CAKE is always an excellent idea - perhaps even more so when you can have it delivered to your door!
Whether it's for a wedding, birthday, corporate do, special occasion, or to say thanks, congratulations or just treat yourself, these eight local dessert businesses make organising and enjoying sweet treats easy.
RUSTIC SUGAR
Arizona-born Cassie Vanstone started Rustic Sugar, with her husband Blake, after the birth of her daughter last year.
A qualified pastry chef who has worked in restaurants and bakeries across the US and Australia, she identified a gap in the market for simple, classic, homestyle cakes made with high-quality ingredients.
"I specialise in American-style desserts," Vanstone says. "We have lots of different things from big chunky cookies, layer cakes, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and cheesecake to sweet pies, like apple, berry, pumpkin, and pecan.
"Pies are my family's speciality, and you definitely don't find them on many menus here. I think it is something that has really set me apart from the rest."
Rustic Sugar operates as a small-batch, fully-licensed home bakery that is exclusively online. Order through the website for free delivery within Newcastle on all orders over $50. Delivery fees outside of Newcastle vary based on the cost of the order and location.
HONEY-BELLE CAKERY
Self-described foodie and baking lover, Chelsea Vowles, started her Maitland-based business Honey-Belle Cakery in 2016 making wedding and event cakes.
"Now, I not only continue to create beautiful bespoke cakes for weddings and special events, but also have a second product line consisting of smaller layer cakes and other sweet treats that can be ordered online for any occasion or reason that calls for cake," Vowles says.
"Honey-Belle's range includes delicious cakes in a variety of flavours and sizes, with vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options available.
"Some popular flavours are my chunky carrot cake, spiced honey rose cake, and pistachio strawberry cake.
"We also have a range of small, sweet treats, which includes things like our famous wagon wheels, honey jumbles and hazelnut choc fudge brownies."
Honey-Belle delivers to Maitland, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, and Lake Macquarie, with the price led by order size and location.
"We've also just started attending some local Hunter and Newcastle markets this year, where we sell a selection of fresh cakes by the slice and some small, sweet bites," she says.
A SWEET RIDE CALLED CLYDE
Stacey Cleaver is the talented pastry chef behind A Sweet Ride Called Clyde. She's been making delicious pastries for over 15 years, including eight years in England, where she worked as a head pastry chef and at a two Michelin-starred establishment.
Cleaver launched A Sweet Ride Called Clyde in September 2017. Working from Corlette in Port Stephens, her menu includes eclairs, tarts, cakes, macarons, doughnuts, celebration cakes, fudge, honeycomb, sharing boxes, and gifts for special days.
"I absolutely love what I do and feel incredibly grateful every single day. I feel very blessed that people trust me with their special occasions and celebrations," Cleaver says.
"I occasionally get referred to as a 'cake fairy', and after years of working in hospitality it makes me so happy to be able to share my passion and love of patisserie with our beautiful community."
Cleaver offers delivery to Newcastle on Tuesdays and Fridays for a small fee (based on your suburb) and Port Stephens every day, except Sundays.
WONDERLAND KITCHEN
"Like a lot of people last year, I found myself struggling in the midst of a global pandemic and lockdown," explains Newcastle-based baker Kathryn Drysdale on why she started Wonderland Kitchen.
"I desperately wanted to find a way to bring some joy back to people. I combined my love of all things Alice in Wonderland with my love of creating delicious things, threw in a dash of being coeliac - hilarious, I know, a coeliac baker - and fell down the rabbit hole."
Drysdale makes all manner of sweet treats - from wedding cakes, cupcakes, and celebration cakes, to marshmallows, cookies, tarts, and tea party treats. She is also happy to cater for dietary requirements.
"If you're gluten-free and your heart is begging you for a profiterole, I have got you," she says.
Orders can be placed online through the Wonderland Kitchen website with contact-free delivery offered in Newcastle for all orders over $40. Prices range between $5 and $15 depending on your suburb.
