Hi everyone! I'm Helen Shroyer, aka Antonia74. I live in the busy city of Toronto with my ever-patient husband Matt...who never complains if you feed him a steady diet of cake scraps.

I actually grew up studying music, languages and even ballet. (The dream of being a ballerina quickly faded when I hit 6 feet tall. Being cast as the male lead will do that to you!)

Following my sister's lead as a chef in the food industry, I quickly found an interest in the creativity and artisty of pastries. I tried my hand at a few courses in Boulangerie at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa and Cake Decorating at George Brown College in Toronto. I was hooked! I worked for 8 years at the Art Gallery of Ontario under two amazing Pastry Chefs who really encouraged my love for all the weddings we got to do. Their cake designs each weekend taught me more than I could have ever hoped to have learned in school...and it was hands-on and being paid. It was a dream!

Venturing out on my own, I started "Marmalade Cake Company" and was really surprised by the business that came from word-of-mouth. I have had the honour of my work being featured in many food magazines published in Canada, which is great free advertising!

Favourite Kitchen Tools
Some favourite kitchen items I swear by are Silpat mats for baking cookies and my local hardware store for great solid tools for cake decorating. My favourite find ever are the cheap yellow plastic plastering knives. They give your buttercream cake wickedly sharp angles and edges. The best!

My philosophy?
Cakes should be fun! It's your wedding, so let it reflect you both. Stripes, dots, colour, wacky shapes and flowers...that's what I love to do!

Helen Shroyer

Marmalade Cake Company
www.marmaladecakecompany.com