My baby is 16 months old – so far in his lifetime he has been to 12 parties (2 of them were his!) so children’s birthdays are now a monthly affair for us. I tried to make his first birthday cake and whilst it was definitely cute, it was also clearly homemade. With bake off starting again for its 16th series, my birthday on the horizon, and in an attempt to get better at baking, I reached out to 4 of Oxfordshire’s master bakers for a chat. Bring on the showstoppers!
Barefoot Bakery
Multiple locations across Oxford
With a partner who is both allergic to eggs and nuts, birthday cakes have always been a bit of hit and miss in our house. So for his 30th birthday a few years ago, I splashed out on a 3 tier cake of his very own. Barefoot Bakery was great, managing to make a vegan nut free cake with mango and coconut which was delicious!
What are your most popular cakes?
There’s definitely a good spread across the flavours. I would say carrot & orange and chocolate fudge are very popular. Followed closely by hummingbird and lemon. Prices start at £50.
Why did you start baking?
Emily has always had a love for baking and would always bake at home, for friends and family and then finally when the opportunity of baking at North Parade farmers market came up, it gave her an outlet to become even more creative and extend the range of flavours.
Any favourite or memorable bakes?
We love doing wedding cakes, being part of someone’s super special day gives us a lovely sense of accomplishment. Our own daughter’s birthday cake is always a joy to make – she is our biggest critic though so we have to be on top form! Last year we had a lovely big picture of one of our wedding cakes in Hello magazine.
Tips for beginner bakers like myself?
Follow a recipe but follow your heart with flavours. Don’t over mix flour. Remember salt, flavours need to be balanced – cake is not just about sweet flavours.
If you were to go anywhere in Oxfordshire for your birthday – where would it be?
Cote de beouf at the bull in Charlbury for me. Anything from Pierre Victoire for Emily. We are both partial to a crème brûlée or chocolate mousse!!
Happy Cakes
Summertown
As someone who loves a little flick through instagram, Happy cakes are a business I am familiar with! With their number brownies, cakes for celebrities and personalised cupcakes, my tummy is always rumbling at their posts!
What are your most popular cakes?
Our most popular cake by far is our Signature Cake. We bake so many of these my camera roll is exploding from how many photos we have!
Chocolate is also a favourite. We also sell a lot of classic Chocolate Malteser cakes and of course, our loaded brownies. The loaded brownies are really fun to make because we can do them in different shapes and people often ask for bespoke toppings such as particular chocolates, fruits or specific coloured macarons and meringues. £70 for an 8” signature cake, box of 12 cupcakes £42.
Why did you start baking?
I was the Catering Manager in one of the Oxford University Colleges for 11 years before I had my children. I always used to love baking the cakes for the colleges special events. When I was on maternity leave and my children were small I used to bake cakes for my friends and their kids when we met up. My friends still joke now about their daughter’s first phrase was “what’s in Julia’s bag?” as I was always carrying something nicer than rice cakes!
I started Happy Cakes with my friend Linda in 2009 when we got asked to bake for the Jericho café. We still supply them with seasonal cupcakes now. Linda moved on to another job and the business has grown over the years. I’m grateful to have lots of regular customers. I really love cake and I’m always excited to start a new day baking.
Any favourite or memorable bakes?
My favourite cakes to bake are the ones which have been designed with a lot of love. We often hear the backstory to the design and it’s a privilege to make something special. We love making a cake with handmade icing figures that are personalised to the recipient. The reaction we get from these cakes, it’s heartwarming.
The most fun cakes to make have been for celebrities. We were delighted to be asked to bake a showstopper for the end of filming for ITV drama Endeavour. We were filmed for their end of season documentary baking and delivering the cake (still on ITV player now “ Morse and the last Endeavour” It was such fun!
Tips for beginner bakers like myself?
Use great ingredients and stick to the classics!
If you were to go anywhere in Oxfordshire for your birthday – where would it be?
I love Oxford’s independent restaurants. Pompette is a real favourite. Their choux bun with cherries and chocolate sauce is sublime. In fact I’d have that for my main course!
Tearoom Bambi
Wantage
A little further out of the town centre towards Wantage is Tearoom bambi – highly recommended by one of my tutor friends (all tutors love a bit of cake). Offering cakes and afternoon teas – this hidden gem is ideal if you want the whole event catered, or if you want one standout cake. With a Japanese theme and cute Kawaii cakes, this baker offers something a little different to the traditional victoria sponge.
What are your most popular cakes?
