Essex village Cake Stop is finalist in national awards

The Cake Stop in Maldon Road, Goldhanger, is the creation of mum-of-two Danielle Jones, 36, who runs the venture from her home while juggling life with her four and 10-year-old children and her husband.

“I needed something to work around the children,” Danielle said.

“In my village there are no shops, we’re about a 10-minute drive from anything.

“I thought it would be such a nice way to bring the community together – to make friends, get involved in the community, and also bring in a little bit of income.”

Business - Danielle begun The Cake Stop from her front doorstep (Image: Danielle Jones)

Award - The Cake Stop Goldhanger has been named a finalist in the UK Small Business Awards for two years running (Image: Danielle Jones)

The community response blew her away.

“The response when I first opened was amazing. I had queues down the road,” Danielle said.

“It was overwhelming that people would want to come and get my bakes and all of the lovely support I’ve got from the village, from my customers which come back every year.

“I’m making a birthday cake for their two-year-olds when I made their first birthday cake. I’m becoming friends with my customers.”

Almost two years on, The Cake Stop has grown from a small honesty box to a cake cupboard and now a full cake fridge outside her home.

She also takes bespoke orders from her kitchen and has even inspired other people to start their own cake stops in the district.

Work - Behind-the-scenes preparation for her Friday-Sunday open days takes up most of the rest of the week (Image: Danielle Jones)

Delicious - Her new milkshakes and cheesecakes have become very popular, alongside old-school favourites like brownies (Image: Danielle Jones)

“Baking is something that I’ve always enjoyed – I like the creativity of it,” she said.

“Every week it’s totally different so it gives me the opportunity to bake whatever I like or whatever is asked for by customers.”

Last week, the new milkshakes and cheesecake she introduced sold out very quickly, while old-school desserts and brownies remain ever-popular regulars.

Danielle has also used her cake box and growing social media following to champion charity causes, raising hundreds for SANDS baby loss charity – where she also ran 100k – and raising hundreds more for Maldon-based charity Action for Family Carers.

Expansion - Danielle has launched a fridge where she sells milkshakes and cheesecake, which sold out within hours (Image: Danielle Jones)

The community support has helped propel The Cake Stop onto the national stage, with Danielle’s business named as a finalist in the UK Small Business Awards for two years running and in two categories for 2026.

Danielle said: “I didn’t expect it, I’m such a new business compared to some of the other businesses. I was just happy to be a finalist – now I’m a finalist for two years running.

“I’m hoping I might win but it’s lovely to just be recognised.”

The Cake Stop Goldhanger is open Friday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm in Maldon Road, with updates on the Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages.