Where did it all begin?

Well, i’ve been baking since I was tall enough to reach the kitchen counter, so probably there! My favourite thing to make when I was little was rainbow fairy cakes. I’d use as much food colouring (and make as much mess) as humanly possible which always resulted in some pretty chaotic but fun looking cakes. Peeling back the cases to see what colourful patterns were inside was where all the excitement began for me.

As an adult, I knew the 9-5 grind wasn’t for me so when the opportunity arose in 2014 to work in a cake shop in Brighton (where I lived for my 20’s, though I’m originally from Bristol), I jumped at the chance. It was a lot of learning curves, hard work and some very early mornings but most importantly, I learnt how to properly bake and decorate cakes.

When I decided to follow a plant based diet, I found I was losing interest in making “normal” cakes and this is where WhatLeilaBakes was born. I set myself the challenge to veganise everything that I already knew how to bake but to make sure that it didn’t compromise in taste, texture or quality. I’m still tinkering with some if my recipes now to make sure you get the best experience possible when ordering a vegan cake from me!

How the hell did she end up in Pontardawe? (I hear you ask). Well, we can blame my Welsh husband for that one.

In 2020, my husband (Rhys, aka Mr. Bakes) and I moved to Ponty from Cardiff and after a couple of years out of the baking game, WhatLeilaBakes was reborn with a renewed energy.

Since then, I’ve made hundreds of birthday cakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes and brownies for the lovely folk of Swansea and surrounding areas and I feel really lucky to have been welcomed by such open arms.

Whether you come to me as parents of children with allergies, curious locals or hardcore 20+ years vegans, everybody’s welcome at WhatLeilaBakes!