Rachel Clare Cake Design

Tell us a little bit about yourselves…

I have been creating beautiful wedding cakes since 2014 when I established my first business, Sugar Designs. Born from my love of sugar craft design, I poured my energies into developing my relaxation hobby into a highly successful business.

The culmination of my skills, expertise and outstanding reputation among clients and suppliers has brought me to the natural evolution of my new luxury brand: Rachel Clare Cake Design. I take huge pride in my work, having consistently won international awards for my designs with the prestigious Cake International group.

I have also been a regional finalist for several wedding specialist awards based on the strength of recommendations from my clients and this year was awarded Highly Commended in The Wedding Industry Awards.

How long have you been designing wedding cakes for?

10 years and the business was established in July 2014.

What three recommendations would you suggest to couples when it comes to choosing a wedding cake?

The wedding cake has been an important part of the wedding celebration for centuries and is seen as symbol of the couples love and commitment to each other, with the cutting of the cake symbolizing the first act of unity as a married couple, so I suggest that if you have any special elements that are part of your story that you think about how to integrate them into your cake story.

I recommend arranging your cake consultation to design your cake once you have chosen all the key elements of your wedding including colours, your themes, florals and the all -important dress, as the cake will often reflect many of these elements. Before designing your cake think about the location where it will be placed in the venue as this will be important in deciding on the shape, size and height.

The taste and flavour of your cake are equally as important as the design, consider having a cake with different flavours for each tier and enjoy a tasting session to sample different flavours and fillings.  When deciding on what size of cake to choose we recommend taking total guest numbers (day and evening) and deducting 20%. Some couples choose to have a larger cake so they can serve it the following day if guests have stayed over.

How far in advance should couples order their wedding cake?

As soon as you find a cake designer where you like their styles and cakes!  I only make a maximum of 2 wedding cakes per week, so book asap; I’m booking 2 years ahead at present.

Do you have a best seller, and if so, what is it?

My cakes are all designed to be unique so they are a perfect fit with the wedding styling.

Do you offer a variety of flavours?

In their luxury consultation taster box clients will try 6 flavours to help them make their choice. Currently for flavours the most popular choices are Lemon drizzle, Raspberry & white chocolate, Biscoff! Preview the flavours here – rachelclarecakedesign.co.uk/flavours/

Are people still ordering traditional wedding cakes or are people going down an alternative route?

Most couples are looking for clean lines with smooth lustered fondant, deep cake tiers and sharp edges and there are lots of requests for all white cakes, The more relaxed style is a buttercream cake which can have many different types of finishes and be decorated with fresh or sugar flowers and a subtle accent of foliage. The newest styling is to use dried meadow flowers on either buttercream or fondant, making the cake slightly more rustic and also reflects a growing trend towards eco-friendly and sustainable wedding practices.

Besides wedding cakes, do you offer any other service?

I offer a range of dessert table options as dessert tables are now a popular choice. A display usually includes a variety of sweet treats including cupcakes, macarons, cake pops and cakesickles or wedding cookies which are designed to complement the wedding cake (or cakes!). These individual items are also often chosen as favour options.

Do you offer a bespoke wedding cake service, if couples have their own vision of wedding cake design?

All of my cakes are designed individually with no set designs, I work with their vision and Pinterest boards to create a design they will love.