Well that takes the biscuit. Baker Sarah Gearing has won the Most Popular Cakes in Essex Award two years running for her artful creations and been ranked fourth world-wide.

Heart and Soul Cakes, the company she set up in 2011 has been given the accolade in the Wedding Industry Expert Awards.

Sarah, 29 from Little Canfield, who creates bespoke designs for weddings and other occasions, bakes all her cakes as close to the celebration day as possible, often working overnight or in the small hours. Nothing is frozen and she all the decorations by hand, including the ruffles and the flowers.

She said: “To be recognized as creating the most popular cakes in Essex is a wonderful feeling making me even more proud of my creations. We are very pleased that our family business is growing.”

Her husband Peter said: “For us, receiving awards such as these is just the icing on the cake.”

Sarah, mum of Callum, 11 and Brooke, four, has always enjoyed baking but went professional after she created a dragon cake for Callum’s sixth birthday.

“Friends and neighbours started asking me to bake cakes for them. I wanted to set up a business and couldn’t think of the right name for it. I said to Peter, I want something that tells people how much I put my heart and soul into making these cakes. So he said – let’s call it that then.”

The cakes are made at Sarah’s home and she also has a studio at Martels Events Village, which is host to other award-winning wedding and party supplies.

It is not just the artistry in the cakes that has won the award, the flavours are creative too. Few wedding cakes are traditional fruit these days and if they are, it’s just the top layer. Sarah’s flavours include chocolate, vanilla, lemon, rose, almond bakewell and strawberry champagne.

See: Heartandsoulcakes.co.uk