Choosing your wedding cake has to be one of the absolute best parts of wedding planning! I caught up with Simon from the incredible Simon’s Bakery in London on his top tips for choosing your cake, why he thinks about seasons with flavours, and what he’s been up to recently.

In case you’re not familiar with Simon’s Bakery, Simon makes the most incredible abstract wedding cakes. He also makes one of my favourite cakes, Russian honey cake - a heavenly layered cake that will change your life! He set up his bakery in 2018 after taking a voluntary redundancy from his position as an accountant in the charity sector. Since then he’s built up his reputation in the wedding industry and really honed his style.

What got you hooked on wedding cakes?

Making wedding cakes is natural progression for a lot of cake designers as it provides the opportunity to make larger cakes which gives you a larger more elaborate cakes which can make more of a statement. I’m not married myself, but have always found weddings to be a magical experience, so being able to contribute in some small way to a couple’s special day is great.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with some fantastic couples over the years, and it’s that collaborative process of working with them to create a cake that will have them and their guests thinking “wow” that I really enjoy. The industry also has a real community feel to it and I’ve made friends with some fabulous suppliers too.

What sets you apart from other cake designers? What’s your particular style?

Every wedding cake designer prides themself on producing delicious, well-made cakes. However, there are a lot of generic ‘off the shelf’ cakes out there that can look a samey. While there’s nothing wrong with this, I want to create cakes that will stand out from crowd. I get my inspiration from abstract art and like to combine this with a minimalist design that focuses on clean lines and sharp edges and interesting angles.

I got raised in a very foodie family with my mum being a keen cook and baker who always encouraged me to try out new flavours. This led me to working in a restaurants and going to catering college when I was young. I didn’t end up having a career as a chef, but I try and bring this creativity and experimentation in flavours to the cakes that I make.

What advice would you give couples looking for their wedding cake designer?

The wedding cake market is saturated so it can take an age to find a designer that you like the look of. You’ll probably be Googling ‘wedding cake designers’, but also check out wedding blogs and directories for inspiration. There are lots of these, ranging from traditional to more quirky styles, which feature real-life weddings as well as styled shoots.

Spend time really thinking about what inspires you and if you have a particular theme or mood for your wedding, how this can be incorporated into the cake design. Pinterest is a great place to get inspiration for designs but try to resist asking a cake designer to replicate a cake – instead, think about what aspects of that particular cake you like. Do you want a more traditional looking wedding cake, or are you after a design-focused contemporary style? How important is the actual taste of the cake to you - do you want to excite your guests with not only the look of the cake, but also more exciting flavours?

Speaking of flavours, what would you suggest couples think about?

I like to arrange flavours into seasons based around the mood that they encapsulate, and also as a guide to when ingredients are naturally in season. So for example, in the summer I have fresher flavours such as salted honey, orange and raspberry, or peach and lemon. While in the winter there richer and warmer flavours such as ginger, honey and walnuts or pear and cardamom.

How have you been coping during the pandemic? Have you had to pivot?

At the start of 2020 I was looking forward to a busy year, and then the whole wedding season was wiped out. Being a relatively new business I wasn’t eligible for any financial support so have been working throughout and focusing on smaller cakes, as well as a version of a Russian Honey Cake which is really popular.

What do you do for fun when you’re not working?

Baking and experimenting with new recipes is all part of the fun, but when I’m not in the kitchen, music and playing records in a passion. I started DJing and putting on parties 20 years ago so when lockdown is over I’m looking forward to getting together with friends and having a good dance. I also love cycling, which helps me burn off the calories from eating all of the cake scraps!

Any unusual facts about yourself or brushes with fame?

My degree was in human biology and my first job after graduating was working in a fertility clinic in Harley Street – I helped ‘create’ 5 babies - talk about a different kind of bun in the oven!

A huge thanks to Simon for speaking to us about his gorgeous bakes and providing his tips for selecting your wedding cake. Be sure to check out his website and get in touch with him if you like his style!