TEST tubes and conical flasks sparked Sarah Bates’s love of baking. Studying chemistry at university, she loved “fiddling around” with chemical ingredients.

“I haven’t got a background in cooking – I like creating and constructing, which harks back to chemistry,” she says, as she puts the finishing touches to an intricately-iced cake in her studio on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.

“I like the fact that you start with certain ingredients and mix them together, then they react, and you end up with something completely different. It is the same for baking as it is in chemistry.”

Her passion for her art shines through, as she demonstrates her skills.

“There is a bit of constructing and a bit of engineering – it is amazing what you can do with sugar.”

Sarah runs The Icing Workshop, which aims to teach people the art of cake decorating while they have fun, relax, chat and have a cuppa. Whether a complete beginner or an amateur baker looking to brush up skills, the mother-of-four offers people the chance to choose and decorate a locally-baked cake which can be taken home in a box to present to your family and friends.

“It does require skill, but there is a lot you can do in a simple way if you have the right tools,” said Sarah.

“It is quite a big investment to buy all the different cutters and things, so I thought if I provide the studio and equipment, and offer cups of coffee and tea, it would be an opportunity for people to learn.

“It is rather like a pottery cafe, but decorating a cake rather than a plate.”

It is a far cry from Sarah’s earlier career. After studying chemistry at Warwick University, she worked for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), buying chemicals, before working for the paint manufacturer Dulux.

But, with four children under eight she looked for an opportunity to work flexibly, ideally from home.

She attended a cake decorating course at Leeds City College and turned her hobby into a business, Sarah Bates Cakes, making celebration cakes.

A charity bike ride sparked the idea for the decorating workshop. She was looking for ways to raise funds for the Barnardo’s trip from Harrogate to Edinburgh.

“I thought my friends might enjoy having a go at decorating a cake over coffee and Danish pastries, and make a donation in payment,” she said.

“I was delighted by the positive response. People were trilled by what they had achieved in a short time, while their families were amazed by the cakes they took home, and the personal thought that had gone into them.”

This gave Sarah, who is based close to the family farm in Farnley near Otley, the idea for an informal cake decorating studio.

She added: “The current trend and interest in cake baking and decorating, promoted by TV shows such as Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss, together with the revival of traditional crafts, further prompted me to explore ways of making cake decorating accessible to everyone.”

After being told how to roll out the paste and cover the cake, people are let loose to choose how they want it to look.

Sarah said: “They have cubes of multi-coloured icing and they cut out shapes. They can use edible glitter and special pens. If you don’t like it, you can squish it up and start again – or eat it.”

Both adults and children are having a go and Sarah has also catered for corporate bonding events and hen parties.

For more details, contact sarah@theicingworkshop.co.uk or call 07779 763216.