Sweetly Special Breakfasts is a small Bristol business, run by a lovely lady called Lilly. She delivers delicious breakfasts to people all over the city, focussing heavily on sweet treats to start special days off with a good feeding. That's where I come in! 

Lilly firmly believes (and I agree!) that special days like Mothering Sunday or birthdays should be memorable from start to finish. Hampers from Sweetly start the day off perfectly, and keep you going throughout the day, enough goodies for lunch, elevenses, afternoon tea, supper... The delivery includes fresh flowers, balloons, tea and coffee, a personal card and of course, cakes. And if you're vegan, your home baked cake comes from me at 280 Bakes! If you're ordering for a child, the package also includes a party bag.

The main product I am helping Lilly (see her sunny face below) with is the Perfect Gift Breakfast - see above to the left - and is now available!

The downsides to store-bought cake are many; I avoid the standard cakes bought from a supermarket when they appear at work, preferring a home baked delight. They just don't taste like real food to me; sugary chemically mess. Yuck. Call me a cake snob, but there are reasons I feel this way... 

The problems with store-bought cakes are even more numerous when it's Christmas cake we're talking about.

Growing up, my mum always, without fail, made a Christmas cake for us from scratch. We were very lucky kids, and I've carried on the tradition with my little family. I know my sister does the same, and my brother will probably have one from his baking-crazy girlfriend. What lucky tummies and tummies of significant others!

Here are just a few reasons why I prefer home baked Christmas cake and would NEVER buy one from a store. Obviously I want to encourage you to buy home baked - from me! - but not just for Christmas, for all occasions in the year.
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WHY I NEVER BUY A STORE'S CHRISTMAS CAKE
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1. One of my closest friends is vegan and vegan Christmas cakes are nigh on impossible to find in a supermarket, even though general vegan food ranges are expanding. The star cake above is actually vegan, and you'd never know...

2. Supermarket cakes often contain white sugar. Christmas cake should always be made with soft, brown sugar! The flavour and texture is totally different, and shouldn't be compromised!

3. You never know what's gone into a cake which has been mass produced; E numbers (colours and flavours), preservatives, dates (ick!), whole nuts (choking hazard for my baby)… At least with mine I know exactly what ingredients were used - including a good splosh of booze! - and that it's been made hygienically!

4. When it's home made, a Christmas (or any other) cake can be tailored to your preferences or needs. You know now I hate dates, but you could say to me, for example, you'd like a holly design,  or a star featuring on your festive bake. Don't like marzipan? I can leave out the marzipan, no problem. Perhaps you'd like it gluten free? I'd be only too happy to help. 

5. A home baked cake is a much better gift than something you just grabbed off the shelves. It's made with love, with a specific person​ in mind, and if you buy from 280 Bakes, you're supporting a small business. 

​What could be better???

​Order your Christmas cake today - orders close in a week (20th December)!
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New for October 2020, I can now post a slice of cake to you - and a friend - first class!  They arrive in cute little slice boxes, and make a lovely surprise for those you miss hanging out with.

​Slices are already heading out the door, including some delicious vegan slices. I'm afraid gluten free isn't an option at the moment, but it may be something I can offer in the future. 

Drop me a line and order your lockdown special delivery today! UK addresses only at this time. 

Louise
280 Bakes

Chocolate cake for Henry... Double raspberry tequila cake for my husband's birthday... Mickey Mouse (actually, 3!) for Leo... Chocolate Vanilla for a lady in Henbury... A watermelon cake and matching cupcakes for Matilda... Penguin cupcakes for a Penguin (bar!) lover... Vegan chocolate cake for the Pipal Tree restaurant... A vegan birthday cake for Anna... 

... and I've already got some booked in for October!

See you next month, 

Louise
​280 Bakes

For me, the first cake that springs to memory's mind is lemon drizzle. Those two words will forever be associated with my Grandma Pat, who passed away over ten years ago now.

