The SL Directory: Where To Have A Cake Made

Long considered the A-list and fashion crowds’ go-to baker for one-of-a-kind masterpieces, Lily Jones is a self-taught baker known for her innovative cake designs, with clients including Elton John, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Alexander McQueen, Kate Moss and Shrimps. In addition to her vintage-inspired celebration bakes, Lily and her team create unique wedding cakes adorned with pearls, flowers and foliage. Put in a bespoke order to watch your vision come to life or take inspiration from her Instagram where previous flavours include banana sponge with salted caramel, soft vanilla sponge with mixed berries, and salted caramel with chocolate ganache. Cakes can be collected from her Columbia Road shop or delivered to London postcodes.

Visit LilyVanilli.com

Vaani Wadman, the owner and founder of Sugar Plum Bakes, uses nature to inspire her cakes. Each one is iced with buttercream and features seasonal foliage, flowers and unique decorations. Based in Kingston, the team can deliver to selected postcodes in Surrey and London, but it’s a small team, so the sooner you enquire, the better. Customers can choose from vanilla and raspberry sponge filled with white chocolate ganache, chai latte bakes and vegan chocolate cakes, to name a few.

Visit SugarPlumBakes.com

Rosalind Miller is the London-based studio making some of the most beautiful cakes in the capital. Supplying bakes to big-name brands like Harrods, Rosalind and the team use seasonal ingredients to create fresh and innovative flavours. There’s an extensive selection to browse through online, although the team also make bespoke cakes if you have a specific design in mind. Cakes can be decorated with fresh flowers and finished with luxury touches like gold leaf. The ‘Buttercream Collection’ includes semi-naked designs and cakes filled with delicious macarons. 

Visit RosalindMillerCakes.com

If you’re planning a luxe gathering, Elizabeth Solaru is the cake designer to know. Her award-winning bakery has been designing bespoke wedding cakes for over ten years, so it’s safe to say she knows what she’s doing. The team have made creations for some of the best hotels around the UK – including The Dorchester, The Savoy, The Corinthia and The Landmark. There are more than 20 flavours to choose from, whether you want a classic vanilla sponge or a decadent tiramisu cake. As well as her impressive, tiered designs, the team also create bespoke dessert tables, cupcakes and biscuits – so there’s something for every occasion and taste.

Visit ElizabethsCakeEmporium.com

Best known for her cult, colourful California cakes and for baking the wedding cake of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Claire Ptak is the founder of Violet Cakes in east London. Prior to moving to London in 2005, Claire worked as a pastry chef for Alice Waters at her world-famous restaurant Chez Panisse. In London, she started her business as a market stall on Broadway Market, cooking from home before opening the café in 2010. At Violet, each cake is baked using organic and low-intervention ingredients, and decorated in line with the seasons, meaning the menu changes often to ensure the cakes always taste as good as they look. We’d go for the signature Violet Chocolate Cake – three layers of chocolate devil’s food cake filled and fully iced with a pale purple buttercream scented with French violets and decorated with a dusting of cocoa powder and crystallised violet petals.

Visit VioletCakes.com

Dee's Basement is a confectionery studio founded by Dee Omole in 2017, when Dee was in her final year of university. Having trained at some of London's top establishments – such as Konditor, Lola's Cupcakes and Primrose Bakery – Dee aspires to become one of the best confectionery artists in the business. A lockdown-enforced pivot led Dee to launch the hand-painted chocolate-covered madeleines that have become her popular signature product. Ready-to-order cakes are available to purchase online – choose from colourful traybakes, boxes of ‘mystery cookies’, chocolate-coloured madeleines, three-tier celebration cakes and more.

Visit DeesBasement.com

April’s Baker was set up by Roxy Mankoo, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, and has worked at notable bakeries in London and New York including Lily Vanilli and Ron Ben-Israel Cakes. Launched in 2019, April’s Baker creates cakes that capture a glimmer of fantasy and vintage elegance. Each bake is inspired by the dreamy landscapes of Wes Anderson, the pastel palettes of Miu Miu and the artistic decorations of Scott Hove. Flavours we love the sound of include soft almond sponge with sour cherry filling and fluffy vanilla buttercream, and classic soft vanilla sponge filled with fresh raspberries and matcha buttercream.

Visit AprilsBaker.com

Independent Hackney-based bakery The Proof delivers fresh puddings and cakes to London doorsteps. Founded by former music journalist and self-taught baker Francesca Strange, the bakery sells everything from desserts to celebration cakes and assemble-at-home ‘Proofiteroles’, which arrive with an array of toppings and require just enough assembly to convince people that you baked them from scratch. Celebration cakes start from £40 for a chocolate cake, although we love the look of her eye-catching shag-pile creations. 

Visit The-Proof.com

Born during lockdown, Clementine’s Cakes combines art and baking to create memorable celebration cakes. Each bake is different in its design and baked in Clementine Haxby’s home kitchen. We love the look of one of her recent bakes, which was covered in dried fruit and edible flowers, plus her flavour combinations, which include lime and coconut cake with homemade lime curd, buttercream and toasted coconut; tahini, lemon and white chocolate cake with fresh raspberries; and pumpkin and chai-spiced sponge cake with pumpkin purée and cinnamon mascarpone.

Visit ClementinesKitchen.com