Frequently Asked Questions

It is a good idea to put your date in our diary as soon as possible, especially if you are considering an unusual design. The final design can then be chosen at your leisure once your flowers have been finalised, as they often have a bearing on the design of your cake.

Ideally a minimum of 3 weeks’ notice for celebration cakes and 8 weeks’ notice for a wedding cake is requested. We will always try to accommodate cakes with less notice, but it may not always be possible. Early booking is advisable, especially if your event is during peak wedding season, as we take orders up to 18 months in advance.

Ensuring the design of your cake suits your specific occasion is one of the most important processes of all. Everyone has their own ideas, whether you have a book full of cuttings, or would like a design to match the wedding dress, invitations or colour scheme; we are here to help turn those ideas into your special cake.

No-obligation consultations take place at my home. Consultations are by appointment; please contact us if you would like to make one.

First consider the look you want to achieve, whether traditional, quirky, elegant, or a show-stopping centre piece. Once you have chosen how it should look, consider what flavour or flavours you would like the cake to be. We can discuss practicalities that may affect your choice, and ways to overcome them.

Our favourite flavours are, in no particular order:

• Rich fruit cake, a moist cake laced with brandy
• Vanilla sponge layered with raspberry jam and vanilla butter cream
• Lemon sponge layered with luxurious lemon curd and zingy lemon butter cream
• Chocolate sponge layered with Belgian chocolate butter cream
• Coconut sponge with raspberry jam and vanilla butter cream

You are not restricted to these flavours, if you have a particular favourite or have an idea, that is not listed, we can talk about it during the consultation.

Absolutely, as the icing hides what is inside, so the tiers will still look the same. You may find that a number of guests will want to try each of the flavours, so we would advise against more than two options. Each tier is supported on dowels, so there is no risk of a heavy fruit top tier sinking into your light sponge bottom tier.

Most wedding cakes are on display for several hours in a warm room and this is not a safe environment for cream. By all means serve cream with the cake; chocolate cake, for example, served with bowls of fresh fruit and jugs of fresh cream make a wonderful dessert.

Our advice is to choose the number of tiers that will look good and fit within your budget. This chart gives a rough idea of portions for both sponge and fruit cakes, remembering it is usual to cut slightly larger slices for desert portions and that fruit cake can be cut smaller than sponge.

Shapes such as ovals and hearts will give roughly the same number of portions as a round cake of the same size. Bear in mind that square cakes are easier to cut into rows of neat and tidy portions than round cakes!

Please contact us if you have any special dietary requirements. Cakes can be made for most food allergies but there can be a compromise on quality. We do accommodate “ethical” cakes, where the ingredients are vegetarian, organic or Fair Trade.

Yes please, a nonrefundable deposit of £50 is required for wedding cakes which will confirm your day. The balance for the wedding cake is then required 3 weeks prior to your Big Day. We do not ask for a deposit for other celebration cakes, but request cash payment on collection please.

For Wiltshire based weddings, we will deliver your wedding cake to the wedding venue on the day of your ceremony and set it up with all necessary dowels, pillars and flowers. Other celebration cakes are usually collected on a prearranged date. Individual or miniature cakes can be arranged on a display as discussed during the consultation.