THREE local youngsters have found a knack for sugar art cake decorating and competed in the Bloem Show, receiving awards in each of their age categories.
Daniel Bruce-Alexander, Isabelle Raasch and Mia Raasch worked long and hard to produce beautiful sugar art cakes that were put on display in the Bloem show’s arts and crafts section.
The Bloem Show is an annual agricultural show taking place over 10 days at the end of April in Bloemfontein.
The show celebrates all types of creative arts and crafts from knitting, quilting and painting to cake decorating.
Daniel, Isabelle and Mia were taught the art of cake decorating by Isabelle and Mia’s grandmother, Ria Smith. Smith started teaching her granddaughters when they were little and they each entered their first Bloem Show when they were four years old.
“I try to encourage my granddaughters to enter as often as they can. “Daniel only started sugar art with me in February last year and he just loves it.
“His work is wonderful so I thought he should enter the Bloem Show with us this year,” a proud Smith said.
Daniel, 18, entered a colourful sugar art circus scene, while Isabelle, eight, recreated a farm yard scene out of biscuits she baked herself. Both held the highest scores in their age sections, each receiving a gold award as well as trophy.
At 10 years old, Mia was the youngest participant in her age group and received a silver award for the happy sugar art clown she entered.
Smith, who also entered the Bloem Show, also received a trophy for the highest score in her section.
“Ria has such patience, to teach Daniel such a precise and intricate art,” Daniel’s mom, Antoinette Bruce-Alexander said.
“Daniel is autistic and we battled to find an extra-curricular activity that interested him. Then I met Ria and she introduced him to sugar art and he just took to it. “He is so good with his fine motor skills and he loves baking and making intricate things,” Bruce-Alexander said.
Daniel said: “I was so excited when I was told that I won a trophy”.
Sugar art is a craft that requires patience, time and precision. The three youngsters have made their teacher very proud as they all worked extremely hard and meticulously to produce beautiful sugar art.
“It was hard work, but I had fun making all the farm animals out of my biscuits,” Isabelle said.
Ria in awe of Daniel, Mia and Isabelle’s achievements, said: “It’s a difficult and time-consuming craft. It’s even more challenging in East London because of the humidity”.