Our most popular cake is definitely the Strawberry Shortcake – a Japanese-style cake made with genoise sponge, fresh cream, and strawberries, currently priced at £54 for an 8″. Soft, delicate, and so refreshing – simply delicious! We even won a Great Taste Award for it in 2025. As for birthdays, our Kawaii Collection, especially the Hedgehog cake, is a big favourite with our customers! 8″ 4/5 layers is £125 without additional decoration.
Why did you start baking?
I’ve always loved being creative – painting, drawing, sewing, crafting – and baking feels like the perfect extension of that. The best part is that you get to eat your creation and make others smile too
Any favourite or memorable bakes?
Not just one cake, but actually 18 x 12-inch cakes for a funeral tea. We used to trade at Milton Park and one of our regular customers visited us every week. She always tried whatever we had, told us how amazing it was, and even recommended us to other customers while queueing – so sweet! A while after we stopped trading there, she emailed to request a funeral tea… for her own funeral. She had enjoyed our food so much that she wanted her guests to have it too. I was so touched and honoured to do this for her, and we had wonderful feedback from her guests.
Tips for beginner bakers like myself?
- Read the recipe carefully and measure all the ingredients before you start
- Invest in an electric whisk or a stand mixer – it makes baking so much easier
- Always use ingredients at the correct temperature. If a recipe specifies cold eggs or warm milk, there’s a reason – so follow it!
If you were to eat anything for your birthday – what would you choose to eat!
Definitely Strawberry Shortcake! I’m originally from Japan, and Strawberry Shortcake is almost like a national dish there for birthdays and Christmas. Not only does it taste amazing, but for me, it also brings back so many happy memories.
The Cake Shop
Witney
The cake shop in Witney has it all. A rush cake which can be iced with a birthday message whilst you wait. Cake decorators that you can watch as they craft cakes that look like trainers, sofas – there was even a mandrake from Harry Potter the last time I went in! As someone who went to University in Oxford, I used to walk by the cake shop in the covered market every time I went to lectures, marvelling at the work that their decorators put into their masterpieces. When I finished university and moved out ot the centre of Oxford, I thought that maybe I’d go back occasionally, but I am thrilled that it has moved to its new home in Witney so that I can pop in on a weekly basis.
What are your most popular cakes?
People return to us time and again because of the level of artistry and detail we put into every cake. We create everything from extravagant centrepieces – such as realistic, life-size cakes shaped like a dog – to the tiniest details on hand-crafted figures, complete with glasses, tattoos or other personal touches. Our classic celebration range starts from around £45, while larger bespoke wedding cakes vary depending on the size and complexity. What makes us popular is that no two cakes are ever the same – each one is designed to be as unique as the person it’s made for.
Why did you start baking?
Our journey began over 38 years ago in Oxford’s historic Covered Market, where we first fell in love with the art of cake decorating. Many of our team studied creative arts and naturally transitioned their skills into sugarcraft, hand-piping and model work. Today, that passion continues in our Witney shop, where we’re now under the same roof as The Heritage Bakery, and our decorators bring imagination to life in cake form every single day.
Any favourite or memorable bakes?
It’s hard to choose just one! A few highlights include the huge, life-like dog cake we created for Oxford councillor Anna Railton, which was picked up by local news, radio, and even made it to international media. For the Queen’s Jubilee, we decorated our shop window with a themed cake display, which was such a joy to create and always drew a lot of attention. Our work has also featured in Midsomer Murdersand in an Oxford University project, where we created a replica of Madame Bovary’s ‘extravagant’ wedding cake – and there have been many more special occasions which we’ve loved being part of. Each commission challenges us in a different way, which is what makes our work so rewarding.
Tips for beginner bakers like myself?
- When covering a cake, invest in smoothing tools – they make all the difference for a clean, professional finish.
- Piping is a craft that takes years to master. A great way to practise is by piping patterns onto a board before working on the cake itself.
- For tiered cakes, make sure your dowels are cut level with the cake for strength and stability – better to use three sturdy dowels than four uneven ones!
If you were to eat anything for your birthday – what would you choose to eat?
Because we spend so much time making celebration cakes for others, when it comes to our own birthdays we often turn to something a little different. From our own range, a nostalgic Belgian bun is always a favourite treat, while on the savoury side a slice of our bacon and tomato pastry is hard to beat. They may not be traditional birthday choices, but they’re the ones we look forward to most!
If this hasn’t made you crave a good slice of cake, I don’t know what will! Why not save this guide for the next celebration you have coming up, in case you fancy ordering from one of these lovely local cake makers. Do let us know if your fave hasn’t made the list – we’d love to add to it.
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