How we rated shop bought birthday cakes

Flower cupcakes ****
Fru fru
Tel 07974 101818
www.frufru.co.uk
Hands down winner on taste, icing and cake. Great for bigger girls – you could have an initial on each cake. The beautiful box filled with pink tissue made a great impact. £25 for 9 cakes plus delivery.

Fairy Castle ****
The Cake Store
Tel 0800 0520058
www.thecakestore.com
This is stunning to look at and tastes good too.
Royal icing, vanilla sponge with raspberry jam and buttercream filling, £55.
The Cake Store will also make and decorate a simple cake for £19.95.
Delivery within the M25 costs £12.50.

Angelina ***
Marks & Spencer
Tel 0845 302 1234
Best of the supermarkets. Delicious light sponge, butter cream and jam, soft royal icing. £11.99

Octopus ***
Sweet Dreams
Tel 020 8230 7751
www.sweetdreamscakes.co.uk
Amazing-looking cake with very rich butter icing, grown ups found it too sweet, but the kids loved. Tasty sponge cake. £75 (feeds 35). Totally edible – down to the white chocolate fish!

Ice Witch ***
Carolyn Mackenzie Cakes
Tel 020 7419 4537
www.carolynmackenzie.co.uk
Beautiful to look at and incredibly professional She treats each cake as a work of art. Delicious light sponge with buttercream and jam filling.
Cakes cost from £120 for a figure on a round cake; from £150 for a two-tier cake with bespoke upright figures.

Nemo cupcakes ***
Cake Modern
Tel 07890 572727
www.cakemodern.com
Kids loved them, edible icing, grown ups found the green sponge offputting. Fairy cakes cost £30 per dozen plus delivery, novelty cakes from £80.

Pirate Cake ***
Cakes4Fun
100 Lower Richmond Rd SW15
Tel 020 8785 9039
www.cakes4fun.co.uk
This is fantastic to look at. We tasted the chocolate sponge which was quite
rich – more suited to a grown-up palette but the children were just wowed by the look. £125

Mountain Climbers ****
Sparkles
Tel 020 8549 2561
www.sparklesparties.co.uk
Amazing to look at but still felt homemade (in a good way). Delicious icing. The cake was a tad dry but the kids loved it. A winner. £70

Racing Car **
Tesco
Tel 0800 505555
The boys loved this one. The taste is slightly disappointing but the look is great and you can’t beat the price. £7.99

Other recommended suppliers:

Choccy-woccy-doodah
Tel 020 7724 5465
www.choccywoccydoodah.com
These wonderful chocolate creations are very rich, and will delight the grown-ups. Great for a first birthday party. Prices from £25.

Dee-Light Cakes
Tel 07734 207728
Novelty cakes from £40–£60. Free delivery to W8, W14, SW6, SW5, SW18, SW7, SW10, SW11.

Harvey Nichols
Tel 020 7235 5000 ext 2221 Very helpful bakery staff can make to any specification. Prices for the simplest chocolate fudge cake with a name on top from £24.95.

Jane Asher Party Cakes
Tel 020 7584 6177
www.jane-asher.co.uk
From ladybirds to a brilliant dressing-table (incredible detail) to giraffes to castles. They will also work with you on a design – the website features a cake in the shape of a Hill House pupil! Average spend approx £165

Waitrose
Tel 0800 169 2701
www.waitrose.com
Good and reasonable cakes to order. Teddy bears to ballet shoes. Can be delivered.