YOUR CAKE MAKER
Name and title: Yvonne Crook, owner of Yvonne’s Cakery. Where can we find you? Bollinbrook Shopping Parade (Unit 7, 104 Westminster Road). Tell us about the history of Yvonne’s Cakery? I’ve always enjoyed baking but I’d never attempted to decorate a cake until I had my children and they started to have parties. To my surprise I actually found I was quite good at it! Then there was no stopping me. I was constantly practising, watching tutorials and challenging myself. Soon people actually started to ask me to make cakes. Once I was sure my skills were up to it, I registered as a home business. Three years on and the business has gone from strength to strength, so last summer I moved into premises! Describe Yvonne’s Cakery in three words? Deliciously decadent cakes. When did you fall in love with baking? When I was quite young I used to make fairy cakes and Victoria sponges with my nana and she was amazing - she never weighed or measured anything. I also spent time watching my gran and grandad cook – my gran made beautiful pastry. What’s a typical day like for you? No day is the same. Some days I have lots of baking to do, other days I need to fill and cover cakes. Other days are spent making decorations such as figure models and flowers or working on new wedding display designs. Weekends are normally spent doing wedding appointments, going out to venues to set up wedding cakes and making sure all the orders for birthdays have been collected. What kind of cakes do you offer? Wedding cakes (last year we did almost 60!) wedding favours such as iced biscuits, cake pops and macaroons, any kind of celebration cakes such as birthdays, christenings and more. I also do special seasonal items at Easter and Christmas like brownies, fruit cake, chocolate covered Oreo biscuit pops and more. Most memorable cake? A display wedding cake I made for a photo shoot. We did the shoot in a clearing in the middle of woodland. People came through walking their dogs and one of them took a liking to my display cake and decided to try and eat it! Thankfully the photographer photoshopped the damage out later on. I could see the funny side! Favourite cake? My favourite cake to make is my chocolate mud cake. It’s such a versatile recipe and takes on other flavours brilliantly. My favourite cake to eat is my sticky ginger cake - it’s delicious on its own, with a citrus buttercream or warm with some fresh custard. Greatest achievement?: Moving into premises last year. I felt so proud of myself when it was finished and I turned the sign to ‘open’ for the first time! I also have a five-star hygiene rating. Any goals? I’m taking part in a sugarcraft school collaboration display at Cake International in Birmingham with the Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School. My piece will really challenge me and push my out of my comfort zone. I also want to schedule teaching some small cake classes and hope to start offering one-to-one tuition too. Find out more: Email info@yvonnescak ery.co.uk. Tel 01625 265 424. Follow @yvonnescakery (Facebook), @Yvonnes cakery (Twitter) and @yvonnescakery (Instagram).