While scrolling through Instagram over recent months, it’s likely you’ve spotted a new craze taking the fashion world by storm: retro 80s cakes. Elaborately decorated with whipped cream frills, glacé cherries and old-fashioned curlicue writing, these multi-tiered pastel-hued masterpieces have made appearances at all the coolest fashion parties, as well as high-profile weddings across the land. If you’re looking to get your hands on one of these 80s-style retro cakes, these are the buzziest bakers in London to order from.
Where To Find 80s cakes in London
The Proof
This independent Dalston-based bakery was founded by self-taught cook and baker Francesca Strange, who learnt her craft at the hands of her Italian Nonna. After years of gigging as a music journalist her passion for puddings took over, and she decided to turn her baking side hobby into a business. She’s made a name for herself with her eye-catching designs, which range from pretty vintage 80s cakes in pastel hues to her more rock ‘n roll-style shag cakes, which come in an array of technicolour hues and leopard print patterns.
The Pink Cooker
As you might expect from the name, this Chelsea-based baker has a penchant for all things pink, from her confectionary-coloured cakes down to her candyfloss-hued KitchenAid, which often appears in the background of her Instagram shots. Self-taught baker Arevik started her business in April 2021, posting her intricately decorated creations on Instagram, and has swiftly become the go-to cakemaker for some of London’s most stylish women, including Alice Naylor-Leyland, Candice Lake and Amy Jackson. Made using organic ingredients, every cake is bespoke, so you know you’re getting a true one-off when you order.
Hebe Konditori
The fashion crowd can’t get enough of the buttercream-loaded bakes from Hebe Konditori, with the likes of Burberry, Gucci and Rixo all commissioning 80s cakes from the London baker. Founder Sarah Hardy studied sculpture at The Glasgow School of Art, and it’s not hard to see her artistic influence in her cleverly crafted designs, which range from acid green and ombré Marie Antoinette cakes covered in swags and ruffles to chic chequerboard bakes in sweet pastel hues.
April’s Baker
There’s nothing understated about an April’s Baker cake, with each design more gloriously ornate than the last. Founded by Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Roxy Mankoo and her sister Corinne, this sibling-run bakery is all about attention to detail – think gilded icing and Georgian-inspired piping fit for a palace (one of Mankoo’s main references is the royal wedding cakes of the 1950s). The fashion set can’t get enough of their elaborate creations, with Alexa Chung and Susie Cave both having ordered celebratory retro cakes from here.
Dee’s Basement
This east London-based confectionary studio was founded by Dee Omole in 2017 and bakes cakes that make you happy – sometimes quite literally, in the case of the pastel smiley face sweet treats she recently whipped up for the cult Palm Vaults store in Hackney. Her retro cakes veer towards the more subtle in style, with elaborate frills occasionally swapped for simpler cream kisses topped with glacé cherries. As well as her beautiful cakes Dee’s also known for her signature chocolate covered madeleines, which she hand-paints with elegant flowers and patterns.
Bakes by Olivia
South east Londoner Olivia Hill is the queen of the show stopping wedding cake, with her elaborate three-tiered creations often grabbing more attention than the bride’s gown. Her specialism lies in her witty slogans and her truly intricate piping work, which has seen her pick out tiny rosebuds, toadstools and shells on her sugar-filled masterpieces. More is definitely more with Olivia’s 80s cakes – there’s no such thing as too much decoration or too much pink in this baker’s world.
