Bakes to remember
Got a special occasion coming up? Nothing says celebration like a show-stopping cake. Read on for the C&TH pick of the best cake makers in London, offering tiered cakes, Japanese-inspired cakes, royally-approved cakes, gluten-free cakes and more.
Best Bakeries in London / How To Celebrate a Birthday in Lockdown
Best Cake Makers in London
Cutter & Squidge
This North London bakery describes itself as ‘a bit health conscious’: cakes contain low fat and sugar, but enough to ensure they taste delicious. Cutter & Squidge cakes make the perfect centrepiece for a big celebration too: the Macron Drip Cake, for instance, is a layered creation decorated with macarons, topped with chocolate shards and finished with 24 carat gold. Vegan cakes are also available, and everything can be personalised. cutterandsquidge.com
Violet Cakes
In 2018, baker Claire Ptak got her big break when she was asked to create the wedding cake for Harry and Meghan. This put her organic Hackney bakery, Violet Cakes, firmly on the map. All cakes are baked with organic and low intervention ingredients, with limited edition buttercream icings that change with the seasons. For chocolate lovers, you can’t go wrong with the Chocolate Bubble Cake, chocolate sponge piped with fresh marshmallow bubbles and topped with seasonal fruit. Alternatively, make like the royals and opt for the lemon and elderflower number: three layers of vanilla sponge filled with a tart lemon curd. violetcakes.com
Image: Instagram
Luminary Bakery
Not only does Luminary Bakery make some of the finest cakes in town, it’s all for a good cause. The social enterprise aims to offer opportunities for disadvantaged women, using baking as a tool to take women on a journey to employability, equipping them with transferrable skills for the working world. Its celebration cakes are beautifully designed, with flavours including almond, cherry and chocolate; lemon and blueberry; and sticky toffee. Gluten-free and vegan offerings are also available. luminarybakery.com
Image: Instagram
Lily Vanilli
Sitting just off Columbia Road, Lily Vanilli has been reeling in the queues since it opened back in 2010. Its eponymous founder, Lily, uses seasonal, organic produce to create some of the most picture-perfect cakes we’ve ever seen. Flavours include chocolate pretzel, strawberry ripple and a particularly impressive tiered creation titled the Accidentally Wes Anderson Cake, inspired by the director’s aesthetically pleasing films. lilyvanilli.com
Pearl and Groove Bakery
For Pearl and Groove founder Serena Whitefield, cake is much more than just a sweet treat: it’s a symbol of love, friendship and celebration. The bakery is 100 per cent gluten free, using mainly ground almonds as a substitute – but this certainly doesn’t compromise flavour; everything is perfectly moist and light. Bright and beautiful cakes include a yellow lemon and elderflower number, a beautiful carrot cake topped with flowers, and a colourful drip cake topped with macarons. pearlandgroove.com
Konditor
Gerhard Jenne developed a taste for the sweet stuff growing up in Freiburg, Germany, inspired by his mother’s baking. He trained as a pastry chef – or konditor – in Munich, before heading to London, where he made a name for himself creating cakes for the rich and famous – Tina Turner and the Rolling Stones were among his clientele. In 1993, Jenne set up his own bakery in Waterloo: Konditor & Cook, which went on to become one of London’s best cake makers. Now the name has changed to just Konditor, with branches dotted around the city. Cake highlights include the ‘Curly Whirly Cake’, featuring rich dark chocolate sponge and sweet vanilla frosting, as well as a carrot and pistachio combination. konditor.co.uk
Image: Instagram
Kova
Not familiar with the wonders of Japanese patisserie? Kova will prove a tasty introduction. Specialising in handmade sweet treats with a Japanese twist, you will no doubt have seen their colourful Mille Crepe cakes on Instagram and salivated at the multiple layers of French crepe with a light custard filling in between. kovapatisserie.com
Peggy Porschen
With its picture-perfect pink flower façade, this might just be the prettiest bakery in London. Elton John, Madonna and Kate Moss are all fans, and for good reason. On its website Peggy Porschen describes its cakes as ‘edible works of art’ – which is true, but more importantly they taste delicious. As well as its famous cupcakes, you can order bigger party cakes which are almost too pretty to eat…almost. peggyporschen.com
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