Chilly but Cheerful

Peyton & Byrne's Chilly Snowmen and Mini-Christmas Cakes.  On with 2014 and we are forecasting another great year for cafes.  Catch us at the National Farm Attractions Network Awards Dinner on 11 Feb (we judged the Best Food and Beverage Award) and Garden Centre Catering Conference on 12 Feb (where we have been asked to chair the proceedings).  Happy New Year.

Artful Cakes

 Company of Cook's Atelier at the Royal Academy's Burlington Gardens with superb cakes

 Chocolate Cashew & Salted Caramel, Florentines and Rumbles

 Apple & Two Seed Almond Cake, Sticky Buns and Lamingtons

Rhubarb & Ginger and Red Velvet

Muriel's Cakes & Colanders

 Muriel's Kitchen now has three outlets with this latest one in Soho.

 Cakes are the feature

 plus colander lights

 swinging seats

 and pastries with a twist - sour cherry mince pies and berry topped chocolate loaf.

Good Cause Cakes

 My neighbours fun cakes for last Sunday's Macmillan world biggest coffee morning - sandwich cake.

 Chocolate Cake by James (age 36) and Chip n Dale.  Over £1,000 raised.

Gluten Free Gems

Gluten free is big and the best are more innovative than most

Tom's Deli Almond Gluten Free Sticks

Ozone's Gluten Free Macaroons and Brownies

Violet Cakes

Lemon Squares & Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies at Violet Cakes - a Californian bakery cafe in East London

You cannot help but feel part of the baking action

Whoopie Pie's

Doughnut Muffins & Fillings

From the USA, Dean & Deluca's Doughnut Muffin

The trend over here is for fillings in the centre of everything that can be baked - muffins and cup cakes. See http://bakeitinacake.com/ for inspiration and ideas.

Mini Cakes Part 2

The mini-cake roll-out continues

See previous blog posts:

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/08/mini-cakes.html

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-mini.html

Banana Pretzels & Bronky

Good on Fresh Element at the Baltic for coming up with some original items - a Bronky is made of cookie dough; hard on the outside and soft inside, so now you know.

Caked in Devon

The Exploding Bakery guys from Exeter are a new cake by the slice bakery and were making quite a name for themselves at the Lunch! show.  Great cakes and presentation.

Mini Cakes

Starbucks yet again leading the big guys cake innovation stakes with a range of three mini cakes as part of their Petites range.

See http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-mini.html
and
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/04/lolly-cake.html

Cakes for Special Diets

Take care of special interest groups and you have a friend for life.

Cakestands - No need to get married

Wedding cake stands are what you need to present your cakes and, boy, are their makers doing some business.

Suppliers culled from the web:
http://www.cakestands.co.uk/
http://www.cake-stands.co.uk/
http://www.supaprice.co.uk/p/result.jsp?ga=uk2&q=wedding+cake+stand


Good to Great Cafes - chris.brown@turpinsmale.co.uk

Macaroons on steroids

Seen at Peter Jones' rooftop cafe on Sloane Square: whoopie size (i.e. large) macaroons at £2.60 a pop.

John Lewis have redone the servery but its design is how not to do it. Check out the number of coffee machines and how you can pay for a main course and not even see the cakes. Great company but off the pace in terms of great cafes.