This week, I happened to time my birthday with a trip to Sheffield’s own slice of paradise, Fancie cupcakes. Founder and professional pastry chef, Amanda Parry is fast becoming Sheffield’s cupcake sweetheart. I got sidetracked by my favourite birthday ingredients, tea and erm, two cupcakes, but that didn’t matter as Amanda’s agreed to do a guest post giving us the inside story on the inspiration for her edible works of art. She’s russled up a tasty competition for cupcake lovers too.
It was in December 2007 that I first decided to rekindle the baking skills I’d honed in a number of top UK kitchens. While at my parents over Christmas, I looked around at the chocolates that had been left by well wishers and it got me thinking… buying a box full of unique, individually-wrapped chocolates was second nature to the average consumer, why wasn’t that the case with cake?
So I set about creating a ‘box of cakes’ in my kitchen. I managed to make a selection of miniature versions of British classics – victoria sandwich, coffee and lemon – all moist and as fresh as if they were straight from your Granny’s tea tray.
Then I realised, if this were to be a feasible business, I needed to make my cakes less fiddly and easy to produce in large numbers. My solution? A compact, individual cake that could encapsulate any style combo, flavour or colour the heart could desire, a cupcake. It seemed so obvious, I wondered why no one else was doing it? Little did I know that on the big screen SJP, Kim Cattrall and gang were devouring the very same thing in Magnolia bakery, New York.
The recipe for success
We’ve been trading for 18 months and opened three shops on Sharrowvale Road, The Winter Gardens and The Sheffield Union. Now number four is on its way (watch this space), so what’s been Fancie’s recipe for success?
I guess it must be the combination of my training, eye for detail and simply a love of baking. I’m not saying we’ve never had a complaint, but Paloma Faith enjoyed hers so much, she ordered some for her guitarist’s birthday, they helped Nick Clegg through Election Day and Eric Clapton sent his daughter a box for her birthday. We’ve been featured on BBC, Channel 4, Vogue Magazine and The Guardian. I could go on but that would make me sound like a media crazy name dropper, when actually all I’m interested in is freshly baked and lip-smackingly good cake!
Tasty competition – a random act of cupcake kindness
If you know someone who’s crazy about cupcakes, why not make their day and nominate them for a box of twelve of Amanda’s delights. Three runners up will win a £10 voucher to spend at one of Fancie’s outlets in Sheffield or Leeds. All you have to do is say in a maximum of 100 words why you think they deserve her cupcakes!
Use the comments box below to tell us why and which town you are based in (Sheffield and Leeds post codes only) Winners will be contacted by the 1st October. Your potential recipient may be happy to hear that they were worthy of nomination even if they didn’t win!
I would nominate my parents – because they are apparently going to be much happier when I leave home according to one of their friends (they honestly said that parent’s are much happier when their children have moved out) and they have kind of done a lot for me over the past 22 years so to send them to them as a leaving gift (cause hopefully I won’t have to move back in!) then that would be quite nice – even though my Mum is a gluten free and wouldn’t be able to eat them, she can look and appreciate the gesture!
There were far too many brackets in that paragraph, but yeah – I would nominate my parents who are a bit ace.
I’m nominating @miss_JennJenn – she’s off work sick at the moment, feeling sorry for herself, & doesn’t know when she’ll get back. Not fitting in at work has been hard for us both (musos in the NHS anyone?) but we’ve bonded over that and being eerily similar in hundreds of other ways, so I just wanted to thank her for being my surrogate twin (and Sheffield’s version of me) with some Fancie cupcakes – we’re both huge fans of cake and I know she LOVES Fancie :). Hooray for a kindred spirit to make rubbish bits of life more bearable! x
I would nominate my best friend Helen! She’s got 5 month year old twins that had their first Fancie experience this week, they couldn’t have any cake but their eyes were wide open taking in all the pretty colours! She really deserves lots of treats because she really has her hands full! She was so pleased that the pram actually fit in to Fancie, she doesn’t fit in the post office or lots of other coffee shops!
