Katie bakes her cake and eats it!

Katie wanted to spend more time with her child

A Thornton businesswoman gives her recipe for the sweet taste of success and how to stay slim on a cupcake diet...

Katie Rawcliffe, 26, was made up with her job as an account manager for Chanel cosmetics at the Trafford Centre but when her son Max was born she wanted to work closer to home to spend more time with him.

She cooked up the perfect concoction; combining her love of baking and creativity to set up her own cupcake business. Since setting up 'The Little House of Cupcakes' her confectionery has been selling like hot cakes and the icing on the cake is that her son is a cake taster!

It's certainly a good time to serve up the tasty treats which originated from the US to the Fylde coast. The retro sticky buns have made a dramatic comeback of late - so much so that 'cupcakes' topped Google's 2008 Zeitgeist list for the fastest rising searched for recipe in the UK.

The cupcake revival is traced back to the scene in Sex in the City when Carrie and Miranda scoffed their frosted-topped trophies from Magnolia Bakery. The trend shows no sign of waning - with cupcake displays on the rise over conventional celebration cakes. Couples, in particular, are saying "I do" to cupcakes at their weddings.

So does it mean crumbs for the traditional wedding cake? "Well, a slice of cake seems so boring in comparison to your own individual cake. It is a cheaper alternative to a wedding cake, too, and it is so much easier because you don't need to wait to cut the cake," said Katie.

It's not just weddings, either. Katie says people are opting for super sized fairy cakes for all sorts of occasions; anniversaries, baby showers and even doggie birthday parties! She has done almost every theme imaginable - from Batman to Peppa Pig - for her customers from all over the North West.

Katie whips up on average 400 cupcakes a week from her kitchen and delivers her goodies across the Fylde in her candy-coloured customised Beetle. She says she is keen to expand so she can get her kitchen back - so soon Thornton will be savouring its very own cupcake shop.

Chocolate buttercream

It isn't a piece a cake running her own business, though. The self-confessed perfectionist says she is often up at 5am baking and works through until 6pm keeping up with demand.

Katie said: "It is great being at home and I love being my own boss but it is long hours. Work never finishes."

Not surprisingly, she gets help from her family with quality control. "My family are my samplers and Max is my biggest fan. He loves mummy's cake."

She eats her own wares with chocolate buttercream being her personal favourite. So how does she stay so petite? Well, it is all about moderation and being too busy baking them. Katie explains: "I am always on the go which helps and one never hurts anyone! Besides, we all need treats."

Apparently, it's not just the ladies who are fans. Men are sweet on them, too, though they might not have much of a clue what a cupcake actually is. So, here's the lowdown on what a cupcake is, fellas (or the uninitiated). It's all about size; the size of the cake and the topping. Cupcakes are approximately twice the size of the UK's equivalent, fairy cakes, and the "frostings" or icing is far thicker. The buttercream is approximately a third of the size of the cake and make our version modest in comparison. It's no wonder we find them so yummy!