Incredible 130kg lifelike Prince and Princess of Wales cakes on show in Birmingham

Crowds have been flocking to Birmingham’s NEC this weekend to catch a glimpse of the remarkable life-size cake sculptures of Prince William and Princess Kate on display at the Cake International show – and many visitors are left rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

Created by Emma Jayne Morris, a 56-year-old cake artist from Aberdare, South Wales, the edible royals stand at the actual heights of the couple – William at 6ft 2in and Kate at 5ft 9in.

The NEC event, a favourite among West Midlands baking fans and families, continues to attract thousands of visitors every year.

The enormous creations weigh over 130kg in total and consist largely of modelling chocolate, sugar paste, Rice Krispies, and marshmallows. Ms Morris dedicated three months to the project, often working up to 18 hours a day to perfect the sculptures before the show opened.

Speaking about her creations, the mum-of-three said: "All the outside is modelling chocolate and sugar paste, the heads are sculpted from modelling chocolate and the inside is Rice Krispies and marshmallow.

"We use that to minimise food waste. We spent three months on them, William is 6ft 2ins and Kate is 5ft 9ins. I'm 5ft 2ins and I needed a stepping stool to finish William's head, he was just so tall.

“I would start at 7am in the morning, and then I would spend until 1am or 2am most days trying to finish them before the show. The night before we came I didn't get any sleep to make sure they were both perfect before the display."

The mammoth task even saw her clear supermarket shelves of ingredients.

Emma said: "For the structure, I basically bought Tesco's and Asda out of their Rice Krispies and marshmallows making this, I wouldn't know how much I've bought."

The build begins with the eyes before the rest of the face is sculpted around them using modelling chocolate.

More than 500g of royal icing was used for intricate finishing touches, including details on Kate's dress and sleeves, while Swarovski crystals were added to recreate her earrings, tiara and engagement ring.

Emma said: "You’ve got a threaded rod through the middle of it that you coat and then you build the structure around that. It must weigh around 130kg, probably more than that with all the bits and bobs.

"So I started with the eyes, that's the first starting point. I then start doing the structure of the head and use the modelling chocolate. Both heads are made, once they're made we build the structure of the bodies."

She admitted recreating the Princess of Wales was the toughest challenge.

Emma said: "I will say Kate is the hardest, the likeness and the features were hard. Getting the resemblance of this high profile couple was very difficult. She's very beautiful and to get her warmth was hard - she's so lovely.

"Also getting William's uniform correct, with the Order of the Garter, that was very labour intensive. I spent the last three days working on all the details on him."

The baker, who previously created cake versions of Tutankhamun and King Charles for the annual show, said the display recreates the moment William and Kate appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Charles' coronation.

She added: "This is William and Kate at Charles' coronation on the Buckingham Palace balcony, so the visitors can take pictures with them. It all ties together well."