Deliciously Beautiful Cakes
“My family would say I was born to bake as my love of baking and food style started very young, I spent most of the summer holidays in the kitchen creating birthday cakes for anyone in need, it’s definitely my happy place. After working in advertising production for many years I decided to return to what I always loved, creating cakes. In the beginning it also meant I could be around more for my boys and work from home as they were very little when I divorced. I studied baking, cake design and food styling at Leith’s Food & Wine. The beginning wasn’t easy and I was lucky enough to have amazing support from my local friends (forever love to Malorees’ Mums) who were my first clients. After a lot of graft, late nights with painfully early starts and 1000’s of taste testing’s it is truly wonderful to see it coming together and growing into a business I cherish.”
Laura believes that what sets Deliciously Beautiful Cakes apart is that she uses consciously selected, wholesome, exceptional quality ingredients. Most importantly she only ever uses un-refined natural cane sugar resulting in a taste that is naturally deliciously sweet and creates a depth that can’t be achieved otherwise, not to mention that it’s also much better for you! She incorporates superfood powders maca, baobab, cacao and matcha (why not give a treat a super health boost!) and bakes with organic butter and eggs as the platform they provide is exceptional. Patisserie meringue buttercream is elegantly light, it also uses much less sugar than traditional buttercream. The un-refined natural cane sugar is gently melted and whipped into a meringue first to create lightness. She then slowly adds organic butter and further flavours with a variety of different natural extracts – fruit purees, curds, chocolates and caramels.
“My aim is to create Deliciously Beautiful Cakes with explosions of flavour and colour that deliver with as much emphasis on taste and health as creative flair.”
Quick fire question round !
Earliest cake memory : Pushing pink homemade made play dough into cake tins with my mum sitting on the kitchen floor, I spent hours doing it. Baking chocolate brownies for my grandpa – he loved them.
If your passion wasn’t cakes what else would you be doing : Building a support structure and network for single parent families, something I still want to achieve. Affecting change, particularly when it comes to working hours and being able to work from home which in my experience is life changing for a single parent.
Best cake making experience : Fork to Fork Festival – it was very early days, I stayed up all night baking cupcakes and I was blown away by the response from customers, we sold out before anyone else and felt I was giving something back to the Queen’s Park & Kensal community that has always supported me, which felt really good. I had to make the perfect cupcake for a TV commmerical shoot, it was the campaign logo and it took 10 long days and nights, I was in obsessive perfectionist heaven.
Your dream cake : Toooo hard a question…I think chocolate but the perfect one…made with fresh chocolate, coconut and vanilla… anything created by Will Goldfarb (Room for Dessert in Bali).
Favourite time of day to eat cake : Cheeky teatime with fizz and breakfast in this house!
Tea & cake or bubbles & cake : DEFINITELY Bubbles! Lifelong family tradition & perfect match to my cakes, I think I always make them with that in mind…
Favourite way to spend the day in our hood : Kensal Cemetery for a walk, its very peaceful. Self care at Swankys, food shopping at Queen’s Park Farmers’ Market & Salusbury Wine Shop then Sunday lunch at home with purchased goodies, my boys, friends & family. Dinner at Ida followed by dancing in my friends’ kitchens.
Book you’re currently reading : I’m late to the party I know but ‘Late in the Day’ by Tessa Hadley is brilliant, current food read is ‘Room for Dessert’ by Will Goldfarb and always anything by dear Nigel Slater, my permanent kitchen reading companion.
Who would you like to share a cake with dead or alive : Frida Kahlo & all my family
Best thing to have come out of being in lockdown : I’ve been lucky, head space and some soul healing. I hope a planet that thinks more in terms of we not me.
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