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Twelfth Dozen, Manchester (2026)

09/05/2022

I’ve been very quiet on my social media recently. I was asked by a family friend a few weeks ago if I could make this cake for a 30th birthday. And then one of my best friends passed away suddenly. I am heartbroken. I’ve spent the last two weeks cycling through crying, explaining to people why I’m so sad, talking to people about how much of a wonderful person he was and trying to come to terms with the fact that I won’t get to see him again.
But I also said I would make this cake. So, to anyone who is reading this… celebrate with your family and friends, whenever you can. Hug them, whenever you can. Tell how much they mean to you, whenever you can. And thank you for being a model customer and thank you for the beautiful flowers
I’d normally round off with a Shakespeare quote, but I’ve watched Miranda recently for a bit of comfort and this one from her seemed to strike a nerve with me.
“Dearest chum, I don’t know when, or if, we’ll see each other again, but just thank you for being the most amazing friend. Love oo”

16/04/2022

Well, I’ve not posted in a while! It’s all been a bit mad recently, including a week of me having COVID and two weeks of jury duty. I actually made these little cakes while off the day job with COVID, but they never quite made it up. My tenuous Shakespeare links get more tenuous by the day. I’m calling these little ladies Perdita, but the flavours are actually inspired by one mention of marigolds in The Winter’s Tale and flavours from the country where marigolds hold a lot of cultural significance, Mexico. So, we have a marigold-infused blood orange marmalade cake, filled with blood orange marmalade, topped with mascarpone frosting, marigold petals, a sprinkling of cinnamon and a wedge of crystallized blood orange. Oh, and there’s a slug of tequila in the marmalade for good measure

08/01/2022

I may have gone a step too far with my cake experiments this time… sure looks pretty though. I’m visiting some friends up in Edinburgh (all of us are fully vaccinated and boosted, and I’d be happy if I never have to see another lateral flow test again, even if they are negative). After an entertaining chat with a customer at work, I decided to do a cakey-spin on the Scottish Ecclefechan tart to take with me to Scotland. I’m calling this one Banquo, for no other reasons than 1) … Scottish… and 2) I feel like Banquo was probably calling Macbeth an Ecclefechan-something-or-other while in ghost form. Sticky toffee walnut cake with a twist of lemon zest, filled with an Ecclefechan tart-type filling (bit like mincemeat, with sultanas, grated apple, glacé cherries, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, another twist of lemon and a healthy slug of whiskey), encased in brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream with a pinch of cinnamon, and decorated with all things Ecclefechan-tarty… except the pastry

01/12/2021

Happy birthday mum! Well, belated birthday, it was yesterday, but our family gathering is tonight. Birthday cake is, of course, required. I’m calling this one Beatrice; marmalade-flavoured sponge, soaked with orangey syrup, filled with homemade whiskey and orange marmalade and sandwiched with orange-flavoured Swiss meringue buttercream. Decorated with homemade candied orange slices and mini meringue kisses 🍊

25/11/2021

Why do people keep having to leave 😭 another of my work colleagues is heading off to pastures new. you will be missed! But a good send off requires some top-notch cake. This is the chocolate/pecan relative of my sticky toffee cake; that one was Rosalind, so this one has got to be Ganymede. Vegan chocolate cake, sandwiched with pecan praline, smothered in chocolate, pecan and rum frosting and decorated with cacao brittle, candied pecans and cacao nibs

17/10/2021

Right, hands up who wants to help me eat this extremely tall cake! As per the vote last week, this cake is all things spice, inspired by a Tudor gingerbread recipe from And it’s vegan! Or almost, I fell at the last hurdle and didn’t realise the sprinkles weren’t until too late 😅 but at least it’s just for me to eat and the other elements were good practice. I’m calling it Hotspur; vegan ginger cake, filled with vegan ginger and lemon curd, spiced vegan buttercream and decorated with vegan gingerbread biscuits, crystallized ginger and (annoyingly not vegan) sprinkles

30/09/2021

As some of you may have gathered, I’ve currently got a job working full time at a lovely little bakery that does bread, pastry and cakes! Which is great and I’m really enjoying it, but it does mean my own cake creations have taken a back seat. However, one of our bakery team had her last day at the bakery today and I had to make her something. This little creation is called Cleopatra and just happens to feature some of ‘s favourite flavours; honey cake sandwiched with fig jam, decorated with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, mini macarons, fig wedges, sprinkles from and a touch of gold from We’ll miss you !!!

29/08/2021

Yesterday, I did my first official wedding cake! This was a relatively short notice request from a friend’s sister, who was originally going to make her own wedding cake but asked if I could step in. While we were discussing what she wanted, she sent me a few photos for inspiration and I thought, “oh poop”. But I did my best. Inside, this beauty is raspberry and white chocolate buttermilk sponge, filled with raspberry jam and decorated with Swiss meringue buttercream, abstract swipes of colour with .mill food colouring and edible gold splatter from

15/08/2021

Happy birthday for yesterday ! Someone dropped some very subtle hints that they wanted me to have a go at a toffee apple-themed cake 🤔 so here is my effort. I’m calling it Costard; spiced apple cake, filled and decorated with salted caramel, brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream and caramlised apple pieces, sprinkles from

03/08/2021

As voted by you lot, we have something with strawberry! Specifically, strawberries and cream. I’m calling him Henry V (and yes, I will stop at nothing with my ridiculous Shakespeare-based names. They make me happy). Strawberry cake, sandwiched with mascarpone and cream frosting, fresh strawberries and strawberry jam. “The strawberry grows underneath the nettle, and wholesome berries thrive and ripen best neighboured by fruit of baser quality”

31/07/2021

I’ve been a bit quiet on here recently because I’ve been starting a new job! It was all kinds of fun to start working in a new bakery during the hottest week of the year so far, so I’m pretty thankful it’s cooled down 😅 but now I’m settling in, it’s time to get my “side hustle” back on track. Further experiments to come but this one was from a few weeks ago. I’m calling her Portia; chocolate hazelnut cake, sandwiched with hazelnut praline and hazelnut frosting, decorated with a bit of abstract chocolate frosting and edible gold paint. “Her sunny locks hang on her temples like a Golden Fleece”

22/07/2021

Instagram vs reality: everything went wrong with this cake. The jam was too runny, the cake was crumbly, I didn’t get the meringue quite right for the buttercream, jam started leaking from one of the layers. BUT, rest assured, however to pot everything goes in the process, I will always do my best to make sure the finished product is as beautiful as you’d expect. This little lady is called Titania; vanilla buttermilk cake dotted with apricots, sandwiched with apricot, thyme and honey jam and Swiss meringue buttercream, topped with mini macarons and sprinkles from “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows…
Feed him with apricots and dewberries… the honey-bags steal from the humble bees”

Twelfth Dozen

09/05/2022

16/04/2022

08/01/2022

01/12/2021

25/11/2021

17/10/2021

30/09/2021

29/08/2021

15/08/2021

03/08/2021

31/07/2021

22/07/2021

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