The Profitable Baker Podcast

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What really happens when the judges walk up to your entry? This week I'm joined by David Close and Jane Hatton, Head Judges of Cake and Bake International, for a rare look behind the judging table.

David and Jane share how they each found their way into judging, what the role of Head Judge actually involves, and the advice they'd give anyone entering the competition this year. Whether you're polishing your first entry or you've competed before, this is the conversation to listen to before you pack your cake box for the NEC.

Cake International takes place at the NEC Birmingham from 6th to 8th November 2026.

This episode is part of our Cake International series. Catch up on earlier conversations with Melanie Underwood (Ep45) and Natalie Porter (Ep46).

Tickets to Cake International: https://www.cakeinternational.co.uk/birmingham-2026/

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

25 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

This week I'm joined by Natalie Porter, the sugar artist behind Immaculate Confections. We talk about how her cake journey began, how she fell for sugar flowers, and how she built a reputation for detailed, lifelike floral work.

Natalie also shares her experience with Cake International: what it's really like behind the scenes, what competing and being involved has done for her skills and visibility, and her advice for any baker wondering whether it's for them.

This episode is part of our Cake International series. If you missed last week's conversation with Melanie Underwood, head of Cake and Bake International, go back and give it a listen.

Win tickets to Cake International 2026: I'm giving away 5 pairs of tickets. CLICK HERE for details to enter. The draw closes 19th October.

Connect with Natalie:
Instagram: @immaculateconfectionsuk
Website: https://immaculateconfections.co.uk/

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

25 free resources to support your baking business

Now with pricing guide:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

What really happens behind the scenes at the world's biggest cake show? And what does it mean for your business if you enter?

This week I'm joined by Melanie Underwood, head of Cake and Bake International, for the first episode in our Cake International Guests series. We talk about how the show started, and how it has developed over the years.

Cake International returns to the NEC Birmingham from 6th to 8th November 2026.

All information about Cake and Bake International: https://www.cakeinternational.co.uk/

Coming next week: Natalie Porte of Immaculate Confections.

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Could a cake competition be the most underused marketing tool in your business? In this episode, Annie makes the business case for entering competitions, and it has very little to do with medals. It's the opening taster for our Cake and Bake International series, leading up to the show at the NEC Birmingham, 6 to 8 November.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why visibility, not your product, is often what's keeping good bakers small
• How competitions give you "borrowed credibility" that your own marketing can't
• Why the business value starts long before the results are announced
• How competing can make it easier to charge (and stand behind) your prices
• The four questions to answer before you enter anything

Coming next week: Episode 45 with Melanie Underwood, head of Cake and Bake International.

Join The Profitable Baker Academy for weekly live sessions on visibility, pricing, selling and more, for £30 a month: anniebennett.co.uk

Links:
 Cake International: cakeinternational.co.uk

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Struggling to turn down rush orders, discount requests, or endless revisions? This episode makes the business case for saying no, and gives you the exact language to do it without the guilt spiral.

You'll learn:

• Why "small yeses" are quietly costing you money and burnout
• The difference between the decision to say no and the delivery of it
• Two ready-to-use scripts for turning down rush jobs and discount requests
• A five-minute exercise to write your own non-negotiables before you need them

Ready to build the habits and confidence to run your business on your terms? Join The Profitable Baker Academy membership, link below.

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Suzanne Booth is a Craft Business Mentor & Strategist for makers. 

After 20+ years of selling textile-based craft to teaching in schools, she now helps and mentors makers who already sell their work to build more sustainable craft businesses. 

Looking in particular at ways to add income streams beyond the making itself with things like workshops, courses and digital products, using a combination of her own creative experience and teaching knowledge.

Connect with Suzanne here:

Website: https://suzannebooth.co.uk/

Instagram

@suzannebooth.creative

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership - and join in with The Great Bake Caper in October!!

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Claudia Sheena FCA is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience, providing hands-on, proactive financial leadership to growing businesses.

Claudia believes accountancy should be about far more than filing accounts and telling business owners what happened last year. She works closely with her clients throughout the year, helping them understand their numbers, plan ahead and make confident decisions about growth, profitability, cash flow and the future of their business. 

Having built and grown her own accountancy practice, Claudia understands first-hand the challenges that come with running and scaling a business. Known for her approachable, plain-English style and responsive service, she aims to become a trusted financial partner to her clients, supported by her experienced UK-based team.

Her focus is simple: helping business owners feel in control of their finances and giving them the financial insight and support they need to build the business they want.

Claudia Sheena FCA

Claudia Sheena Accountancy Services Ltd

07973 504 511

Please book a call with her here or have a look at her website.

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

If the last few weeks have felt a bit foggy, school runs, no headspace, admin piling up, this episode is your reset. 

Annie walks through why looking back briefly (not a deep post-mortem, just a 15-minute audit) sets you up for a much stronger Q4 than jumping straight to goal-setting. She also busts the "Q4 = Christmas" myth and shares three questions to get your own plan started today.

In this episode:

• Why the "summer fog" is normal — and September is the right moment to clear it
• The two-question business audit: what's worked, what hasn't
• Why Q4 is bigger than Christmas (engagement season, gift vouchers, classes)
• Reconnecting with why you started your business before you set targets
• Three questions to kickstart your own Q4 plan today

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

Annie’s Best seller Food Hygiene Record book, recommended by EHOs

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-books/

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Two ideas, one thread: this episode brings together experimentation and identity — because you can't build a genuine signature style without testing, and testing without direction just gives you a scattered range.

In the first half, Annie breaks down how to test new ideas properly — small, cheap, low-risk — before you ever put them on the menu or announce them to customers. She shares a simple three-question filter for deciding when an idea's ready to become a permanent product, and when it's just a lesson.

In the second half, she turns to signature style: what actually makes a baker's work recognisable, why it's usually already there waiting to be spotted rather than invented from scratch, and why trend-chasing quietly works against it.

This episode draws on two Academy sessions, Innovation Without Overwhelm and Signature Style Development. 

For the full working exercises behind both, find out more about The Profitable Baker Academy Membership, link below.

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Hello, I’m Dawn Butler — the cake artist behind Dinkydoodle.

I’ve spent my career helping cake makers of all levels grow their skills and confidence. Over the years, I’ve earned multiple gold medals, won Best in Show at Cake International in 2016, been named International Cake Artist of the Year, and recognised as one of the UK’s Top Ten Cake Artists. In 2024, I was honoured to be inducted into the DMA Hall of Fame for my contributions to the sugar industry. But my proudest achievement is the community we’ve built inside the Dinkydoodle Cake Academy.

I’m also dyslexic and have ADHD — something I’m always open about. While it occasionally means a spelling slip, it also gives me the ability to break complex techniques into simple, accessible steps. It’s part of what shapes how I teach, create, and connect with others.

If you’ve ever doubted your abilities or felt unsure about trying something new, you’re not alone. I believe in learning with honesty, encouragement, and a good dose of fun, helping my students build confidence and creativity one cake at a time.

Here are the links for the Dinkydoodle webpages and social media:

Dinkydoodle Designs: https://www.dinkydoodle.co.uk/

Dinkydoodle Cake Academy: https://www.dinkydoodle.academy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DinkydoodleDawn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinkydoodlecake/

Connect with Annie:

The Free Profitable Baker Bundle:

21 free resources to support your baking business:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-bundle/

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show