Baker goes viral after re-creating cottage from The Holiday in cake form
16 December 2023, 23:10 | Updated: 16 December 2023, 23:13
A cake baker from Essex has gone viral on TikTok after making an "entirely edible" version of the cottage from the Christmas film, The Holiday.
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Bridie West, 30, said the creation took a day and a half to bake and decorate Rosehill Cottage, which features in the festive film, starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black.
The cake is a vanilla sponge, adorned with detailed decorations such as a picketed gate, garden foliage and a Christmas wreath on the cottage door, finished off with a dusting of icing sugar.
When asked about future bakes, Ms West told LBC: "I’d like to try and create either the Home Alone house or Carrie’s apartment in Sex and the City, next.
"[I’m] Going to see what my followers on Instagram think!"
Ms West said the cake was originally made for display purposes on her Instagram and TikTok but said it was "so lovely" when one of her customers wanted to purchase it.
The buyer told Ms West that they intend to use the cake as a Christmas decoration for future festivities.
"As soon as I put it on Instagram, someone messaged me asking if they could buy it - but she's not going to cut into it, she's going to keep it as a Christmas decoration instead," Ms West, from Brentwood, told the PA news agency.
The customer asked Ms West: "If I have it out over Christmas and then put it in a box and store it somewhere cool, can I keep it for however many years?"
The "most fiddly" part of creating Rosehill Cottage was the intricate decorations, including the chimney and the door.
Those decorations are made from florist paste, which is a firmer alternative to traditional fondant.
"The entire cake is edible, even the little fence with Rosehill Cottage written on - they are the most fiddly aspects.
"There's so much you can do with cake, there's literally no limit."
The TikTok video has now amassed over 1.2 million views and 144.9 thousand likes.
Ms West said she started her own full-time business of decorating cakes in 2018 after leaving her office job in London, with her boss even encouraging her to explore this sweet endeavour.
She had tried to work for another bakery but quit after four days as Ms West “couldn’t bear” being directed on how to decorate cakes.
Ms West said she has been "really lucky" as she is now able to operate her business from a studio at her parent's house in Brentwood which she calls her "cake room".
There, she decorates cakes for customers every day and holds classes for others on how to make and decorate baked goods.
She added that as well as having repeat customers, Ms West has already been booked in for the next festive season.