My memories of her are laden with baking - cherry buns, runny water icing, fruit cake, apple pie - but mainly lemon drizzle. It was never fancy, just a sponge, but she had a name for making a brilliant bake of it. Sure, it's a relatively simple bake, but none can compare to my grandma's! I like to think she'd be very proud of me and my lil' cake business.

The second memory blast I have when thinking about cake is a very festive one. Every year since I've been on this planet my mum has made a showstopping Christmas cake. Sometimes more than one, if a school raffle or church fete needed one. She's even been known to make it for someone's birthday, as it's their favourite. It's all about the cake here, even though the decoration is always perfect; the  dark sponge is always absolutely packed with dried fruit and booze. Mum is a complete foodie, and loves a decent fruit cake, and Christmas wouldn't be the same without a big slice of her boozy Christmas cake. 

Christmas is one thing, but birthdays are even more about cake in my memory. Christmas dominates with so many other foods, activities, traditions over a longer period of time, whereas a birthday is just one day (or two, if you;'re the Queen and you're reading this). So, in terms of percentage of importance, I would argue birthday cakes are even more important that Christmas cakes, being a central feature to one's big day.  After all, 'a party without a cake is just a meeting', or so the famous saying goes. I've been lucky enough to have many cakes baked for me on past birthdays - here was this years! Thank you Max, very much! 

And while we're talking birthdays, banana cake may always remind me of my little one's first birthday. Cake was an important part to the celebrations as a nationwide lockdown hugely restricted what we could do. I made Rox two vegan - she had an egg allergy at the time - banana cakes, one for a cake smash (see here) and one for a sandwich tea in the garden with a handful of family members. Even though I say so myself, it was a bit of a corker - fabulous memories. 

What kind of cakes bring memories to your mind?

​Louise
​280 Bakes

What a glorious 'national week' to celebrate! From 10-16th August it's Afternoon Tea Week and I'm giving away a FREE phone wallpaper to cake lovers!

All you have to do is sign up to the 280 Bakes newsletter (see the bottom of our website homepage) and I'll email it over to you. 

Simple!

Louise
280 Bakes

I did my first cake smash last month, for Baby V as she turned a year old. I took weeks planning it, so excited​... probably a little more excited than my befuddled baby!

Would you brave a cake smash with your little one?

If so, here are my top six tips for a successful cake smash!

1. Get someone else to bake the cake. You'll have enough to do with positioning and encouraging baby, decorating the room and cleaning up!
2. Choose your colours carefully - perhaps match the icing with their outfit colours? 
3. Hang a bedsheet, ideally a white one, to protect the wall and floor, and to show the mess in all it's glory. It also makes it super easy to scoop up all the mess in one go too. 
4. Have your partner or a grandparent over to help - they can take the pics while you encourage baby to smile and smash!
5. Have a few props available. I loved my huge letter R (Baby V's name begins with an R), but a wooden spoon was useful too. You could use a party hat, a crown, a cake stand, balloons, letters spelling out 'One'...
6. Take photos from lots of angles and don't be afraid to take LOADS. You'll have some good ones in there if you keep snapping. 

Let me know how you get on!

Louise
280 Bakes

Choose from all of the cakes available:

  - cupcakes
  - traditional homebakes (e.g. coffee, chocolate, carrot...)
  - buttercream birthday cakes 

​Vegan and gluten free available, as always, on request and at no extra cost. Keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter to see which Bristol area will be next to save precious pennies on their cake orders!

Thank you for taking a look at my blog this week, it is much appreciated  xxx

Louise
​280 Bakes

It's the first week of December: Mince Pies have become the choice for elevenses, festive ideas for decorating are blooming, and the Christmas music is on while we bake. Here's some of the delicious baked goods our team has been producing for events and customer deliveries in the Bristol and Stroud area.

Christmas cupcakes... Mini and full-size Christmas cakes... Mince pies... Reindeer cookies...

Which would you choose for your Christmas table?

Call us on 07835 882817 or email 280bakes@gmail.com before 10th December to book your order in!

Merry Christmas from the team at 280 Bakes, and thanks so much for your support this year. Here's to another successful year of baking!

Louise
Owner, 280 Bakes