Baking, Believing and Bad Refereeing

At The Cakehouse we believe in everything we do – we believe in using natural ingredients, we believe in using local produce where possible and we believe that cakes are little luxuries which everyone should enjoy, which is why we are developing a range of gluten free and diabetic cakes.

And last week we believed Wales would make it through to the Rugby World Cup final. So to celebrate the team’s hard work and drive we baked a range of sporting sweet treats for our weekly cupcake stall at Deli-a-gogo. We had Gatland’s Great Vanilla Cake, Hook’s Nutty Feast and Bennett’s Banana Boom all topped with a little Welsh Flag.

As we watched the game before heading to the stall we were full of anticipation. Then, just 18 minutes in, Warburton was handed that red card and we joined in the Nation’s gasp of disbelief. But as we sat there feeling numb, the team fought on, and when the final whistle blew they had lost by just a point. Feelings of anger turned to pride - despite being a man down for more than an hour they had given the French a run for their money and nearly won.

So on Friday morning we’ll be up again to watch Wales in their 3^rd and 4^th place play offs. We’ll be eating Welsh Waffles and singing Bread of Heaven, hoping they can right the wrongs of last week’s game. But even if they lose they’ve already done the country proud, so there’ll always be a cake with their name on it at The Cakehouse.

The Big Apple Pie

A slice of pumpkin pie, a corner of carrot cake and bite of brownie, followed by cupcakes, more cupcakes and mini cupcakes too!

The list may sound like a cake lover’s dream, but that was the reality for Mariclare, our Marketing Director, last week when she arrived in New York on a fact finding mission for The Cakehouse.

The city is the spiritual home of the cupcake, with stores like Magnolia Bakery and City Bakery receiving world-wide recognition after featuring in episodes of Sex and the City, so it was the obvious place to go for some market research.

And even though Mariclare doesn’t walk in Carrie Bradshaw’s shoes (she wishes she owned a pair of Manolo Blahniks though!) she did follow her footsteps to the hottest cake places around.

At Lulu’s bakery in Chelsea she enjoyed a melt in the mouth dulce de leche cupcake sprinkled with lightly baked flaked almonds. She sampled the 100 calorie cupcakes at Melissa’s, before enjoying the delicious displays of cupcakes at Crumbs. Then, at Cafe M in Midtown, it was time for a steaming cup of earl grey and a chocolate macaroon, the latest craze to the hit Manhatten.    

As you’d expect with so many cupcakeries and bakeries in New York,  the flavours, decorations and quality of ingredients varied, but one thing remained constant wherever she went - people’s enthusiasm for beautifully presented baked goods.

And that’s why we’re so excited about opening The Cakehouse in Cardiff, so that all of us here can enjoy a slice of that Big Apple pie, without travelling half way across the world to get it.