Archive note: This post records a family baking event I attended with KK after Food Network UK invited us to take part in a Bakers v Fakers experience. It has been refreshed for readability in 2026 while keeping the original experience and opinions intact.
I’m no Lorraine Pascale — or a baker for that matter — but you always want to learn new tips! That’s why, when Food Network UK reached out and asked if we wanted to take part in their Bakers v Fakers series, KK and I jumped at the chance. We were excited to learn how to make a “fake” cake.
My kitchen at the time was so small there was barely room to move, so sadly KK didn’t get many chances to learn cooking skills with me at home. I thought this would be a lovely bit of time out together — and I was right.
Our Bakers v Fakers Experience
The team were fantastic: warm and very welcoming. It was lovely not only to meet Juliet Sear, but to follow her masterclass as we made an Ice Dream Cake.
At first glance I was amazed by how much skill seemed to have gone into the finished cake. I assumed we would need far longer than the time slot we had.
Then out came the shop-bought bits! Honestly, it was genius. You have to love a shortcut.
What We Used to Make the Fake Cake
- Two pre-made cakes
- Icing
- Rice crispy squares
- A pre-made chocolate-dipped waffle cone
- Chocolate melts
Juliet demonstrated how to turn the two cakes into one: stack them together, using icing to hold and seal them, with a flat base at the top to give us a good surface to work on.
Using the knife was awkward and I think not having a turntable made it harder to get a precise finish, but we made the best of what we had.
Sticky Rice Crispy Chaos
KK got a little frustrated after her cake went into the fridge to set. We were preparing the ice-cream-cone decoration and the crispy rice squares were very sticky. By this point I think she was ready to demolish the ingredients instead!
Shaping the squares was simple enough, although ours needed to be tighter. When we dipped one into the chocolate melt it fell straight into the bowl — oops! Thankfully, we weren’t the only ones.
The Ice Dream Cake Drip
Then our cake was ready for the drip effect. Juliet made it look incredibly easy. Ours looked rather more amateur!
Juliet explained that the room temperature was affecting the chocolate melts. I had also cut the nozzle hole too large; a smaller opening would have given me more control. We live and learn.
What I Thought of Bakers v Fakers
Seeing all the cakes decorated and put together so quickly made the whole thing feel much more achievable than I had expected. More importantly, it was a fantastic experience for KK and me to share.
The original post invited readers to watch Bakers v Fakers on Food Network. As this is now an archive of our experience rather than a current TV guide, I’ve kept that part of its history without presenting the old broadcast information as current.
About Juliet Sear
At the time of our experience, Juliet Sear was already an established baking expert, food artist, stylist and author. Meeting her and following the class was a big part of what made the day memorable.
The original version of this post also mentioned Juliet’s book Kawaii Cakes: Adorable and Cute Japanese-Inspired Cakes and Treats. I’m preserving that reference as part of the archive, but I’ve removed the old embedded Amazon advertising widgets rather than treating years-old product links as current recommendations.
More From the Clarissa’s Corner Archive
If you fancy another little trip through our older family-food adventures, try Ants on a Log, our Halloween Spider Cupcakes, or my Katsu Curry experiment.
Have you ever tried making an impressive-looking cake using clever shortcuts? Bakers v Fakers certainly taught me that you don’t have to make absolutely everything from scratch to have fun creating something together.
