My visit to Crumbs and Doilies!

What is Crumbs and Doilies?

Crumbs and doilies is a cake shop in Soho, owned by Cupcake Jemma (a baker I have been following online for years). The bakery was set up after Jemma had realised her love of cupcakes after simply selling a few she had made at markets to earn some money. it really inspired me how Jemma managed to make her hobby turn into her business. Now she has a shop, a ordering service and a pick up shop, a YouTube channel with a million followers and a range of imaginative cakes for everyone to try.

What I Did

On the 24th of October I went up to London, Soho, to visit Cupcake Jemma’s shop- ‘crumbs and doilies’. I wanted to visit her shop so her amazing cakes and her amazing cake decorations could inspire me. Although I have been to many bakeries before, this trip was special to me because I have watched Cupcake Jemma on Youtube for a couple of years and from her have improved greatly. She has especially helped improve my ability of using butter cream and most of all inspired me to get creative when designing my cakes.

My Experience

Once I got to her shop, I looked around, amazed at the impressive cakes on display. They were all unique yet the cakes looked identical to each other- something I have tried to work on since visiting the shop. Although her cupcakes    looked divine her big cakes also impressed me. One that stood out for me was a rectangular pistachio and white chocolate cake. It was very elegant and you could see how the decoration had been deeply thought about. The green icing wasn’t an overpowering dark colour but a light and subtle one. It had been made that it dripped down the edges but didn’t run off the side. The pistachio bar at the bottom had been broken up but not carelessly as it looked very aesthetically pleasing.

What I Thought About It

I really enjoyed my visit to crumbs and doilies because the cakes on display were the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen. The details and the thought that had gone into them were beyond impressive. I learnt that the most impressive cakes are the ones that have simplistic yet complex designs. After tasting her bourbon cupcake, I knew I had to go back there soon. The only thing that wasn’t quite as good is there isn’t much seating so if you wanted to take friends and sit in the shop and all have a cake that would be quite difficult. It was also a little hard to find so make sure you have the address or a map with you- it is tucked behind the main road in an alleyway.

Would I recommend it

I would 100% recommend visiting crumbs and doilies if you are at all interested in cake decoration. I was inspired to become a better cake decorator and I also learned and gained great ideas for my future projects. Obviously, it is also a great opportunity to test out some amazing cakes so why wouldn’t you want to go!

Crumbs and Doilies' website is here: http://www.crumbsanddoilies.co.uk

Cupcake Jemma's youtube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoMum0pwewO8_WtTlUQxGHw