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The KLM Mini House Inspiration: A Cake That Doesn’t Look Like a Cake


I really loved designing and creating this truly unique wedding cake for Eric and Rebecca. Right from our first consultation, I knew their brief was going to be something special. The inspiration? A collection of KLM mini houses* - the small, gin-filled ceramic Delft houses given to business class passengers. Eric brought a few along to the consultation and I was hooked! Not on the gin but on the design and collectability of these lovely little houses. Eric told me that they planned to display his collection of these houses, dotted around their beautiful wedding venue. 



For a contemporary wedding cake artist like myself, this was the perfect challenge: an unusual, meaningful object to inspire a stunning, bespoke creation.


*About our KLM houses
You’ve probably seen them around: our Delft Blue miniature houses, filled with Dutch gin. Each one depicts a real Dutch building. These unique gifts have been around since the 1950s and are a true collector’s item! You receive one when travelling in Business Class on an intercontinental route. KLM.co.uk

From Delft Blue Tiles to Curved Dutch Gables


Eric and Rebecca initially loved my signature stacked cube cakes that often defy a traditional "cake" look. They asked if I could incorporate the houses onto a cube cake, but I felt the inspiration deserved to be more integral to the overall design.



I dove into research on the different KLM house designs and traditional Delft tiles. The final design combined the patterns and classic Dutch gables with offset, stone-textured cubes for a contemporary yet elegant look.



Key design elements really brought this theme to life, and I loved every minute of creating them. I handmade and painted three traditional Delft tiles for the base to add some authentic Dutch imagery. The fourth tile at the back of the cake was stamped with Eric and Rebecca's names and their wedding date to emulate the identifying stamps on the back of each mini house. 


To create the architectural details, I used an embossing mat in some areas to pick out the notion of bricks without being ‘novelty or cartoony’ and used a mould to create the roof tiles. The brick edging, windows and decorative details were all cut by hand from sugarpaste using my trusty scalpel. 

The plain sides to each layer were given a subtle, rough stone texture using a cocoa butter technique. 

I highlighted the top two tiers with tiny little lights set behind the Dutch gables on the second tier—this was great for emphasizing all the subtle sugar textures. I also incorporated the couple's elegant ER monogram from their wedding stationery into the main house-inspired tier.

Tiered wedding cake styled as Dutch buildings with blue windmill design, adorned with orange tulips. Brick wall and tree in background.

To finish it off with a real pop of colour, I made a pair of vibrant wafer paper tulips in Netherlands orange. 



Eric was very insistent that the cake be displayed as a piece of art, and who am I to disagree! 

The cake was dramatically displayed on a draped plinth with an uplight to truly highlight all the shapes and textural details, which led to my favorite part: hearing a few gasps from other wedding suppliers and the words, "Oh my god, is that a cake!?"


A couple smiles while cutting a Dutch-themed wedding cake with orange tulips, set against a brick wall. The bride wears a white dress.

Of course, a stunning cake has to taste incredible too! Eric and Rebecca chose a magnificent selection of flavours. After trying lots of my cakes in a can, they picked two of my personal favourites, Cherry Bakewell and Coffee & Amaretto, along with a couple of crowd-pleasers: Zesty Lemon and Classic Victoria.



"Wedding cake tasting and I cannot put into words how yummy these cakes from @edge_by_imogen_davison were!" - Rebecca


To ensure there were enough generous portions for all their guests, plus extra to share the next day, I also made a couple of 'kitchen cakes'—a perfect solution for any large or multi day wedding.



I love a good cake cutting pic and these were all so fun with the best expressions on their faces, I had to include them all :)


I love it when a couple gives me access to their full gallery of wedding photos, I get to see what their day was like for them and their guests. Plus I love to see all the little details we've spoken about during the planning, come to life. So to celebrate that, here are lots of gorgeous photos from October James Photography:



Client Love: A Creative Genius


Receiving feedback like this from my clients is the best reward:


“Our wedding cake was nothing short of incredible, and Imogen is an absolute creative genius. From the very start, the choice of flavours was amazing, it was genuinely hard to choose because every option was delicious. Our guests are still talking about how good the cake tasted!


What really made it special, though, was how perfectly personalised it was.


We wanted a Dutch theme woven into the design, and Imogen completely nailed it. She created an extravagant cake inspired by traditional Dutch houses, with so much character and detail, yet it still felt elegant rather than over the top. It was utterly unique and felt completely us.


Imogen’s creativity, attention to detail, and passion truly shine through in her work. She turned our ideas into something even better than we could have imagined, and the end result was both stunning and unforgettable.


If you’re looking for a wedding cake that looks incredible, tastes amazing, and feels totally personal, Imogen is the one. I honestly couldn’t recommend her highly enough." - Rebecca


So as the beautiful bride said, if you’re looking for a bespoke wedding cake that is truly unique to you, I would love to hear from you. Give me your random inspiration—it’s always my favourite starting point!

A couple cuts a tiered dutch themed wedding cake painted with delft blue designs and orange tulips.

The Dream Team: Vendor Spotlight


This beautiful wedding took place in the Great Barn at Manor Mews. It was a true collaboration of talented suppliers:

The bridesmaids were all in a beautiful pastel blue, which perfectly complemented the preserved hydrangeas and delphiniums in the floral arrangements—a perfect colour companion to the Delft-inspired cake! 

 
 
 

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