Our story, since 2017
“If it wouldn’t make our own birthday table, it doesn’t leave the studio.”
Rosie started Pipkin at weekends, baking for neighbours’ birthdays until the orders outgrew her home oven. Hawthorn Mews came next: two ovens, a long marble bench and a pick-up counter by the door.
Maya joined to pipe the flowers. Between us we keep cakes simple: sponges with real flavour, fillings cooked in the studio and buttercream with a lighter touch. Each order begins with a chat and a drawing, so the finished cake is never a surprise.
Rosie and Maya
Collection mornings start early.
Sponges are baked the afternoon before; the filling and decorating happen in the hours before the door opens. A typical Saturday runs like this.
- 06:15Bench clearedFriday’s sponges come out of their wraps, levelled and ready to stack.
- 07:00Layers stackedJams, curds and buttercream go between the layers, then a thin first coat.
- 08:15Final finishSmooth sides, piping, fruit and blooms, checked against each customer’s drawing.
- 09:00Doors openEach box carries a name label and the allergen card for that cake.
Four habits we keep.
- 01
One drawing per cake
Every order gets its own sketch before we bake, so you see the cake first.
- 02
Fruit in season
Rhubarb in spring, berries in summer, apples and pears as the nights draw in.
- 03
Fillings made here
Jams, curds and caramel are cooked in the studio rather than bought in.
- 04
Price agreed first
You accept a fixed price with the drawing, before any deposit is paid.
- Sample
Rosie Barker
Founder and head baker
Sponges, flavours and tiered cakes
- Sample
Maya Clarke
Cake decorator
Buttercream flowers and piping
Sample reviews
“We arrived with three blurry photos from a wedding fair. The drawing Rosie sent back beat all of them, and so did the lemon tier.”
“Ordered on a Monday for a Friday leaving do. Three flavours, one tidy box, and not a crumb left by four o’clock.”
Tom, Didsbury
Sample review
Cupcake Dozen“Pale, pretty and not too sweet. Half the photos from our daughter’s naming day are of the cake.”
Helen, Sale
Sample review
Edible Flower Cake“Collection was easy, the box was sturdy and the cake survived a car full of seven year olds.”
Priya, Chorlton
Sample review
Sprinkle Drip
Sample rating 4.8 out of 5, entered by the studio itself; not collected from a review platform.
Have a date in mind?
Give us a week for most cakes and up to four weeks for tiers. Saturdays in May, June and December go first.