I AM DRAGONS and DAFFODILS CAKES & CRAFTS
ABOUT ME
My name is Rhianydd and I adore sugarcraft!
It is true! I have been since I first picked up a book by Tombi Peck with the most exquisite realistic sugar flowers back in the 1990s. I just couldn't believe this was possible and my love affair with sugarcraft began.
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This page shares a little of my journey since I started the business in 1999 and just a snippit of the thousands of cakes that were created over the years. Mostly weddings with a healthy number of celebrations cakes, cakes for TV and cakes for celebrities too.
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I no longer create cakes to sell, but I still absolutely love teaching and demonstrating, especially flowers and figures, and can now add teaching bilingually through the medium of Welsh to the options for my classes and demonstrations. I hope you enjoy having a look at some of the cakes that hold wonderful memories for me over the years.
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Rhi​​​​
Student work at my class hosted by Shanghai Cakeart Studio
Where did it start?
I initially learnt from cake books such as Alan Dunn; Tombi Peck; Debbie Brown; Lesley Herbert and Lindi Smith. These incredible cake artists shared their skills and that is how I have always felt. I wanted to share what I too had learned with others that shared my passion.
Right from the beginning, every time I made a cake I was asked if I could make one for someone else, so in July 1999 Dragons & Daffodils Cakes was born.
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Why the name?
At the time that was what I got asked to make the most.
At my first premises in Tonyrefail
On Roald Dahl Day
Moving to teaching
Never could I have dreamed where this journey would take me. From humble beginnings in my home kitchen, I then moved to premises where we made over 3000 award-winning wedding cakes that regularly featured in magazines. This led me to writing tutorials and exhibiting and teaching in Exhibitions.
Competing and Judging
In 2014 I began competing at Cake International and am proud to have received multiple gold medals as well as best in category which led to me joining the judging team in 2017. I have since created three solo show features.
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Training to judge at Cake International gave me so many opportunities and in 2019 I travelled to China to judge at the China selections of the FIPGC and to teach at the wonderful Shanghai Cakeart Studio
Judging the China Selections at the FIPGC
Teaching at the Shanghai Cakeart Studio
Cyril's Cake Adventure
2019 saw the release of my first book Cyril's Cake Adventure. It gave me the opportunity to give a little back to all the wonderful students I have had over the last 20 years by putting as much of the hints and tips I have picked up over the years into one woodland and whimsical book following Cyril the squirrels story.
I only started making cakes so that I could make them for my children, so my book has a children's story running through it. Each chapter page sees the next page in the story.
Book 2
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Sadly, book 2 was delayed due the pandemic, then to software problems which made it impossible to print.
My heart still hurts at all the work lost, so many hours, and work that I truly loved, but your support and understanding was so incredible, I am truly grateful.
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I still have itchy writing fingers desperate to bring it to life, so you never know, if the timing and opportunity are right......
The Pladis McVities Platinum Jubilee Cake
Truly the pinnacle of any career is to be part of an incredible team that was commissioned to make a cake for Royalty, and I can't think of a more unique occasion than Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Cake.
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I am truly honoured to finally be able to reveal what I have been working on this year as part of a truly remarkable team of dedicated cake artists led by the incredibly talented Annie Relph.
I was so thrilled to be invited on to the team on this project not only celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, but with a theme that celebrated the Queen’s Green Canopy - also a great passion of mine.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside respected friends. Thank you to Pladis Global who made us feel truly welcomed through the experience.
Wonderful memories that I will treasure always 🌳💚
Here are some words from Annie and a beautiful image of the cake in situ at Buckingham Palace. Head on over to pladis Globals website to read more
“It was an absolute honour to be asked by McVities to help in creating a commemorative cake for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee which was delivered to Buckingham Palace on 31st May to be displayed in the throne room for the jubilee week. Over two thousand hours went into the detail of a design reflecting the Tree of life and the Queen’s Green Canopy. It was all made possible by dedicated cake team comprising of Annie relph, Alan Dunn, Rhianydd Webb, Christine Flinn, Sue McMahon, Karen and Mike Cauldwell and myself, working with the wonderful Billy Kilvington and Eve Goldspink from Pladis Global, with on-site support from Jake, Tom, Mike and Gerry. The cake was placed on a beautiful wooden base, carved from English walnut by Philip Walker and a stunning silver tree topper by silversmith Ryan McClean. “ (Words by Annie Relph)
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Have a look through just a few photographs below and if you would like to hear more of the story of the cakes inspiration, design and creation - Click this link to view the beautiful tribute to her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II created by Pladis over on YouTube, the filming was completed after the cake had left to go to Buckingham Palace.
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Dare to Dream
I mean that. You never know where your journey will take you.
It could be that you just want to make a fabulous cake for a loved one - and fantastic! What a dream!
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I am here to support you every step of the way. I hope you will join me on my sugarcraft journey.
May it never end
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Rhianydd
A little of my work
You should always love what you do.....and BOY! Have I been lucky!
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Here are just a few of the thousands of cakes I have been lucky to make since 1999. From birthdays, weddings, corporate cakes, features for Cake International and competition cakes and collaborations.