I’d like to nominate all my lovely colleagues at rckt. I started here three months ago and they’ve really made me feel like part of the rckt family. So it would be a lovely cakey thank you to all the boys here who constantly ply me with biscuits, cakes and cups of tea (which means I’ve had to up my swimming to keep up with all those calories… ha ha it would be calorie payback)!!!
I’d like to nominate my Mum. She visits my Nan 3x a day,(Nan has Alzheimer’s) manages her own home and cares for my brother and his son (he recently split from his partner, works shifts, moved home and has a young two year old who stays over). Her whole life is dedicated to others. Now, despite the fact she’d share all her cupcakes with those around her, I’d like to think she could sit down and enjoy one with a cuppa! I want her to know what an amazing, inspiring woman she is.
Ben is a massive fan of Fancie. He seems to be constantly buying your cupcakes and bought his wife a beautiful (and enormous) cake for her birthday.
He never stops banging on about your cakes on his Twitter page. He’s pretty much ambassador for Fancie and his tweets always make me and my friends want to pop to your shop and treat ourselves.
Ben really deserves a treat as he works incredibly hard for NUS supporting students (many of whom buy your cakes) and has also recently become a father for the second time so needs lots of encouragement to have a nice sit down with a cup of tea and some cake!
I would like to nominate the ladies at City Centre Box Office. They are a small team who man the phones from 10-8 Monday – Saturday as well as processing internet bookings for The Carriageworks, Leeds Town Hall and various other events in the city. Alongside actual ticket sales they regularly deal with enquiries about events in the city as a whole. The busiest season is approaching with Leeds International Film Festival, The Carriageworks Pantomime and Ice Cube not far off, and I think they deserve a sugary treat before they’re even busier!
I second that!
I nominate Lucyl, a third year dentistry student at the University of Sheffield and my ex-housemate. She’s genuinely the nicest person I know and despite her chosen profession, has a serious love for all things sweet. A founder of the University’s Cooking Society, Lucy is cupcake personified and wrapped in a Cath Kidston apron.
She carries out genuine acts of random kindness… I once happened to mention that sunflowers are my favourite flowers. One day, a few weeks later, I found a miniature pressed sunflower on my dressing table. For no reason at all but to make me smile 🙂
I want to nominate my great friend David.
He has been so supportive to me throughout my recent breakup and subsequent divorce, which unfortunately led to my depression coming back.
He is always there when I need a rant, a chat, a laugh. David always knows the right thing to say.
And he does all this whilst working all over the country, visiting his seriously ill mother in hospital and co-ordinating care for her and his father, who is also unwell.
Basically, he has been an angel.
David received these today and said they were ‘little works of art’.
Pleased he enjoyed them and glad @Fancie couldn’t decide on just one random act.
Thanks for the opportunity to remind him he is thought about.
Nikki
I’d like to nominate my 17 year old daughter, Daisy, who always makes cakes for her friends on special occasions. Her boyfriend’s has just gone to uni in London and she spent ages making him a chocolate brownie castle “I’ll miss you” cake. He loved it. His mother cried. It would be great for Daisy to receive some cakes instead of giving. She is due to visit her boyfriend in London next weekend, and a box of cupcakes for them would be lovely 🙂
I would like to nominate the Big Issue sellers in the centre of Sheffield. Depending on my route I can pass five into town and I dare say a cake or two each would lend a little cheer
I would like to nominate my next door neighbours, a retired sweet couple, they have been so friendly, helpful and lovely with my kids. A joy to live next too.
We are moving house next week I will miss them more than my house!
I would like to nominate my sister Jennie. She has had a rough couple of years, not helped by her missing out on a holiday of a lifetime to Mexico when she had an accident and very badly broke her leg. She had a fixator, a cage like device, on her leg for months and despite a lot of pain and discomfort, never complained or felt sorry for herself. She is my hero and I’m so proud of her.
