We sat down with Lanark bakery owner Laura Graham for an indulgent morning of flavour tasting and wedding cake design inspiration
Clear acrylic cake tiers are an excellent way to add height to a design without splashing out on an additional layer of cake – plus there are so many fun ways you can choose to fill them from fairy lights to your favourite flowers
Of all the many planning tasks, surely none is as sweet as choosing a cake. But with so many flavours and designs out there, you really need an expert to show you the way.
And expertise is exactly what you’ll find at Jappacakes, a bakery known for its stunning handmade wedding and celebration cakes. To see how the consultation and tasting process works first-hand, we headed to the shop in the centre of Lanark and sat down with owner and baker, Laura Graham.
When it comes to bespoke cake designs, Laura and the team are brilliant at getting creative and seeing a theme through
Wedding cake consultations in Lanark with Jappacakes
Jappacakes is a well-loved wedding cake shop in Lanark, known for its bespoke designs and flavour-packed bakes. It’s grown significantly in recent years, now with five team members and three ‘Jappavan’ delivery drivers – meaning the bakery can handle multiple weddings on the same day with ease.
While Jappacakes is best known for fully custom wedding cake designs, it now also offers ‘package cakes’ through its Simplicity and Simplicity Plus ranges.
These are streamlined, pre-designed options that are popular with couples who want something beautiful but budget-friendly. “If someone books a fixed-price cake, they’ll only ever pay that amount – even if their wedding is next year,” owner Laura explains.
Perfectly covered in pearls, this four-tier wedding cake brought a slice (or more!) of luxury to the Eastons' wedding day
Choosing your wedding cake design and flavours
The Simplicity range is based around classic Victoria sponge, while Simplicity Plus offers five flavour options.
And when it comes to looks, you won’t be short of choice: both ranges feature more than 35 pre-designed styles, with new ones added regularly to reflect current wedding trends.
So, what’s trending?
“Scottish-themed cakes and intricate, vintage-inspired buttercream piping are really popular,” says Laura
See the gorgeous vintage heart design cake Jappacakes made for our Citation Glasgow elopement shoot
But couples can go as niche as they like – especially when opting for a bespoke design.
“Right now, I’m working on a cake with skydiving, sports cars and mini bottles of alcohol – it was inspired by my own wedding cake’s design style, yet still totally different as mine was covered in Marvel and Star Wars references!” she laughs.
Laura reassures her couples that the key to picking a design is to take the pressure off. “Unless your cake is a top priority, it shouldn’t be about finding ‘the one’ – just one that you love,” she says with a smile.
And even after you book, it’s not set in stone: Jappacakes allows changes up to 12 weeks before the big day.
"The vintage buttercream style cake is hugely popular just now," owner Laura says. "The piping work takes a bit of time to make sure it’s just perfect and if you make a mistake it’s really difficult to fix without having to start again! It’s just such a pretty thing though and I hope it’s a trend that’s here to stay. I could pipe all day long – although I do have a touch of tendonitis from all the buttercream cakes we make these days!"
What to expect from your wedding cake tasting at Jappacakes
Jappacakes offers both in-store and wedding cake tasting boxes by post, letting couples try flavours in their own time.
“We find that people tend to feel more relaxed tasting at home,” Laura says. “A lot of couples book a morning consultation and don’t realise they’re about to eat ten cake samples at 9am,” Laura chuckles.
Flying solo for the TTKS team, I rose to the challenge. From Nutella to Malteser, the bakes were bold, moist and seriously indulgent. My personal favourites? Lemon, red velvet and white chocolate & raspberry coulis.
Choosing just one flavour is tough, but the good news is you don’t have to. “It’s common to have a different flavour for each tier. Keep an open mind – you never know what you might love.”
Tasting wedding cake flavours at Jappacakes – what a job!
How much wedding cake do you need? And who delivers it?
It turns out, less is more when it comes to quantities.
“Plan for 75–80% of your guest list,” Laura advises. “Some won’t want any cake, and others will have seconds, so it balances out.”
When it comes to delivery, you’re in safe hands.
“All cakes are delivered by trained decorators – and if it’s a heavily buttercream-based cake or involves fresh flowers? That’ll be me – I like to see my creations through to the end,” Laura says.
One less thing to worry about on your big day.
Discover even more wedding cake suppliers who can add some sweetness to your big day
Final verdict: is Jappacakes worth a visit?
After meeting Laura and sampling her creations, I can safely say that for couples looking to tick at least one wedding task off their list with ease, Jappacakes’ creativity and delicious bakes will make the experience a piece of cake.
Whether you go bespoke or choose a Simplicity package, you’ll walk away with something that reflects your style – and tastes fantastic too.
Ruffled and pink to make the bride and groom wink – another delicious creation from the Lanark bakery
