From Dubai to Worthing - Sugar High Cakes creating culinary masterpieces

“I did a fine art degree so I do the painted cakes and take my inspiration from that,”

she explains.

Sugar High Cakes was started by Dee in November 2016. She had been a professional baker for a number of years and owned a cafe and artisan bakery in Dubai.

“But when my husband wanted to move back to the UK we went,” she says.

“Running a cafe involves a lot of people to run it and when we came back I said to my husband that I would need him to help me if we did, as he helped in Dubai and he didn’t want to.

“So I decided that I would start my own business and make cakes from home.”

Food has always been a passion of Dee’s and her love of baking started when she was a child.

“I just love food,” she smiles.

“I think as a foodie working in the industry you get a feeling for what flavours work well together.

“So you know that you wouldn’t put two sharp citrus flavours together as it will be too much so you need something to break it up.

“Or if you have vanilla it can be quite sweet and boring so you would need something to add another element to it.

“People will come to me and say I want a chocolate cake but not too chocolatey so I may suggest replacing the chocolate ganache with a raspberry buttercream it is about finding what works.”

Popular flavours include vanilla and passion fruit, which consists of a vanilla sponge and a homemade passion fruit curd – you get the sweetness of vanilla and the freshness of passion fruit.

“And there is the Elvis,” reveals Dee.

“It is based on his favourite sandwich, so a banana and chocolate chip sponge with a peanut buttercream.

“Naked cakes are still really popular but they are relatively simple to do.”

The cakes are made from scratch by Dee and she delivers within a 40-50 mile radius of Worthing.

She will set up the cake for display at the venue.

Ideally Dee likes couples to get in touch 12 months in advance but says it should be a minimum of six.

In one year she did about 35 wedding cakes but she says it can vary with May to September always the busy period of the year.

Dee is Egyptian and grew up in Dubai, she describes her designs as ‘unusual and ambitious’.

She adds: “I am not a traditionalist but that’s not to say that if a couple wants a more traditional cake I won’t do it.

“I just like to create something with the design, textures and flavours that makes the people eating it go ‘wow I haven’t had anything like that before’.

“I want it to be a new experience.”

For more information, visit www.sugarhighcakes.co.uk