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I hope you enjoy them and keep following to see what is next for my journey, I hope you have even a fraction of what I have been so grateful to experience over the last couple of decades.
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Rhi
 This years collaborative feature at Cake International celebrated the 14th year of the Sugar Screams collab with Cakenstein and I had a great time making my piece and volunteering as a spare body part...I kid you not! | Over 2000 hours went into the creation of this cake and I was honoured to be part of the team. |  I was honoured to be commissioned to create the cake for Destination Star Trek 50 celebration which was cut by Walter Koenig. What you cant see is the 4 1/2 foot wide cake that covered most of the table and was served to the guests |
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 Another gravity defying lifelike full size class. |  A 6 episode video tutorial for Cakeflix |  Known as the Angel of Mercy. This sculpted bust was for a collaboration |
 My third feature for cake international featuring 2 metre tall lifelike wafer paper flowers and a 5 foot 10 inch Faerie |  A realistic Dormouse in Yarrow lifesize sculpture |  This gravity defying lifelike fox cake class was so much fun each time, and here Rusty is in his element |
 Always such a popular subject |  A faux cake. A chocolate cake that looks like a fruit cake in its tin on set |  Detailed modelling is so much fun to do |
 This vintage phone was a tutorial created for Cake craft magazine |  Moonface and the Saucepan Man. The largest pieces of the installation moved to the final home in the Renshaw Academy |  |
 With the kind permission of Tony Di'Terlizzi, I recreated a selection of characters from the illustrations in the Spiderwick Fieldguide for my second Cake International Feature |  Sat at the desk with my wafer paper field guide and hand modelled flowers and figures from the cake international feature |  Little Thimbletack sitting eating a handmade cracker from my cake international feature |
 This 3 foot tall quarry dwarf character created from the illustration in the book was created during 10 hours live during the Cake International weekend |  The wandering clump model I created in front of the original illustration in the Spiderwick Fieldguide book for my cake international feature |  This 3 foot tall tree cake and all the creatures and flowers you see displayed were created live for Cake International onscreen over the course of 10 hours. |
 A sneak peek at a character from my next book |  This is a gold medal winning display that was created for the Cake Masters book babes stand by invitation at Cake International |  A model created for a book themed collaboration |
 This 20" tall dwarf was created for a Snow White themed collaboration display at Cake International |  This was my first ever entry to Cake International wedding cakes and I was thrilled to receive a gold |  This was my entry for a plant in three to five stages, created from the seeds right through to the dried husks for Cake international |
 This figure started my Spiderwick journey. It was my first entry with a detailed model and led to me being given permission to create my feature for Cake Interntaional |  I was thrilled to place with this piece as I had literally no time to create her, only able to start the night before the show due to other commitments at cake international |  My competition journey was all about learning different skills in cake decorating, and this 2 foot tall figure was a brand new journey for me at cake international |
 The back of this figure which was a mixture of the artists original design and the character in the film |  This was entered into Salon Culinaire and was my second gold (and a silver) there. A figure that had been an idea of mine for a long time |  After 3000 weddings, you are never surprised by requests to have both sugarpaste, buttercream ruffles and sugar flowers |
 A five tier wedding cake in disguise, wrapped in delicious Belgian milk chocolate |  A classic and elegant wedding cake with ruffles and sugar flowers |  This cake was created for the Wedding cake showroom at Squires Kitchen Exhibition featuring a hand painted woodland scene |
 Peonies and blossoms in wafer paper, together with the wafer paper shards came together to create a dramatic and elegant wedding cake. Based on my purple amethyst wedding cake |  A textural wedding cake with edible tree trunk base |  Wafer paper foliage and airbrushing combine to perfectly compliment the stunning leaf bridal dress by Jean Paul Gaultier for a couture cakes collaboration |
 This cake was created after a client was inspired by my own wedding cake, this time featuring a japanese garden, travelling up the cake, through the Brecon Beacons, Caerphilly and to Miskin Manor where they were married. Featuring sculpting, modelling and cocoa butter painting. |  My gorgeous sisters wedding cake with a difference. Hand formed chocolate pots and a top tier decorated with decadent chocolate dominos and realistic sugar flowers. |  This cake was created as a tutorial for Cake Craft magazine with airbrushed wafer paper shards and flowers, sugarpaste moss and edible isomalt crystals |
 A design that pulled together all of the features of that time with baroque style picture frames, delicate wafer paper pages around the tier and stunning sugar flowers |  I poured my heart and soul into this cake. The front features cocoa butter painting of Castell Coch and the surrounding hills and valleys, featuring stunning realistic wild sugar flowers and tiny model animals. The back, a nod to Star Wars with us dressed as Han and Leia (not our actual wedding clothes, although...I wish!) sitting on a wooden walkway on the forest moon of Endor with the cocoa butter Death Star above |  This cake was a tutorial for Squires Kitchen Magazine featuring hand painting, piping, modelling and sugar flowers with a painted wafer paper fan |
 A Marshall amp cake complete with all the knobs and buttons |  My children always had unusual cakes and this one completely confused everyone with chocolate CD case and cassette tape |