Woman quits ‘boring’ office job to open edible flower cake business

By Katie Pearson via SWNS

A woman who dreamed of becoming a florist as a child quit her “boring” office job to make floral arrangements – out of cake.

Shauna Cook, 33, started her business Mrs Cook’s Bouqcakes a month after watching a “couple Youtube videos” in May 2023.

She found she had a natural talent for making the hyper-realistic floral bouquets, which are made from cupcakes and buttercream.

To her delight the orders came flying in and she made up to £400 in a single day from her edible arrangements.

The mum-of-three dreamed of training in floristry, but “adult life got in the way'' and she fell into an office job.

After taking maternity leave for eldest son, Alfie, eight, making his animal-themed birthday cake sparked her passion for baking.

Now her flourishing business is booming and she charges up to £75 per arrangement.

Shauna, from Sittingbourne, Kent, said: “I call myself a cake florist.

“I realized I had a knack for baking after making my kids’ birthday cakes.

“I watched a couple YouTube videos about making flowers out of buttercream, but I just knew what I was doing and picked up immediately.

“I never thought I’d make my passion into a full-time business.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been – I’ve found what I was meant to do.”

Shauna says she always loved nature and dreamed of becoming a florist in her teens.

However, she fell into a “mundane office job” after leaving school – working in the billing department for a shipping company.

She said: "I never wanted perfume or chocolates - I always wanted flowers.

“But adult life got in the way and fell into a boring job in an office.

"It paid fine but I was never fulfilled."

Shauna fell pregnant in June 2015 with first son and decided to hand in her notice while on maternity leave the following year.

She did a few temporary jobs but found a "natural talent" for baking while making Alfie's first birthday cake - a zoo animal-themed one.

Shauna continued baking cakes for her children - Noah, five, and Harry, 19 months.

"I remember making this elaborate cake and thinking it looked quite professional,'' she said.

"I realized I had this natural skill for baking, and I loved doing it."

After seeing some flower cakes on Instagram in March 2023, she had a go at making them herself.

Two months later, in May 2023, Shauna set up her own business.

She said: "I watched a couple of videos on YouTube, but I didn't really need to.

“I just knew what nozzles to use, and how to create the right colors out of buttercream.

“I had a lightbulb moment and decided to go for it, and start my own business.

"I had no idea how popular it would be."

The orders started to trickle in and she has seen the business pick up over the months.

Shauna's edible bouquets are made up of cupcakes and buttercream flowers including roses, tulips, carnations and lilies.

The smallest arrangement costs £15 for three cupcakes and goes up to £75 for 19 cakes.

The prices also vary depending on the designs and choice of flowers.

"A bouquet can take anywhere between three to four hours to complete," she said.

"The time flies - I find it so therapeutic.

"It can be up and down - some weeks I make £60, and over Christmas I made £400 in one day."

She has made thousands of pounds to date, and is seeing the orders picking up as the years goes on.

Shauna said: “I get so many orders through Facebook - I was quickly booked up for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.

“Each day I go from strength to strength.

“I’m very excited to see where the business will grow from here.”