Life-sized cakes of William, Catherine and Alison Hammond to star at Cake International

Life-sized cakes of the Prince and Princess of Wales and Birmingham's own Alison Hammond will be among thousands of creations on show when Cake International returns to the NEC this week.

Organisers describe the event, which opens on Friday, as the world's biggest cake decorating and baking show. Founded in 1994, it draws cake artists, bakers and chocolatiers from around the globe and is expected to welcome about 25,000 visitors over three days.

A royal balcony in sugar

The centrepiece is the work of award-winning cake artist Emma Jayne, from Aberdare in south Wales, the show's artist-in-residence. Three months of work, 60kg of sugar paste and 20kg of modelling chocolate have gone into the edible royal couple, who will stand on a replica Buckingham Palace balcony.

"It is an absolute joy to recreate life-size figures," she told the BBC.

The bodies were carved from marshmallow and rice pops before being covered in sugar paste, with countless hours spent on faces, clothing and finishing touches. The summer heat made the job harder. "I should have started their heads in August, but because we had that very hot weather and I'm sculpting with modelling chocolate, it was impossible," she said.

Her past showstoppers at the NEC have included life-sized cakes of Michael Jackson, King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth I. This year's subjects brought added pressure. "Everyone loves William and Catherine," she said. "I wanted to do justice to Kate because she's just a beautiful person inside and out."

Visitors will be able to pose for photos on the balcony, although the centrepiece is not for eating. "What these feature shows is what you can achieve with the medium of sugar and modelling chocolate," she said.

A Brummie welcome

A life-sized cake of the presenter Alison Hammond, created by Zoe Hopkinson, will greet visitors at the entrance. "We are proud to bring a true Brummie icon to the show," the organisers said.

A feast you would not want to eat

Solihull-based cake artist Diya Pal, known online for her hyper-realistic bakes, is taking a very different approach: an immersive, pirate queen-themed banquet designed to look rotten.

"I'm making an entire dinner table of food that looks disgusting, mouldy and rotten," she said. "I'm just losing my head researching what food looks like when it decays, how the meat changes colour, how mould grows on bread, how to recreate that furry texture or that horrible slime you see inside a pork pie."

Pal first exhibited at the show eight years ago and won gold for a Diwali feast platter inspired by her Calcutta roots. "When I got a gold at Cake International for it, I think it just gave a pride like no other," she said. She has since worked with major brands, and once had to explain to airport security that a set of realistic shampoo bottles in her luggage were made of cake.

What to expect

The show's competition is regarded as one of the most prestigious in cake decorating, with entrants from around the world across dozens of categories. Alongside the competition, visitors can expect life-sized installations, live demonstrations and baking challenges.

For Birmingham, it is another big weekend at the NEC, bringing thousands of visitors to the city as the festive season begins.