The Victoria Sponge also known as a Victoria Sandwich and less commonly a Victoria Cake but none the less a classic...and what I would consider to be a must have at any Jubilee party. 

About a week ago I was in the middle of a Jubilee inspired photo shoot when it got me to thinking what the actual history was behind the Victoria Sponge.  Many of you can probably guess that it was named after Queen Victoria, who reigned for a staggering 63 years!

It is said that Queen Victoria would request small cakes to relieve the rumbling tummies of her courtiers between lunch and dinner time.  It was her lifelong friend and lady-in-waiting, the Duchess of Bedfordshire that was the creator of the British meal “Afternoon Tea” which involved serving small sweet cakes accompanied by tea (usually Darjeeling) and sandwiches.  The cake at the centre of tea-time evolved over generations into the Victoria Sponge we know, and love, today.

However, you may be surprised to learn that the official Women's Institute guidelines dictate that a real Victoria Sponge has only a jam filling and absolutely no cream!

Question is; how do you like yours? 

Most of you know by now that I have been getting pretty excited about receiving the images from the Jubilee inspired photo shoot! 

And I can now finally share them with you all...

A big thank you to the lovely suppliers that were involved.  Hopefully we have given you enough inspiration to think about having a Jubilee celebration of your own!!

And don't forget, it couldn't be simpler thanks to Maxine from Life's a Celebration.  So break out the bunting, and don't forget the cupcakes!! 

Buttercups Cupcake Wrappers - Jo is so creative and is fantastic at providing bespoke cupcake wrappers 

Kate Lewis Design - beautiful wedding stationary and greeting's cards 

Life's a Celebration - Party boxes for all occasions

Tree House Crafts - a hidden gem at the Traders Outlet in Sale offering gorgeous home accessories, hand made gifts and much more 

If you'd like to see some more images from the Jubilee inspired photo shoot then visit our Facebook page HERE

OK, so I am anxiously waiting for all the images from last week's photo shoot to pop into my inbox from David E Owen and I'm getting excited!  He has been teasing me with  a couple of snaps, so thought I'd do the same to you ;-) 

So, as you know we had a photo shoot here at The Cupcake Box on 12 May with some lovely suppliers getting involved! And we thought you may like a sneak preview ahead of the images being released...

Thanks again to David E Owen and his partner for the images. 

So today at The Cupcake Box we took a break from the kitchen (after a manic day of baking yesterday) for a photo shoot.  No, not with my buttercream covered Canon ;)  Thank you to David E Owen and his partner for adding their professional touch to proceedings! 

Although I can't share the results of the shoot just yet (watch this space, not literally, feel free to go about your daily business and check back next week), I thought I would give a quick "shout out" to the wonderful suppliers who got involved.

Firstly, it was great to finally meet my "partner in crime" Maxine Johnston (and her lovely "mini-me") - Owner of Life's a Celebration, party boxes for all occasions.  I have organised many a party for my daughter, all of them equally stressful (but us Mum's and Dad's plough on and all for the smile on their little faces at the end of it all don't we) but after today I can honestly say that it really is possible to have a "party in 3 easy steps"! Pop over to Maxine's site to find out how...OK perhaps four steps by clicking HERE! ;)

Other suppliers included...


All Wrapped Up - Kelly and Collete specialise in wedding planning and coordination with all aspects of venue dressing and hire.

All Blown Up - Contact Amanda to find out how she can help provide fantastic balloons for any occasion

Buttercups Cupcake Wrappers - Jo is so creative and is fantastic at providing bespoke cupcake wrappers 

Charms by Joanna - lovely handmade charms, wedding favours and decorated boxes

Creations 4 Occasions - a new business venture for Amanda Green, providing floral creations for your special occasions 

Kate Lewis Design - beautiful wedding stationary and greeting's cards 

Tree House Crafts - a hidden gem at the Traders Outlet in Sale offering gorgeous home accessories, hand made gifts and much more 

Jazzle Designs - Zoe provides fabulous bespoke crystal customisation 

Do check them out!  

After reading an recent article about  the record number of "British couples...heading abroad to get married in a bid to avoid the spiraling costs of UK weddings" (to read more click HERE) I decided to offer a few tips on how you can cut the costs but still have a fantastic Wedding. 

1. Serve your Wedding Cake/Cupcakes as dessert 

2. You may be surprised to learn that many venues still charge a 'cake cutting fee' this is an additional fee that they can charge to cut and serve the cake, so you may wish to double check before booking.  A way around this would be to choose a cupcake display over a tiered cake.  You will still be able to perform the ritual cake cutting with your new bride/groom by having a top cutting cake/giant cupcake. 

3. Venue Decoration can be practical as well as providing 'finishing touches'.  You may think about having Cupcake Bouquets or Candy Trees as your table centre pieces which can be later given out as Thank You gifts or again be apart of the dessert.  

AND FINALLY...Don't forget to be upfront with your suppliers about your budget, they have experience, know their industry and may be able to offer some advice on how to "cut the costs without compromising the style. 

For more advice or guidance you may want to check out The Cupcake Box "Wedding/Civil Ceremonies" Page. 

The Cupcake Box is sill very much dedicated to our cupcakes :) 


However, when you are planning a Birthday Party, a Wedding or other special occasion the last thing you need is to feel stressed looking for lots of different party suppliers.  

So that is why we are introducing the "Candy Trees"...

They make fantastic table centre pieces, Thank You gifts and favours for guests.

Each Candy Tree is made specifically to each individual order and so can easily compliment the theme of your event. 

Why not get in touch to talk about how we can help make your occasion SWEET! 

Don't forget, keep your eye on our website or Facebook page for more Candy Tree updates... 

Is edible glitter really edible, or not?!  For a while now it appears there has been much confusion over the use of glitter on cupcakes!  

So following the release of yet more guidance from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) yesterday and Rainbow Dust Colours Ltd releasing a "public use declaration" for the products in their Sparkle Range let us try to clear this up. 

• Only glitter clearly labelled as ‘edible’ and made of permitted ingredients, should be added to food that is intended to be eaten.
• ‘Non-toxic’ and inedible glitters that have been tested and meet the requirements of the legislation on food contact materials, can be applied to food for decoration, but they should not be eaten.  
• Other ‘non-toxic’ glitters that do not meet the requirements for food contact materials should not be applied to food – whether eaten or not.   

Following this advice you will not go wrong!  However, you can find out more in the FSA's latest guidance where you will also find a FAQ section on The Use of Glitters and Dust with Food.  

We would urge people not to be put off using glitter/dust on their cupcakes, following "glittergate"!  Should glitter/dust be used on your cupcakes ordered from The Cupcake Box we will always advise if it is for decoration only or edible.  If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to get in touch! 

You can contact us HERE.  

Don't forget to pop over to our main website where we have made some changes to our "Weddings and Civil Ceremonies" page.  

You will now be able to find practical planing advice, ideas and inspiration!  

Here at The Cupcake Box we don't just provide you with beautiful handcrafted cupcakes, we want to help make your wedding day special.  

Please don't hesitate contact us if you have any questions (cake related or not, as we may be able to point in the right direction) or if you would like to book a wedding consultation.  

Here at The Cupcake Box we specialise in handcrafting bespoke cupcakes specific to our customers requirements which makes having a set price list impractical.  However, we would like our customers to have as clear an idea as possible what The Cupcake Box can offer and that is why we have come up with our new "price guide".  

You can view our new "Price Guide" HERE.

As mentioned it is only to be used as a guide for our cupcakes and prices will vary in accordance with the decoration.  For your own personal quote please contact The Cupcake Box direct.  

You could email us [email protected] or visit our main website HERE.