I would like to nominate the headteacher at Abbey Lane Primary where I work, she is acting head at the moment and receiving loads of hassle from parents and the LEA due to changes happening which are beyond her control, shes totally fab to work for and I would love to bring a little bright colour and sweetness into her work day with yummy cupcakes!! <3
I’m nominating my girlfriend, Charlotte, as she’s been through the hardest 12 months of her life and I’ve been baking cupcakes for her as treat to cheer her up and help her get through the bad times. She’s been in hospital with appendicitis, then got sacked from her job, evicted from her home, and then had to live in an absolutely disgusting place working horrible jobs, trying to scrape herself back out of the gutter that the malice of other people put her into. After everything that’s happened these cupcakes are certain to put a smile on her face.
I’d like to nominate the humanities department at Batley Girls High School – they are a fab bunch of teachers and faculty assistants who work soooo hard to help the girls get good exam results and they really deserve a treat !
I would like to nominate my husband! we got married one month ago and since then ive been unemployed and miserable, so would like to inject some sweetness back into his life, and thank him for being the best husband ever! x
My husband because he puts up with my moaning every day. He gets up early, makes coffee for me so that I can sit in bed and drink it then makes our breakfasts. He also does his share of housework, gardening and such like so he deserves a sweet treat to brighten HIS day.
We are based in Leeds.
I would really like to nominate my mum Lisa
She’s absolutely amazing and I couldn’t ask for any more
She’s brought me up single handedly and I’d really love to surprise her and show her how much I appreciate everything she’s done for me.
We don’t have a lot of money and can’t always have what we want but we’ve got each other and she’s spent a lot of time enforcing into me that love is more valuable than materialism. Please let me treat her
my girlfriend because shes very special too me and shes having my baby..
I would like to nominate my beautiful daughter Katie who must be the biggest cupcake fan there is. It is her 18th birthday on the 1st of October so it seems fitting that the Amanda’s cupcake competition ends on her birthday.
She made lots of lovely cupcakes for the elderly when they needed to raise funds and they sold like hot cakes. She took so much time and put so much love into making them pretty.
I’ve never seen anyone more excited when they see cupcakes then her, so this would really be the icing on her birthday cake. x
i would nominate my son fiancee Lucy because everytime we go out she as to call and buy herself a cupcake and i think winning this would make her day .
I would nominate my girlfriend, Emily. After starting a dance school in Ireland Wood with 7 pupils, she has built it up to have c.150 2-17 year olds, has brought international dance stars to Leeds for workshops for the children…and on her busiest day (Saturday), she teaching non-stop from 9-3 and has c.90 2-10 year old students through the door – a Fancie Cupcake will be the perfect way to finish the day.
My boyfriend, because since losing my job, he’s come home from work every lunch time to cheer me up. He helps and supports me with every job I apply for and he’s always there for me when I get down about my situation. He always treats me with little suprises and it’d be great if I could do the same for him. He absolutely loves cupcakes too!!
Oh… And we both live in Sheffield too 🙂
My friend Helen cause she has just split up with her boyfriend and needs chearing up in the shape of some fancies cupcakes. With some bright coloured iceing, and a bit of sparkle the smile will be back on her face in no time!! Sheffield!! xxx
My soon to be husband! My life has been very complicated in the past month and he has stepped up and taken care of me and even has asked me to marry him 🙂
I’d like to nominate my friend. She has
faced tremendous personal difficulties
in recent years, culminating in a breast
cancer diagnosis when her child was just
a year old. She has uncomplainingly
fought this disease for nearly three years
and, throughout this time, she has never
forgotten what is happening in her friends’
lives. She’s always there when you need
someone, offering support, advice or
chocolates! She’s amazing and some cupcakes
would make her day!!
P.S. Sorry about the rubbish formatting – it’s
my phone!