Horsham mum’s cake creations bring smiles to the local community

Clare, 46, is a mum-of-four with ages ranging from 18 months to 11 years.

Yet while home schooling and lockdown she still manages to bake bespoke birthday and celebration cakes and goodies for local people.

She is so bitten by the baking bug that she is now thinking of applying to enter the Great British Bake-off television programme.

Clare’s mum Stephanie Monaghan said: “Clare’s cakes are delicious make people smile as she puts her cheeky humour in the designs.

“It has not been easy to home school and bake. I have no idea how she does it.”

Clare is no stranger to baking having started when she was just eight years old.

She explained: “It was an 70’s kids cookbook which inspired me. I made rock cakes which did taste like rocks.

She now makes a wide variety of cakes for every occasion.

“I have made Holy Communion cakes, hen party cakes and cakes for special birthdays,” she said.

Asked if there were any of many cakes which stood out for her, she said: “Kylie Minogue’s gold hot pants for a man. He was crying with laughter – especially when he saw the hairy legs.”

Clare tries to capture the personality and interests of the people that she bakes cakes for.

“I combine their hobbies, say darts or bridge, for example, with their favourite flavours.”

Not every cake has turned out perfectly for Clare though.

“I took a millionaire’s cheesecake to someone’s’ house and the car was so hot after being stuck in traffic it ended up like an ‘Eton Mess but still tasted nice. We scooped it up and ate it in bowls.

With a young family to care for and home schooling to do, Clare admits that baking can be a balancing act at times. She said: “I can only do it at night time when they’re in bed.”

Yet in spite of this Clare said she finds baking to be relaxing.

“When it’s all quiet and its dark outside and I am in the baking zone I do find it relaxing,” she said.

Talking about the Great British Bake-off dream, Clare said: “Friends and customers constantly tell me I should apply so I will take the plunge for the next one

“It will be great to get away from the kids for a while and I can call it a ‘baking break’.

“It was a difficult time for the show last year as they had to quarantine for two weeks before filming.

As for any tips she can offer to would-be bakers, Clare said: “You should never bake when you’re unhappy or tired or stressed – it will go wrong!”

You can view more of Clare’s cakes on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cakesbyclareclark

See also: Sussex people reveal what it is like to live with the effects of Long Covid