CHOUX PATISSERIE
Nic and Tara Poelaert moved to Lake Macquarie seven years ago after the birth of their second child.
They made the move north from Melbourne - where they owned and ran two hatted fine dining restaurants - to be closer to family.
The husband-and-wife team launched Choux Patisserie, a year later, as a mobile business that sold their popular signature eclairs at markets and events. They opened their permanent kiosk in Charlestown Square 18 months ago.
"We were able to expand our range and offer macarons and other pastries, including gluten-free options, that are light, pleasant and not overly sweet," says Nic.
"We use real ingredients and nothing artificial. Our eclairs and tarts are filled with fruits, sweetened and flavoured custards, and topped with mousses or mascarpone cheesecakes.
"While our macarons are made by hand and filled with real French-style fruit ganache, like quality white or dark chocolate with fresh fruits - not nasty essences."
Choux offer delivery to Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and the Hunter Valley on a case-by-case basis, generally for sizeable event orders, such as weddings, birthdays, or corporate gatherings.
HEY SUGAR CAKE CO.
"I, myself, am a massive sweet tooth and have always loved to gift friends and family with cupcakes and cookies to celebrate milestones in their lives," explains Kathryn Buckler of Newcastle-based Hey Sugar Cake Co.
"Like birthdays, promotions, new additions to their families or, on the flip side, when they are just feeling a bit down and could use a pick me up.
"During COVID, I needed a bit more of a creative outlet and saw an opportunity to bring a bit of happiness to people's day-to-day through sugar in the form of contactless dessert box gift delivery."
Hey Sugar Cake Co. is an online business offering a range of custom dessert boxes that include cookies, cupcakes, brownies, mixed chocolates, and lollies.
Buckler says a majority of the orders she receives are from people organising a surprise for a loved one to brighten their day.
"I also create custom cakes and cookies for larger events ranging from birthdays and christenings through to large weddings," she says.
Hey Sugar Cake Co. deliver to a range of Newcastle suburbs for a flat rate of $9 between Monday and Friday. Delivery to suburbs outside Newcastle can be discussed before booking.
DOUGHHEADS
Anna Farthing, founder and creative director of Doughheads, started the much-loved Newcastle-based business in June 2014.
"At the time, I was working on a separate business idea, but thought that doughnuts might make a fun side project," she says.
It was an idea that soon became something much bigger. Doughheads began as a home-based business doing local markets before transitioning into retail with a pop-up store in Hunter Street and later opening their flagship store and cafe in The Junction in August 2016.
On offer are delectable doughnuts made fresh daily in a variety of flavours on three types of dough - regular, vegan, and low gluten. Alongside this is their house-made salted caramel and vanilla sauces and Floozy coffee.
Custom doughnuts and event and wedding doughnuts can also be catered for.
Order online - there is no minimum spend or volume required - via the Doughheads' website. Delivery is available to select Newcastle suburbs (within a 15km radius of the store) with the cost (between $3.95 and $13.95) dependent on the distance.
CAKED BY BECK
"Baking is something I've always loved to do, ever since I could sit on the kitchen bench with my maternal grandmother as a toddler and help her bake cakes, slices and the like," Beck Hemmingway says.
Hemmingway started her business, Caked by Beck, from her home kitchen in Thornton in October 2012, while on maternity leave with her first child.
"I would bake all day and my husband would come home to a house full of baked goods," she says.
"It got to the point where he couldn't keep up with getting through all I had baked. So, I decided I should see if other people would like to try my creations.
"I started with taking orders for cupcakes and I only charged the cost price for the ingredients and didn't charge for labour. I used this as an opportunity to gain experience and to get feedback. From there it just grew."
Caked by Beck now employs a team of six cake decorators and operates from a commercial kitchen in Ashtonfield.
"We sell custom cakes, cupcakes and cookies. All personalised to suit each special occasion," she says. "We teach classes for both kids and adults and host cupcake decorating parties too."
Orders over $50 can be delivered to most areas in the locality - from Belmont to Port Stephens and inland to Broke - with the fee based on the suburb.
