A former hairdresser is proving a cut above after a successful first year as a wedding cake designer.

Donna Ayto founded the Brighton Cake Company in March last year, with the icing on the cake of its first year coming with a top award.

Now the 42-year-old is looking to build more tiers on that success by opening a studio for demonstration classes, to teach baking enthusiasts the secrets of the piping bag.

Mrs Ayto said: “I don’t really know how it all came about. I woke up one morning four years ago and thought I will make a cake.

“I then started making cakes for friends and family and then launched it as a real business and it has gone from strength to strength.

“It started with a bag of flour and I grew my business from there. I didn’t take on bank loans or build up any debts.”

She spent a year renovating her own kitchen in Hunston Close in the Woodingdean area of Brighton, where she now produces up to four wedding cakes a week and has made more than 200 in the past year.

She said: “I don’t want to compromise on quality, I want my customers to know they are getting the best product.

“Every single cake is unique, they are bespoke and a one-off, no one will ever get a cake from me that someone else has had before.”

Her company has won the Scoot Headline award, beating 400 other competitors.

She was also recently named among the top ten wedding cake designers by online wedding directory Hitched.

The harlequin inspired cake, pictured right, made for a friend’s special birthday, is what Mrs Ayto credits with kickstarting her business after it received more than 2,000 likes overnight when she put a picture on Facebook.

With many amateur bakers inspired by the Great British Bake Off, Mrs Ayto is now running lessons teaching sugarcraft and is looking for affordable studio space in or around Brighton to move into.

After moving to a new studio, she hopes the next step will be to take on employees.

She said: “There is only so much that one person can do and the business side takes up an enormous amount of time.

“Winning a national award has a massive impact on my business, publicity like this is just massive for someone like me.

“It is a bit overwhelming to be honest, I did not expect it to work out as it has.”

For more information visit www.brightoncakecompany.

co.uk.