Five steps to make your own church out of cake, complete with windows and lights

Retired florist Lynn Nolan of Youlgrave in Derbyshire spent six months making her village from a series of cakes. She told Country Life how it was done.

Step 1: The Baking

When making her village, Lynn was able to spread the burden of cooking out: she made up batches of cake mix then handed them out to her fellow villagers to bake. "They all put them in the oven when they did their Sunday roasts," she explains.

Step 2: The marzipan

With the cake baked, it had to be cut to shape, and was then covered in marzipan.

Step 3: The wiring

Notice the little lights in the windows of the finished article? They were put there with the help of a man named David Thompson, who supplied Lynn with electrical wire an miniature bulbs. They were inserted into through cake by carving out bits of the marzipan. "It's a bit like doing your wiring by tunnelling through the plaster," Lynn explains.

Step 4: The construction

With the basic church built, Lynn then created the icing and started putting the rest of the church together. The little windows are made from sheet gelatin.

Step 5: The finishing touches

With the church complete, Lynn then added the surrounding areas: pathways, grass and even gravestones.

And there you have it! A fantastic effort, as you can see by comparison to the real church below.

Oh yes – one last thing. If you have a go at this yourself, be sure to send pictures of your efforts to us at Country Life!