For the third year in a row, head decorator at Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses Maria Cerra has been crowned queen of cakes.

Maria won the Best Decorated Novelty Cake at the 2016 Victorian Baking Show after spending 48 hours handcrafting realistic fruit and SPC tins.

The idea was chosen to celebrate the hard work that goes into picking, sorting and distributing local, fresh produce.

Ferguson Plarre was inspired to use SPC fruit as they are synonymous with the Shepparton region. I wanted each tin to be unique and so life-like that they could easily be mistaken for the real thing,” she said.

The award has a different theme each year, with this years’ theme focusing on the Shepparton fruit belt region. Cerra creatively interpreted this theme, producing an edible tree stump adorned with native floral decorations and miniature fruits.