First things first, I LOVE Finch Bakery.

I have followed their journey on social media for years and when I lived in London I made several 3 hour detours on the drive to Scotland to get to their shop in Great Harwood to taste their cakes for myself. I think one of the main reasons I find them so endearing is because they remind me so much of my lovely boss Sophie. Always happy to promote and help other independent businesses and don’t covet any trade secrets, happy to help out and lift others up.

My job gives me at least one reason a day to get excited and squeal like a kid, nothing has made me happier yet than when I saw the Finch Bakery book displayed on the shelf. I’d been dying to get my hands on it. This book is an absolute bible for anyone who enjoys a big baking project. Not only does it include so many insanely amazing recipes, it also has all the little tips and tricks that really help take your home baking up a few levels.

Image above: Finch Bakery

There is nothing I enjoy more in the world than making a massive colourful over the top cake. As soon as I saw the funfetti one I knew it just had to be done. It was so much fun from the moment I started it. I had one blip in the middle where I didn’t follow Lauren and Rachel’s advice and paused after piping all the colourful stripes on the cake to try and take a progress shot. I waited too long to smooth the coloured buttercream over the white, which had been frozen to harden it. Had I worked quickly I’m confident I’d have achieved nice clean lines, as it is this cake has a slightly modern art vibe with some blurred lines and colours in the wrong places. But we live and learn and I’ll know for next time! I think it’s easy to be put off trying to make a cake that looks so spectacular (not that my effort was quite up to the Finch Bakery standard), but when you break it down, each element of the bake is relatively simple and each stage is less complicated than you might think. All you really need is time and patience, and to actually follow the instructions in the book rather than faff about taking videos!