WWW.CAKEMASTERSMAGAZINE.COM 65Michael Lewis-Anderson is best
known for his beautiful royal
icing work, vivid colours and
imaginative designs. Here, he
answers all your questions about
colour, painting and inspiration!
Inspiration
Q: What inspires your designs and
how do you choose the elements?
A: My design and inspiration will
depend on the occasion. Inspiration
will often come from the room the
cake will be displayed or presented
in. Being passionate about interior
design and colours helps me
enormously. It may only be one
element that is a focal point which
catches my attention, a dominant
colour or the complete atmosphere,
a swatch of material, fine china or
a piece of furniture. The cake can
be in a palace state room for a royal
function with a gold building and
frescoes or a garden wedding where
the couple have chosen a romantic
theme with soft touches of summer
flowers in pastel pinks and peaches.
Every year there will be the new
Pantone colour chart which depicts
the trend designers worldwide will
be inspired from. Colours have such
an importance in trends and our
daily lives, so much so, we can easily
say which year it is only by its colour
because the influence has been
so strong.
Gold Colour
Q: You use a lot of gold on your cakes,
what are the best products to get a
good gold finish?
A: I love gold and am truly spoilt
for choice with the Roxy & Rich
collection. 100% edible food grade,
I feel at ease using them. With no
toxicity, I can vouch to my clients that
the cakes are safe to eat. Gone are the
days when all that was metallic had to
be removed. I love using the rich gold
on my mouldings and adding shades
with light and rose golds for that extra
contrast and depth. I will sometimes
add touches of gold leaf to highlight.
All golds are in powdered form and
easy to use either by dusting or my
preferred method (mix 1:9 gold to
96.5% alcohol, add generously with a
brush or spray directly onto the cake
to give a smooth delicate finish due
to the evaporation of the alcohol).
Old picture frames were frequently
painted red before gilded with gold
leaf and this undercoat makes the gold
glow for a truly theatrical finished
result.*On-trend* Blue
Q: The latest trend we’ve seen on
social media is blue cakes, how do you
go about achieving a rich navy blue?
A: Since blue is my signature, I’ve
frequently made blue cakes. One of
the most famous is the cake made to
celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 65th
Sapphire Jubilee and longest reigning
monarch on the throne. Before, it was
a nightmare to achieve a deep colour
in royal icing, the blue was never
blue and more turquoise. I remember
the icing would go too soft and dry
powdery. I’ve found using Fondust
from Roxy & Rich enables me to get
these deep and vibrant tones making
life far easier. Their Wedgewood blueis outstanding allowing you to use a
little for light blue or more for deep
blue. Royal, Neon and Navy Blues are
all available giving equally fantastic
results.Painting with Colour
Q: What are your top tips for painting
with colour?
A: You must understand if the
base to be painted is water or fat
based. This will help decide the best
colours to use. Using the Roxy & Rich
range of water soluble colours, you
can very easily paint iced biscuits,
royal icing and sugarpaste coated
cakes. Dilution with water or alcohol
allows the cakes to be spray painted
easily. Another technique is to use
the finest paintbrushes to paint the
cake or sponges can also be used to
give a mottled effect. Fine paintings
can be done with their petal dusts. I
always have a piece of the same base
to test the colour before applying
directly onto the cake. The cocoa
butter colours can be warmed in the
tubes and spray painted onto cakes.
When doing fine cocoa painting, I
place the warmed colours in small
dishes and keep them warm over
a candle warmer similar to those
in restaurants, allowing time to
paint. These cocoa butters are truly
wonderful for painting chocolates.Michael Lewis-Anderson
Ask the Expert
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