I’ve seen the sun this week! (Please come back!) Perhaps this long, long Winter might actually end soon. I decided this would be the perfect time, as thoughts of seaside visits start to creep into your thoughts, to tell you about our great cake quest to Brighton and Hove.
If you’ve been following us on Twitter, you’ll know that we’ve begun our cake adventure across Britain, scouring the country to find the best places to eat cake. A few weeks ago I ventured South, on a thankfully mild Saturday, to visit Brighton and Hove. It was a wonderful, gluttonous day as I raced around the city tasting as many cakes as I could, meeting wonderful bakers and chefs and café owners.
In the coming weeks we be plotting the best venues for cake on our online Great Cake Places map so you will be able to view all of these and more. For now, in hopes of sunny weekends ahead requiring beachside daytrips, here are some recommendations for Great Cake Places in Brighton and Hove. Please let us know in the comments below if you’ve been to any of these or would recommend others!
Treacle & Co
So many cakes! More than twenty cakes at any one time, most of them made inhouse. The mind boggles with choice here. Everything from pistachio & rose to chocolate, cherry and lemon and a wonderful three-layer Victoria sponge with a twist: it includes lavender as well.
Choccywoccydoodah
Masters of decoration! You’ll know Choccywoccydoodah from their UKTV Food show, series 4 starting soon! Go and marvel at their incredible cake and chocolate creations.
Marwood Café
A very funky coffee shop with at least two monster-sized, “life changing” cakes on show. Homemade and utilising unusual ingredients. Mind the marvellous loos!
Blackbird Tea Rooms
A selection of homemade cakes that taste as delicious as they look, almost like they’ve walked out of a Hummingbird Bakery cookbook.
Flourtown Bakery
American baking has a strong influence here. Try the Pecan Buns, oozing with sticky goodness; a tower of gorgeous layer cake; or Oatmeal & Maple scones, US style: that’s right, they’re iced. Every single item is made from scratch in the kitchen behind the counter, including the croissants and the puff pastry!
Sugardough
Queues are out the door for bread and patisserie at this rustic bakery. Once it’s gone it’s gone, I watched owner and baker, Kane, have to disappoint several customers in the early afternoon. It’s a shame for them they didn’t console themselves with a piece of his incredible flourless chocolate cake.
Metrodeco
How could you not instantly fall in love with this steamy (literally, and figuratively) parlour of glamour? A gorgeous vintage theme and a bar burgeoning with cakes that are homemade by a variety of local women. They even offer tea-based cocktails in tea pots!
Grocer & Grain
Primarily a grocers, there is always a small selection of cakes that tend to be include some made from some kind of fruit or vegetables. Co-owner Lizzie calls it “upcycling the vegetables”. Genius.
Koba Café
Their mud pie is more tart than cake – not that it ever tried to pretend to be anything else! Regardless, I was glad I took the recommendation and bought a slice to take away. It is surprisingly and addictively good. The lemon drizzle cake that I rejected it for looked pretty special too.
Cloud 9
All about cupcakes and ice cream, both made in-house. Paul and Hannah will always with some other cake on offer as well. The cupcakes are excellent, where the sponge is fresh and tasty and the frosting compliments it just right. Check out their dessert club evenings for a real treat.
Angel Cupcakes
Judging just from the one carrot cupcake we tried, I’d say Angel fits the bill of cupcakes that are more than just sweetness and light. They kindly opened the door after hours for me to try this one that was left. I’d love to try more.
Are these the best cakes in Brighton? If there are any other cake shops you would recommend please
click here to tell us your suggestions!