Meet the
Artist

Claire Chapman-Smith

— Owner of Lily Rose Cakes

A little about me

Hello, Im Claire, owner, cake designer, baker, delivery driver, cleaner and everything else in between. Having never baked a cake before 2011, it was quite a shock to many when by the end of 2016 i had set up my own at home baking business, after many years of doing my own daughters cakes, it was time to go pro as the demand for my cakes grew, taking my eldest 2 daughters middles names to create LilyRoseCakes trademarking the name in 2024.

Originally from Coventry in the West Midlands, i have always had a love for art and design, i studied in Coventry in art, photography and eventually graphic design (which has come in very handy) taking on a graphic design job in my mid 20’s. After meeting my now husband and starting a family, it was soon my eldest’s first birthday, back in 2011 believe it or not but cake making wasn’t as big as it is now and so i decided i wanted to give baking her cake myself a go, and it wasn’t too bad, welcoming my second child not long after i was soon baking more and more, with friends also starting families and looking for cakes, my skills grew and i turned to youtube to learn all i know now, Zoes fancy cakes and Cupcake Jemma really got me started down this long successful road.

On the 1st November 2016 I started up Lily Rose Cakes from my home kitchen, allowing me to start turning my skills into a business. At the start I was mostly baking and designing birthday celebration cakes, but i soon found my real passion, weddings!

In 2017 I was asked to create my first wedding cake and i was hooked, I loved the feeling of being a part of such a special day (even though I will never forget the nerves), the atmosphere and meeting all of the other businesses involved, knowing I had been a small part of such a special memory.

Since then i have grown in the wedding industry (Even winning awards in 2022 and in 2024, as well as being a finalist in many others) After relocating to the stunning Moray coast in July 2017, i soon out grew the home kitchen and i needed my own work space and so my incredibly skilled husband built me my now work shop, allowing me the space to create more designs and to really branch out in to the wedding industry.

I have dedicated my time to learning new skills and finding my specialty in hand crafted edible art, another one of those skills being shaped cakes, my first shaped cake was created when i was asked to go wild and just given a theme of The Walking Dead and a good budget, i had always wanted to try making a shaped cake, so i decided the birthday boy as a zombie was perfect and they absolutely loved it. After that i continued with Buckbeak for my own daughter followed by many many more, it is now by far one of my favourite things to do, you can see some of them here.

Over the past number of years i have been able to improve my skills and utilise my passion for art and sculpting using edible mediums, as for me it is more than just a cake, it is an art piece. I also spent many years perfecting my own sponge recipes so that they not only look spectacular on your big day but the taste has people talking about your wedding cake for years to come.

Fun Facts…

  • I am a big heavy metal fan and will often rock out whilst making your cakes.
  • I am also a big tv/film fan working in the famous blockbuster for many years.
  • I am shoe obsessed collecting Converse and Irregular choice shoes.
  • I can’t actually eat my own cake as i can’t eat egg (great for my waist and not my husbands)
  • I love the gym and lifting weights as well as enjoying Archery.
  • Scotland has always been my home, i may not have the accent but it is where my family is from and where my heart belongs.
  • I’m actually a big introvert although you wouldn’t know when you meet me, i just can’t stop talking!
  • I have started learning BSL and hope to have the whole family learning by the end of 2025.