'This is the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten!' The rest of us round the tea shop table sat up and took notice. 'It’s just fantastic.' Mum was clearly bowled over. We caught the waitress’s eye and ordered more of the same. Mum was right. This was cake to knock spots off all the others.
That was how I first came to discover Cakesmiths’ ambrosial indulgences. Ahead of the curve, Mum has been vegan for decades longer than most people knew what it meant, so to find something this superlative that was also vegan was like striking confectionery gold. To then discover it was a product of our own county was, if you’ll pardon the pun, the icing on the cake.
It all started back in 2005 when brother and sister, Tom Batlle and George Doyle, had one of those epiphanic moments. Already running a coffee shop in Bristol, they found themselves frequently approached by other coffee shop owners, wanting to buy George’s toothsome cakes for their own establishments. There was clearly a gap in the market for wholesale cakemakers, and Cakesmiths was born to fill that gap. Making cakes for other coffee shops, farm shops and delis, its mission was, and still is, to ' make great cakes by hand, in small batches, with craft and without compromise.'
Chris Giddings is one of the present directors of the company. 'Our bakery has grown a bit since those early days,' he tells me. 'Although we’ve a few more people now – we have a baking team of around 35 people – our principle of baking cakes for coffee shops, with quality and innovation at their core, has remained the same.'
Just to read the names of the Cakesmiths range compels me to put the kettle on: mulled apple crumble sponge, lemon sticky buns, Persian love loaf and, my oh my, the one that got my family going in the first place, the delectable blueberry bakewell. And this is coming from somebody who doesn’t have a sweet tooth.
'We're super proud of our ever-changing and growing selection of around 50 to 60 traycakes, brownies, sticky buns and lots more,' says Chris. 'And there are several vegan and very-low-gluten options to choose from, as well as all the classics.'
The vegan creations, which so enticed my mother, were inspired by George’s decision to go vegan herself, since when 'we’ve been adding vegan choices across all our ranges. From Bakewells, to sticky buns and flapjacks, we like to think of these recipes as ‘vegan without compromise.'
And with an increasing number of people seeking gluten-free options the ‘very-low-gluten’ offerings could fit the bill, as although the bakery handles gluten, the bakers go to 'great lengths to minimise the risk of cross-contamination' but recognise that there is still a tiny chance that gluten could sneak in, hence the label ‘very-low gluten’.
For bespoke, handmade cakes the range is mouth-wateringly lengthy and quite remarkably creative, and this is all down to Mike Smart, Cakesmiths’ cake inventor extraordinaire, who inhabits that rarefied place where art and baking collide and who 'likes to come up with flavour combinations that are a bit different but always work perfectly together.'
'We launch new bakes every week, keeping our selection fresh and seasonal,' continues Chris, 'and Mike looks after all the amazing new creations we make. He’s got an art background and a passion for baking which means he’s perfect to create show-stopping bakes that look and taste incredible. He works in our Cake Lab, nestled in the same open space as our Coffee Shop, which allows him and his team to put their delicious creations straight onto the shop counter and get instant feedback from customers.'
A sound ethic underpins the Cakesmiths' business. 'We firmly believe that the best cakes are made with the best ingredients, so we only use ingredients you‘ve heard of,' explains Chris. 'No benzoates, no sorbates, no preservatives - no nasties! When we can't find suppliers that meet our standards, we find a way to do it ourselves. That’s why we make our own jams and caramels - a difference you can definitely taste.'
A good sustainability principle is applied to Cakesmiths’ deliveries to coffee shops across Somerset and around the UK: to keep the cakes at just the right temperature during their journey they use ‘Woolcool’ liners in the packaging, which are reusable, recyclable and fully biodegradable at the end of their working life. They even offer clients the option of returning the packaging free of charge to HQ, so that it can be used again and again.
In recognition of their gustatory accomplishments, Cakesmiths has a pantry-load of awards to its name. 'We have received the fantastic news that eight more of our cakes were awarded Great Taste Awards for 2022,' enthuses Chris, 'with our apricot and pistachio frangipane receiving a whopping 3-Star award – the highest rating!' Their 48-hour sourdough loaf, available in their coffee shop, Bakehouse, has also been awarded the Best in Britain 2022.
So, if you want something sublime to accompany your coffee, find a purveyor of Cakesmiths’ fare and allow yourself time for a second (and possibly third) slice.
AROUND THE COUNTY
From their Somerset base, Cakesmiths supply many outlets across the county and beyond – although some cafés can be forgiven for not letting on and pretending they make them in-house!
A few to choose from are:
Bishops Eye, Wells (12 Market Pl, BA5 2RB; 01749 938180): a contemporary and stylish eatery located in a listed building.
The Coffee Cabin, Taunton (TA1 5NE; 07444 470084): here you can indulge in Cakesmiths creations in the unusual setting of the grounds of Taunton Deane Crematorium! Cakes to comfort.
Bakehouse, Bristol (St Phillips Road, BS2 0JZ): Cakesmiths’ very own coffee shop which sits alongside the cake lab.
