And having tasted her creations, we can safely say that when it comes to cake, there’s simply no one better in the North East.
Mini Mixers was created in 2014 and originally started out as a party business. Having extensive experience as a wedding planner, Charlotte wanted to mix her skill for party planning with her love of baking and started offering various children’s parties – all revolving around cake obviously. These were a huge hit, but the star of the show very quickly became the cakes themselves and thus began a natural progression towards being a full-time baker.
Charlotte’s main offering (and the best one) is the fabulous cakes that are available for all celebrations. Whatever your event, be it a christening, wedding, birthday, retirement or anything else in between, there’s always a cake that can be made. All of Charlotte’s cakes are made from scratch, including the amazing homemade buttercream, and with a plethora of flavours to choose from, there’s definitely something for everyone. Gluten-free and dairy-free cakes are also available on request.
Not one to do things by halves, Charlotte also makes cupcakes, tray bakes and seasonal bakes. Past years have seen hot chocolate sticks, homemade fudge and children’s stocking fillers on the menu, all of which have been sampled by our staff, so we can quite happily attest to their deliciousness.
It is extremely important to plan ahead however, as Charlotte says her diary is usually filled up a few months in advance, which, let’s be honest, is the sign of someone who’s really good at what they do. And Charlotte truly is. One of the things she loves most about her job is having an amazing, loyal group of customers who come back year after year for more cake. She feels honoured that they trust her to be a part of every significant celebration and the fact that they do come back is a testament to the quality of her work.
As much as Charlotte loves what she does, family is also incredibly important to her. As a wife and mam to two children as well as being a self-confessed crazy Dachshund mam, she loves the flexibility that running her own business brings as it means she gets to fit her work in around her life, not her life around her work. Being in control of her time allows her to attend events for her children, play with Dexter the Dachshund and take care of her health, which has taken a couple of knocks over the past few years.
When the pandemic hit, work had already taken a bit of a backseat for her as she was fighting breast cancer. While she never stopped working entirely (she loves making cakes too much), her health did become more of a priority as she endured the necessary treatment. Fortunately, the prognosis is looking good for Charlotte and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it will stay that way!
Due to the restrictions on gatherings created by covid, the children’s parties had to be put on hold, with Charlotte ultimately making the difficult decision earlier this year to stop offering them entirely. Her health currently makes it difficult for her to bend, lift things and stand for long periods of time and all of those things are required for the parties. While sad that she won’t be able to do it anymore, she knows that it’s best for her and gives her more time to make cakes.
It was also during this time that she got herself a VA (Virtual Assistant) who helps her out with all things admin so that she can focus on the baking. Friends and family helped out whenever they could (and still do) with husband Dave becoming quite adept at decorating cakes! Even through all of this, the quality of the cakes never declined and Charlotte is really proud of the fact that she has managed to keep the business going for so long and is still continuing to grow.
Through all of these challenges, Charlotte’s motivations have stayed the same. She loves making cakes, but seeing people’s faces when they come to collect is what makes her smile. She calls it ‘the wow moment’, and knowing that the customer is happy and satisfied makes all the time and effort completely worthwhile.
If you’d like to know more about Charlotte then you can find her over on Facebook and Instagram where she regularly posts updates and pictures of gorgeous cakes. If you’re really quick, you might even snag yourself some tasty treats as she often posts offers of cupcakes and mini traybakes on a first come first serve basis. You do have to be quick though because they do get snapped up!
Facebook: @MiniMixers – https://www.facebook.com/MiniMixers
Instagram: @Minimixersfun – https://www.instagram.com/minimixersfun/
