Frodsham Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups.

Over the past few months, we have been talking to some of these local businesses and organisations for our 'Up Close in Frodsham' series.

This week, we chatted to Katrina Heggarty, owner of the new home cake studio, Delightful Biteful.

Ranging from luxury birthday creations, to cute cupcakes and 'cake in a jar', Delightful Biteful bakes are a dessert lover's dream.

"Who doesn't love cake?!" asks Katrina, who firmly believes that "more is more" when it comes to sweet treats.

We may all love cake, but there are very few people who can match the intricacy and precision of Katrina's beautiful designs.

So, where did she pick up her impressive skills?

"I've been baking as long as I can remember," Katrina says. "I used to love making cakes with my mum when I was little and as I grew up I continued to bake.

"With the craziness of university, my first job and my first apartment it was something that kept me grounded.

"I love the consistency of following a recipe, but then how creative you can be with the decorations!"

Nowadays, Katrina spends a lot of time on Instagram, drawing inspiration from other baking pages.

"I think it's amazing how social media has allowed small businesses to flourish, whist creating a community of like-minded people who can coach and support each other," she says.

From hobby to home-baked business

Just as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March 2020, Katrina and her husband, Sean, welcomed their first baby.

"She was an absolute delight, but very colicky which meant I spent most of the first lockdown carrying her around in a sling," Katrina says.

"This meant I spent a lot of time pacing around my house carrying a sleeping baby with my hands free, so I started baking.

"At first it was just a few batches of brownies, but then I began making occasion cakes for family who were celebrating birthdays.

"By November, my friends and family had talked me into going 'public' and offering my bakes to a wider market.

"And so, Delightful Biteful was born!"

Running a business while looking after a baby is "a challenge but I'm so lucky to have such a supportive husband who works with me to manage the business and the baby.

"She's a bit too big for the sling now and is a fan of cake, so keeping her out of the kitchen takes two sets of eyes!

In the two months since it began, Delightful Biteful has quickly established itself in the local community, and is already taking bookings for 2022!

"It's crazy to think that I posted my first cake picture on the Delightful Biteful Instagram page on November 10, and now we have over 570 followers across Instagram and Facebook," Katrina says.

"My dream is to have a shop on the high street in Frodsham but for now I'm happy refining my skills and exploring different bakes."

The cake-making process

When tasked with producing a birthday or occasion cake, Katrina decides on the sponge flavour, fillings and colour scheme with her customer, before turning to the exciting bit: the decorations.

"My customers are usually happy to let me get creative, which I love!" she tells me. "My husband says he really enjoys watching me decorate cakes because I get so in the zone and he never knows what I'm going to do next!

"Out of all of my cakes, my favourite was the last one I did. It was for an 18th birthday in lockdown and I just wanted it to be fabulous!

"So, I tried something new; some buttercream painting with a pallet knife and flecks of edible rose gold paint. The miniature bottles of gin complemented the pastel colours perfectly.

With its delicate colour scheme and pretty textured details, this cake must surely have been a great start to adult life.

A cake...in a jar!

Even without the excuse of a birthday or anniversary, you can still enjoy a delicious Delightful Biteful treat with Katrina's cake in a jar, which comes in a range of flavours, from chocolate orange to Lotus Biscoff to Victoria sponge.

"I don't like wastage," Katrina says, "so when levelling the tops of cakes I used to put all the leftover sponge cuttings into a bowl.

"One of my biggest cake idols, Lancashire-based Finch Bakery, produce cake jars and so I made my friends some using leftover cake and butter cream.

"Now they're so popular that I have to make whole batches of cupcakes just to fill the jars!

"Our most popular flavour - and my personal favourite - is cherry Bakewell: vanilla sponge, black cherry jam and almond butter cream."

Frodsham Nub News has also been lucky enough to taste one of these fun cake concoctions, and we can confirm that they are delicious, the perfect dose of sweetness to combat the January lockdown blues!

Seeing as they are so hard to resist, the jars are now 2-for-£10, to help make their sugary boost last a little longer.

Katrina's cakes in a jar can be ordered throughout the week through Instagram and Facebook for collection on Sunday from Helsby or Eastham, Wirral.

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, Katrina is also offering a helping hand with gift ideas for that special someone.

"This Valentine's Day we are offering our first ever treat boxes!" she says.

"I'm really looking forward to making boxes full of different treats for couples to share; they'll be full of cupcakes, brownies, blondies and 'cake in a jar'. Bookings now being taken!"

You can see more of Katrina's gorgeous cakes, alongside behind-the-scenes videos and new flavour additions, on the Delightful Biteful Facebook and Instagram pages.