Bon Bon Bride
- Sep 29, 2020
- 3 min read

C is for Cake...

So who doesn't like a slice of the good stuff?

Recently, Rebecca, one of our Bon Bon founders worked on a styled shoot with a team of amazing suppliers. Rebecca was blown away with the cakes on the shoot. So we decided to get in touch with Suzanne from ' The Frostery ' to ask her some questions.

How long have you been baking cakes for?

I have been baking cakes professionally for twenty-five years and even before that I used to spend the school holidays helping out at my parents bakery so I do feel like I’ve been making cakes forever!

What got you into cake making?

I suppose baking fairy cakes every weekend with my Grandma first ignited my love of baking, especially at Christmas time when she would let me ‘create’ the Christmas cake. My parents worked long hours in their bakery so Grandma would look after me and my brother at the weekends. As we grew older and spent more time at the bakery I just enjoyed watching my Mum and learning from her. It wasn’t long before my summer holidays were spent baking and decorating the cakes for the bakery and some of the ordered celebration cakes.

What's the strangest request you have ever had?

Haha, well I suppose ‘strange’ to me is ‘perfectly ‘normal’ to the client... I love the cakes we make, especially the celebration cakes, to tell a story. Some of my clients have lead incredible lives or have an amazing story to tell so as you can imagine the cakes can be quite flamboyant with details. From 3D sculptures of a lady to a collection of giant hand grenades for a strange story line in Coronation Street, life as a cake maker is never dull or predictable.

What's the most popular flavour ?

In a wedding cake most couples will include a layer of classic vanilla cake. With layers of raspberry and vanilla bean buttercream it’s a crowd pleaser that always hits the spot! It’s great to mix things up as well by adding seasonal changes to the cake menu.

What's the strangest flavour someone has ever asked for?

I think probably the most specific flavour I have made was peanut butter sponge filled with raspberry and praline buttercream.

What are the benefits of being a cake maker?

There are so many benefits of being a cake maker but I think the best is that I get to have a peak into and play a little part in the happiest times of a person’s life. I feel their excitement and this definitely comes through into the final cake. I believe cakes taste so much better when they are made with love and because our cakes are so bespoke each client is very much at the forefront of my mind when I am making their cake. Everyone is happy when cake is around.

Have you ever had any last minute disasters ?

Haha I never talk out loud about this-I am so superstitious for fear that if I say something out loud it will come true. When I was filming Extreme Cake Makers with Channel 4 they were all about the jeopardy. It’s my job and my professional reputation at stake so I’m pleased to say we try to be as organised as we can to avoid any hiccups. However, twice, whilst filming the cake journey the camera they put in the back of the car fell off narrowly missing the cake by millimetres. The out takes from those episodes showed real jeopardy but of course they couldn’t show that.

What's the time line on ordering a cake for a wedding day? Under normal circumstances, especially for peak wedding season, I would always recommend giving us twelve months notice. Of course we will always do our best to accommodate couples who would like us to create their special cake. How far in advance do you get booked up ? There are certain weekends that get booked up first, the May bank holidays for me and my fantastic team are always the most popular and these can be booked up 18 months in advance. If we have a cake commission that is really large and elaborate and is being delivered and set up for example in London it limits the number of commissions we can take that week but if the cakes are being delivered closer to home we can fit more into our working week so there are no hard and fast rules.