At 86, honour roll is a piece of cake for sugar artist

Leading sugar artist Marian Jones has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

If King Charles ever needed a birthday cake, Marian Jones would be the person to decorate it.

The 86-year-old, who received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division in the King's Birthday Honours for services to decorative food arts, began learning the fine art of cake decorating at the age of 11.

"I can't believe it. I've worked all my life for cake decorating and sugar art, to get a medal for it is amazing," she told AAP from her home in Sydney's south.

Jones has authored five books on the subject, taught generations of cake artists, judged countless cake competitions, and even founded a cake and sugar art museum.

First published in the 1980s, Australian Sugar Artistry is considered a classic reference guide. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

She also organised the Australian Women's Weekly bicentenary cake competition in 1988 - and won a medal.

In her heyday, Jones would decorate two cakes per week, each several tiers, using modelling paste to make cascades of finely sculpted flowers.

These creations helped make special occasions memorable, marking birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and other milestones.

"That's what it's all about. That's why you do the cakes, because they're part of a celebration," she said.

After a lifetime in the business, Jones retired in 2025 when her hands became too shaky for sugar modelling.

She feels the standard of Australian cake decorating has declined in recent times, partly due to decreased involvement in community events such as fairs and royal shows.

"Australia used to be the tops in cake decorating - nobody overseas could touch us because our work was so beautiful," she said.

"But it's died off because of the age of our members, and because people haven't got the time to spend any more."

Despite her age, Jones only retired from sugar modelling last year. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

For anyone who thinks cake decorating means a rushed attempt at a Women's Weekly-style birthday cake design, Jones shows there's a great deal more to the art of sugar sculpting.

And despite the popularity of buttercream cakes, Jones is no fan of this widely used home-style frosting.

"I'll be honest about it, I do not like buttercream. It's quick and easy and it looks effective, but it's not nice to eat," she said.