Renee Chambers
TR Custom Studio
Hazyview, South Africa
See more of Renee's cakes at
As a student I was introduced to Bakels Pettinice and over time I have tried other products, but nothing works like Pettinice. I love working with it and find it easy to use, the texture and colour variety works really well for all my toppers and cakes.
Meet Renee Chambers - TR Custom Studio
What is the very first cake you remember making?
That's a tough one ... I can't say I remember my first cake but i guess it would have to be a cake I did for a family Christmas lunch. I made a Chocolate decorated ganache cake with a peppermint crisp tart filling!
Last cake that made you cry? (From joy even!)
I couldn't really choose one cake. I would admit, after the long hours of work stepping back after finishing each cake and seeing it all come together always warms my heart!
What cake do you wish someone would order?
I'm a big fan of a challenge but if I had to choose... it would have to be a 4-tier (or more!) cake with a combination of textured and smooth fondant tiers and featuring a spiral of delicate sugar flower from the top to the bottom in a maroon and navy blue colour.
What has been the most challenging cake you have made to date?
This would definitely be a 2-tier wedding cake decorated with flowers to match the bride's bouquet. The first tier had a velvet finish, and the second tier was covered in fondant with a leopard print; all the spots we rolled and glued individually. It really felt like it took hours, but the most challenging part of this cake was the velvet spray. I had only done a few tests on cake pops before, and was very happy with the results. When it came to doing the cake itself, it just wouldn't work. For the life of me I could not get my cake cold enough, and at this point it was very late in the evening. I decided to leave it for the morning, and try again.
Next morning, I got up at 5am to get the cake ready for delivery by 8am. I decided I would spray the cake in the fridge so it would be at its coldest, however this was not the case. Despite the fridge being on its coolest setting, it just wasn't cold enough! Finally in my favour though, it was freezing outside at 5am so I grabbed a table, put my cake down, with no hesitation just sprayed and it finally worked!!
What is your favourite part of the cake decorating process?
My favourite part of the process would have to be adding the final decorations on the cake, making sure each detail is where it should be.
What do you listen to while you are decorating?
I often sit and listen to a Netflix series while I work on decorations or the radio while I stack and cover cakes.
Do you make your own birthday cake?
It's a tough one... I tend to have cakes booked on my birthday, so I'm usually making someone else's cake. If I don't have a cake booked, I love to use it as an excuse to try something new!!
Favourite cake delivery story
Delivering a cake in a private game reserve. On an average day it would take 2.5 hours to drive to the venue but with a cake on dirt roads, many pot holes and the occasional tree in the road it took us 4 hours to finally get to the venue!
On arrival we were greeted with a beautiful wild elephant just a few meters from where we were standing and had to wait in the parking enclosure for him to move out the pathway so we can take the cake to reception. Definitely a delivery I will not forget!!
What’s something you wish people would know about your business?
I am by nature a very creative person and use this when working on custom orders. Each order is designed specifically for each client. I don't take many orders on, so that each client gets my full attention.
My biggest passion is making fondant toppers and wedding cakes.
What’s next in your cake world?
I would love to participate in a few cake competitions and work on more online content and in person classes! 
