Award-winning Master Patissier Eric Lanlard, aka Cake Boy, has teamed up with celebrity shoe designer Patrick Cox for his latest artisan venture, Cox Cookies & Cake, opening in London’s Soho today.
Lanlard, twice winner of the prestigious Continental Pâtissier of the Year at the British Baking Awards, has changed the face of British Patisserie and through his bespoke cake making brand, Savoir Design, and South West London cake boutique Cake Boy, has earned himself an international reputation for uber-glamorous cakes with an A-list clientele including Madonna, Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Claudia Schiffer and George Michael.
Lanlard and Cox were introduced to each other by mutual friend Hurley, but Cox credits his mother for inspiring his move from fashion to food. Every Saturday, in their Canadian home, the family Cox would bake together, and many of mum Maureen’s special recipes have made it on to the menu.
It wouldn’t be a Lanlard and Cox venture if the shop wasn’t decked out in glamorous fashion. The blurb says corner cake shop meets disco, with a glossy black floor, neon lighting and “disco-inspired walls”, whatever they are!
Any girl about town will know that a passion for shoes and cake is as natural a pairing as chips and mayonnaise. It certainly seems that Cox is putting more than just his name into the venture. At the very least he’s brought into the mix mum’s Nanaimo bars, made from coconut chocolate biscuit with a layer of custard vanilla butter cream, coated in melted dark chocolate.
Appropriately for Soho, this is one cake shop with disco hours. Opening at 11am, the Closed sign doesn’t swing until 11pm, which in Soho means a quick cupcake or three before heading into a club.
Cupcakes have been stealing the artisan scene for some time now, with everything from cupcake deliveries to your desk to cupcake baking classes available to fans. But there are urgh cupcakes and ahh cupcakes, if you know what I mean. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that with Lanlard in the lead Cox Cookies & Cake is the latter.
Cox Cookies & Cake is at 13 Brewer Street, London W1
