Cupcakes as Presents?

I’m sure for many people cupcakes has never crossed their mind really when trying to think of gift ideas. But maybe today I will change your mind… Recently I discovered cupcake bouquets when looking for a gift for a relative, and I was amazed! The talent and detail that goes into these cupcakes is unmatched and truly a work of art. The flowers are carefully created with piped buttercream in a variety of different colours and look so realistic. This year, my mum and I have gifted cupcake bouquets multiple times and every time the recipient has absolutely loved them! We also bought a bouquet to treat ourselves after a week of running about like headless chickens and they were definitely the perfect reward of our hard work. The cupcakes are so moist themselves the buttercrem is so smooth and yummy! They taste and look amazing!

Each time we have ordered the cupcake bouquets from Pauline at Westhaven Cakes in Newtownards. Westhaven cakes is a small local business that properly started up just over a year ago. Pauline was kind enough to answer a few questions sharing about her life and business.

I began by asking what inspired Pauline to start Westhaven Cakes? “I started Westhaven Cakes purely as a hobby at first, then after 2 years and much deliberation I took the plunge to register myself with the local council and see where it would go… This was over a year ago and it has been slow, but I am finally getting my name out there now. I took online tutorials on floral piping with ‘Taylor Made Cake Courses’ and the cupcake bouquets took off” I was then interested to know what she found was the best part of being a small business. “My favourite thing of being a small business is the ability to create a home life work balance to suit myself”. Like any business owner a massive positive can be the ability to be your own boss and choose working hours, holidays, and the amount of work they take on. I think a lot of you will agree that this aspect of business owning sounds just dreamy! As well as knowing how Pauline found being a small business, I was also interested in similarly what her favourite part of her job was. “My favourite part of my job is the reaction of my clients when they see or receive their purchase. I love being able to make someone’s day that bit more special.” As a hobby baker myself, it intrigued me on whether Pauline enjoyed the things she regularly baked for her customers or if she had other things she preferred to bake. This led me to ask what her favourite thing to bake was… “I guess I really love the floral cupcake bouquets, I love how they look and try to make them as realistic as I can with buttercream.” As we can see she does an absolutely incredible job with make the flower cupcakes seem realistic too, it truly takes so much talent! Of course, we had to know what Pauline’s top baked good to munch on was as well! “My coffee cake :D” Then back to the business aspect of this conversation I wanted to find out some information for anyone considering starting a business and was interested in what Pauline’s one piece of advice she would give to someone considering starting or running a small business would be. “My advice is to be patient, be confident, and trust in yourself.” My most recent purchase from Westhaven cakes was a 4-piece cupcake bouquet with a yellow theme for a close friend of mine. Pauline was able to add a personal touch with a topper and delivered the cupcakes to the house as well!

Now cupcake bouquets are one of the first presents that come to mind when a birthday is coming up. They are so easy to order, can be personalised to the recipient’s favourite colour, a topper or flower, and the convenience of getting them delivered is so handy. Thank you so much to Pauline who took the time to answer all these questions and I hope anyone reading will check out Westhaven Cakes on Facebook or Instagram (especially if you are local and looking for a present idea)! I have also failed to mention throughout this post that Pauline also bakes some fantastic looking cakes, that I am yet to try but definitely plan to in the future!