Sugarcoated by Lisa

22/10/2026

Who says I only make pretty pink cakes? 🖤💀

Sometimes I like to take a walk on the dark side! 😂

Last night I was doing a live Halloween cake tutorial with my Cake School members, and I couldn’t decide between two designs. So I did what any indecisive cake maker would do. I put one on each side of the cake! 😂

But it got me thinking…

One of the things I’ve always loved about cake decorating is the endless opportunity to learn, experiment and try something completely different.

I’m definitely not a one-trick pony, and I think that’s actually stood to me over the years.

Running a cake business in a small rural village in Ireland, I’ve never really bought into the idea that we all need to niche down and specialise in just one thing.

I love making pretty cakes. I love making fun cakes. I love the weird and wonderful ones too. And I love learning new techniques, even after all these years.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with finding your niche, but I don’t believe it’s the only way to build a successful cake business.

For me, being versatile, staying curious and being willing to give something new a go has opened far more doors than sticking to one style ever could.

And sure, where would the fun be in making the same thing all the time? 🤷‍♀️

So here’s my two faced Halloween cake! 🖤

And to my fellow cake makers, are you a specialist or, like me, do you love having a go at a bit of everything?

21/10/2026

Halloween meringues Recipe at the end just screenshot

20/10/2026

Every step I’ve taken in this business, I didn’t think I could take.

Not one of them felt safe. The fear is real and it’s there for a reason. It wants to protect you, keep you where you are, keep things familiar.

But doing the thing anyway is what gives you the strength for the next thing. And the next one is still scary. It doesn’t get easier, you just get braver.

At some point you have to decide. Is it worth it? Do you stay where you are, or do you take your future and your decisions back out of somebody else’s hands?

Sometimes it takes hitting the floor first. The biggest decision I ever made, I thought I’d never come back from.

I did.

19/10/2026

16/10/2026

Great cakes don’t happen by accident. Before a single bit of decoration goes on, you’ve baked the right cake for the job, levelled it, filled it, stacked it and ganached it. Master those and you’ll save yourself so much heartache later on.

So when you see a finished cake here looking perfect, remember this stage happened first. Every cake maker gets there the same way, by mastering the unglamorous bits before the pretty ones.

14/10/2026

🎃 YOU MISSED OUT? WELL, HERE’S YOUR SECOND CHANCE! 🎃

Our Halloween Baking Buddies morning workshop is FULLY BOOKED! 👻

But I’ve had so many enquiries that I’ve decided to add a SECOND WORKSHOP on the same day! 🧡

📅 Sunday, 25th October
⏰ NEW TIME: 3pm to 5pm
📍 Sugarcoated by Lisa, Ardfinnan

And we’re going to have LOADS of spooky fun! 🎃

🍪 We’ll be baking GIANT 8-inch cookies. And when I say giant, I mean GIANT!

🎂 We’ll also be decorating our very own Halloween chocolate biscuit cakes, with lots of spooky creativity!

👩‍👧‍👦 One adult and up to two children can join in the fun.

It’s all about spending time together, getting creative, making memories and, of course, taking home lots of delicious treats!

Our first session filled up, so don’t hang around if you’d like to join us!

🎟️ BOOK NOW to secure your places!

I can’t wait for another afternoon of Halloween fun with you all! 🧡🎃

10/10/2026

I have a customer for life! 🥹

She’s not even here yet, and I’ve already made my first cake in her honour!

Today was a very special day as we celebrated my daughter’s baby shower and the little granddaughter we just can’t wait to meet.

A huge thank you to her amazing friends who organised everything and made the day so special. You really did her proud, girls. The love, thought and effort that went into every little detail was just beautiful.

I’ve made cakes for so many special occasions over the years, but this one was a little different. This one was for a little girl I haven’t even met yet, but already love so much.

We can’t wait to meet you, little lady. You’re already so loved. 🩷

08/10/2026

I was delighted to be able to squeeze this one in a few weeks back for THREE newly turned 18-year-olds! 🥳🎂

And what better way to celebrate than with a chocolate overload cake! 🍫

I may have eaten a ridiculous amount of chocolate while making this one, which is funny because I’m not even really a chocolate girl! 😂

But I do LOVE making these cakes. There’s just something about them that screams CELEBRATION! 🎉

And yes, I know chocolate drips might be considered a little dated these days, but come on, they’re still gorgeous! 😍

Some cakes just never go out of style, and I reckon the chocolate overload cake is one of them!

What do you think? Are we still loving a good chocolate drip cake? 🍫👇

07/10/2026

How many things do we do in the kitchen simply because… that’s the way we’ve always done them? 🤔

I’ve lined my cake tins for as long as I can remember. I’m completely self-taught, so I honestly couldn’t tell you where I picked it up. Maybe it was from a book, maybe someone told me, or maybe something actually sank in during Home Ec while I was busy chatting! 😂

But it got me thinking…

We all have our little ways of doing things. The tools we automatically reach for. The methods we were taught. The shortcuts we’ve developed. The things we do without ever really questioning why.

And sometimes they work brilliantly.

But sometimes it’s worth asking… is there a better way?

I think that’s one of the best things about baking. You never really stop learning. There’s always another method, another idea or someone doing the exact same job completely differently.

So now I’m curious 👀

Do you line your cake tins like I do, or have I been single-handedly keeping the parchment paper industry going all these years? 😂

Tell me how you do yours below. And if you have a better way, I genuinely want to hear it! 👇