted a replica of it in chocolate cake. Everything was made of chocolate – the paths, the buttresses, everything.”

As well as putting together your cake, Jean is able to hire out lots of different stands and antique bases, and cutting knives. Cutting knives to buy are available too, which will be engraved with your names and the date of your wedding.

To find out more about Amazing Cakes by Jean visit her website (above) where there are lots of glowing testimonials, call 01359 241135, or email jean@amazingcakesbyjean.co.uk