Once upon a time Janelle had another blog, but for a variety of reasons she decided to close that down and put some of the popular content here at Imagine. Make. Believe!
Cakes is one of those things that people love, and Janelle loves to make! She has always loved to make special and unique birthday cakes for her children, as they get such enjoyment from seeing and eating them. She also finds it a good excuse to do some baking sculpture! She is completely self taught, and enjoys the challenge of making the cakes with totally edible decorations (or as much as possible), so she has come up with some really inventive solutions over the years.
In mid 2010, two of her children were diagnosed with coeliac disease, so this has further added to the difficulties creative solutions to ensure everything in and on the cake is totally gluten free (the gluten free cakes are marked GF).
Any names that were on the cakes have been obscured for the purpose of privacy. If you want to copy any of Janelle’s designs you will need to contact us here at Imagine. Make. Believe and ask permission first.
If you are interested in simple instructions for simple themed cakes (easy enough for children to do!), craft and great party ideas including games and party bags, you will find all this and more in our Imagine. Make. Believe magazine!
Simple round cakes with simple decorations. Quick and easy.
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2D basic shaped cakes are basic flat cakes that are cut to shape. Instructions on how to make a shaped cake will be coming soon, so subscribe to our updates so you don't miss it.
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2D low relief cakes are basic flat cakes, with some shaping, sculpting and dimension.
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3D moulded cakes use a mould or shaped cake pan/s to form the main shape of the cakes.
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3D slab cakes are a basic flat cake with three dimensional decorations.
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3D sculpted cakes requires simple or extensive shaping and sculpting of the cake and decorations.
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Hi Janelle,
Great cakes! You’re so talented!
My son loves the Spot books by Eric Hill and I’d love to make your Spot cake for his first birthday party. What size cake pan did you use? I have a 13×9, would I make two? How did you get the icing that color yellow? What is the number made out of – a cookie? I’m a cake-making novice, so any tips are most welcome! Thanks!
Hi Claire
Thanks for your lovely comments.
My cakes are usually large, ie two or three cake tins worth. Of course the size will depend on the amount of people you want it to feed, or how long you want to be eating it for!
(As of August 2013, we have moved the cakes and comments to the Imagine. Make. Believe website, so we will be putting up instructions on how to make a basic shaped cake here in the coming months!)
I actually made the Spot cake over nine years ago and have had a few more children since then, so my brain is rather foggy about how I got that colour yellow! I’m guessing that if you start with mostly yellow and add a tiny bit of green and and a little bit more red (than green) then you might get the right colour. Green and red generally make brown so if the quantity of this is far less than the yellow then it should tinge the yellow to a mustard colour. I usually just add the colours to the icing before I mix them rather than mixing the food colours first.
The spot is a cookie – Wagon Wheel biscuit, which is a large, flat, chocolate coated cookie with yummy insides. Google it if you are not sure what they are.
Hope this helps!
These cakes are AMAZING!!! I came here looking at your bee cake, and have been completely inspired!
Thanks Bee for your lovely comment!
Hi,
I was just wondering about your Treasure Map Cake.
How did u make the trees? and What did u use to make the treasure box (is it chocolate of some sort)? and What did u use to make the water (I’m making a similar cake and was thinking of using blue jelly, do u think this would work?)???
The Treasure Map Cake has really helped me to develop my ideas.
Cheers
Hi Chantelle
(As of August 2013, we have moved the cakes and comments to the Imagine. Make. Believe website, so we will be putting up instructions on how to make some of the Treasure Map features over the coming months.)
Hope this info helps you in your cake making.
Hi,
Was interested in the dinosaur cake, my son is turning four soon and is totally into dinosaurs and has been asking for a dinosaur cake. I think this one looks great, how did you get the shape? Is it a tin? Thanks in advance Kate
Hi Kate
Thanks for your compliments! With most of my shaped 2D cakes, including this one, I start with a large rectangle cake. (As of August 2013, we have moved the cakes and comments to the Imagine. Make. Believe website, so we will be putting up instructions on how to make a basic shaped cake here in the coming months!)
Happy baking!
Janelle,
I ran across your lovely post while searching for Spot birthday cake ideas for my son’s 2nd birthday. You cake is by far the cutest I’ve seen so far. Thanks for the directions on how you did it in your comments! I will try my best to replicate it, but I’m sure it won’t be as nice as yours. Thanks for the great post! You are very talented!
Ashley
Hi Ashley
Thank you for your lovely comments about my Spot cake and my talent. I think we are all talented… just differently! Hope your Spot cake turned out how you were hoping.
Hi Janelle,
Really enjoyed looking at your cakes. It’s my son’s 5th this week, so was looking online for inspiration and found your site. I can tell you have put a lot of love into the cakes!
Yael
Hi Yael,
Thanks for your lovely comment. All the best!