Of course not, to me too much cake is a thing of beauty – it’s all about choice. When Marie Antoinette said let them eat cake all she was offering was stale brioche, which isn’t even a cake. The queens favourite cake in England is Chocolate which happens to be the most popular cake in the world including mine followed by red velvet, which is a bit of a fake because it’s just chocolate cake with red food colouring. (And we all know most red food colourings is made from crushed up Amazonian beetles – oh, sorry thought you knew!)
Moving swiftly on –
Followed by carrot and then banana, covid brought an insurgence of banana cake even I got on board the banana cake train, talking about banana’s – gluten free Banana flour, made with green bananas is the next food craze – you heard it here first.
Scotland was known poetically as the land of cakes but what cafes have the best range of cakes in Norwich and beyond, I’m talking those places that offer at least 8 cake choices for your cake choosing pleasure.
So, while I was enjoying a pot of Camomile in Bramley’s I noticed they had at least 8 cakes on the counter which got me thinking of the very few places in Norwich and beyond who have that many cakes or more – here are the ones I could think of.
Bramley’s make delicious cakes I was eating a triple layered Oreo Chocolate Fudge Cake which also had the ends iced (I love that extra icing on the ends – makes all the difference) the sisters who run the café told me they have at least eight on the counter and at least one dairy free, one gluten free and one vegan always available.
Heydon Tea Rooms had 16 different sweet treats on asking yesterday, 5 types of scones and a dozen different cakes on the counter. Last time I was there I chose a Sticky Date Coconut Cake, while hubby had a Chocolate Guinness Cake.
And the winner of the most cakes on a counter goes to Figbar who told me they have between 15 and 20 different cakes plus 3 – 4 dessert pots and 5 plated menu desserts, which I can confirm are delicious. As is the jaffa cake which I am always drawn towards.
The Cuppie Hut as well as having a market stall also have a takeaway café with a few seats on Guildhall they offer 8 different cupcake flavours, 5 different brownies, 2 types of blondies and usually some vegan choices plus allsorts in-between including cake jars – so over a dozen choices. My two-favourite depending on what mood I’m in, is the Mars Cornflake Crunch (sneaked in to Cinema city when I’m in need for a chocolate fix) plus the Bake Mel Tart made of course by Mel (one half of Mel and Kim – not the band, rather the Cuppie Bakers) that’s my grownup choice when I’m calm and in need of a comforting jammy hit.
Café 33 – is the hotspot in the city for brunch but they also make a whole array of cakes with their most popular cake being Vanilla White Chocolate and Berry.
Sweet Tree Patisserie in Lakenham has between 12 and 16 cakes, cheesecakes and meringue based tarts on the counter. Flavours vary but expect to see Chocolate Fudge Cake, Carrot Cake, Ferrero Roche Cheesecake, Lotus Biscoff Cake, Apple Shortcake, Kinder Bueno Cookie Pie and a Dequise which I can’t say but know it’s a triple layer meringue with crushed nuts, coffee butter cream and covered in chocolate ganache which happens to be my hubby’s favourite.
All the above make fresh cakes in house and prices are from £2.70 but all under a fiver.
I’ll end this by giving you the most interesting Cakie Fact –
In old superstition, It was said that placing a takeaway piece of Wedding fruit cake under your pillow at night would make you dream about your future husband. I’m tempted to do this with a piece of Cuppie huts fruit slice but feel I would definitely eat it before I fell asleep and feel by this very point that no one would want to marry me ever again!
Zena Leech-Calton