When we were little, we remember eating A LOT of black forest gateau birthday cakes. Soft, pillowy whipped cream sandwiched between rich chocolate sponge. If you were lucky and your mum got the cake from the right baker, they used ârealâ cherries. Not the supermarket sickly sweet artificial kind. And if you were even luckier, you got a corner piece! Two sides wrapped in cream covered again with hundreds of delicate chocolate curls. We were probably buzzing for days!
At Halli & Shah, we know just how much cake hits the comfort spot, but can sometimes get a bad press. So, it has been our mission to develop delicious flavours, consciously minimising sugars, uncompromising on taste.
When Halli met Shah…
We are Ramani (Halliwell) and Anjali (Shah), two mothers with a long-standing friendship and passion for good food. We met when our children were in Reception and bonded over shared experiences of baking for friends and family. Over the years, our cakes became regular features at social events and spurred on by wonderful feedback we launched during Lockdown 2.0 to spread home-baked joy to everyone!
Many of our creations are seeded in traditional family recipes that have been passed through the generations. We both come from cultures where food plays an important social and celebratory part in our lives and for us not only is it about nourishment – food is to be savoured and remembered as part of a great occasion. As mothers, we know that the odd cookie here and there isnât terrible, but weâre mindful of what we give our kids and this feeds into our cakes, handmade with the freshest, high-quality ingredients.
âHow do I like my eggs? Umm…in a cakeâ – Anonymous
When making our cakes, Halli & Shah always use organic, fair trade and sustainable products. We believe this really makes a difference to the taste, and also resonates with our customers. Ingredients are chosen carefully and prepped with loving care and attention.
Each bake is fresh, bespoke and, unlike mass-produced high street offerings, nothing we make is frozen beforehand. Our cakes are best eaten within a few days, as we donât use additives or preservatives. We also avoid excessive fondant or royal icing which is too sugary and often thrown away.
Our best creations often come from the briefest spec as this allows us to push the boundaries of our imagination with new flavour combinations and designs, and offer options our clients may not have even dreamed of. For instance, special cupcakes make a lovely addition to a cutting cake, so that everyone gets an equal portion without the mess!
At Halli & Shah, we appreciate just how important a celebration cake is. With each order we meticulously go through everything with you, to ensure our customers get exactly what they want. We discuss design, budget, dietary requirements and flavours unique to each order. After the initial consultation, we spend time on getting the brief just right and pride ourselves on always exceeding expectations.
Our vast array of flavours means that there is something for everyone. We make our own curds and compotes, using fresh fruit. Combinations such as our mango and passion fruit compote, rose and pistachio, and chai masala are big hits!
Cake designs have even been inspired by far flung special holidays our clients remember. One of our most memorable bakes was for a customer who had never ordered a cake for herself â it was always for others, and it gave us so much pleasure when she allowed us to treat her to a fabulous creation. Thatâs what makes it special for us.
A Happy Trio â Babies, Vegetables & Cakes
We are often thrilled to get requests from parents after their child has eaten one of our cakes at a party. In fact, our famous âApple & Kaleâ cake was born when a new mother approached us, as she couldnât find a baker who could make cakes that were suitable for babies. She requested a cake free from additives, preservatives and more importantly, completely free of refined sugars. We eagerly took up the challenge, inspired by using many natural ingredients which babies have already tried.
âI want a Halli & Shah cakeâ is one of the proudest compliments we receive!
Top Tips for Home Bakers
We both have such fond memories of baking with our mothers, squabbling with siblings over who would get to lick the spoon! We’ve continued this tradition with our own children. If youâd like to experiment with your little ones at home, try out our suggestions.
- When attempting a new baking recipe, you can always start with reducing the sugar by 10%.
- If a recipe asks for jam, replace it with fruit instead. (We avoid using jam due to its higher sugar content).
- Go for organic and fair trade when youâre buying, and also locally sourced products. Support nearby farms by using seasonal produce.
And hereâs a little of what others say about us which always keeps us excited about what we do:
âEveryone lucky enough to try a piece of this magic had rave reviews for the moist chocolate sponge laced with delicate fresh orange creamâ.
âFrom Diwali Rocky Road Treats, vegan tea cakes, to the most flamboyant and stunning cakes, Halli & Shah are my go-to cake artisansâ.
âI love cake and am so picky about what I would say is a good cake! But what I had last night! Just divine!!!â
âI was super stressed with all the birthday party planning but did not have the stress about the cake at all as it was in the right hands.â
We canât wait for this year to unfold. We will continue to innovate and develop our range, and would love it if you would keep us busy! As Julia Child once said, âRomance is the icing, but love is the cakeâ – we canât think of a better saying to describe how we feel!
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