I wanted to make a baby shower cake for my friend that didn’t fall into the usual trap of twee toes, tiny shoes or teddy bears. If you’ve ever searched baby shower cakes online, you’ll know the genre: pastel fondant, saccharine smiles, and enough cuteness to make your eyelids droop. I very nearly face-planted my keyboard while scrolling through the sea of sameness.

This time, I wanted something different — something playful, a little cheeky, and absolutely in keeping with our signature high-end aesthetic. So I dreamt up a fat, knackered stork, halfway through its long-haul flight to Earth, pausing for a breather with my friend’s precious cargo safely tucked away.

I used a stack of stork reference images and modelled a chubby, slumped sugarpaste version — absolutely done in, but determined. I added a little basket with a quilted fondant blanket in pink and blue, though my favourite detail was the wooden-style signpost I carved from chocolate and KitKat, etched with the countdown to her due date.

The cake itself was a tall two-tier number, alternating layers of vanilla and chocolate sponge made with our beloved Hero recipe, finished with silky vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. (And yes — because the egg whites are cooked, it’s perfectly safe for mums-to-be.)

I piped soft, fluffy clouds around the weary stork, the tiny basket and the signpost. It looked utterly adorable. But I couldn’t resist adding one more flourish: a teeny comic-style slice of cake. Because, frankly, the only believable reason for that stork to stop mid-journey would be cake.

We had it delivered to The Lighterman in Granary Square, Kings Cross (word to the wise: they charge a cakeage fee, so check ahead). Our group of twenty sat along a long table by the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the canal — the perfect backdrop for baby chat, laughter, and generous helpings of sugar.

The food was great, the company even better, and the cake? Well, it did exactly what a celebration cake should do. And no — you don’t need to be friends with me to have this beauty. Our stork baby shower cake is now available to order across London, Berkshire and Surrey.

Love, Reshmi xoxo

If you’re planning something joyful and sweet, our baby shower cakes are crafted to make every celebration feel that little bit more magical.