Meet the South Dublin baker turning vintage cakes into modern must-haves

There’s a quiet kind of joy in the ritual of celebration from the handwritten card to the clink of glasses to the familiar faces gathered round. And more often than not, there’s a cake. Not just any cake, but something that feels like part of the moment itself, a centrepiece that captures the mood, sets the tone and lingers in memory long after the candles are blown out.

Over the past few years, celebration cakes have seen something of a glow-up. No longer confined to neat white icing and traditional tiers, they’ve become bolder, brighter, more expressive. Enter the revival of Lambeth-style piping — vintage-inspired, delightfully over-the-top buttercream flourishes that look like they’ve been plucked straight from a 1980s birthday party, but with a distinctly modern twist.

In Dublin, one baker has been quietly leading the charge. Jenny Gleeson’s cakes are anything but shy. Think cherry-topped towers in punchy pastel shades, intricately piped borders, and enough playful detail to make a grown adult giddy. They’re equal parts art and indulgence, and they’ve become the go-to for people who want a cake that actually tastes as good as it looks.

Jenny’s business, Sweetie Pie Dublin, was born in 2015, but the journey really began two years earlier when she left a career in corporate event management to be at home with her two young sons. A chance scroll on Pinterest sparked an idea, and soon she was elbows-deep in buttercream, experimenting with techniques and flavours from her home kitchen.

Sweetie Pie is now known for its signature style: colourful, vintage-inspired buttercream cakes that bring serious fun to the table. Whether it’s a birthday, a christening, a wedding, or just a Tuesday that needs cheering up, each cake is completely unique, but always unmistakably hers.

Behind the bold colours and playful styling lies an uncompromising commitment to quality. Jenny is all about flavour. She makes her own salted caramel, curds, fruit purees and fillings, and uses only premium ingredients like Madagascan vanilla, Irish butter and Belgian chocolate. Even the sprinkles are sourced from Canada, meaning there are no shortcuts and no substitutions.

For Jenny, though, the best part of the job is being a part of someone’s most pivotal moments in life. “Over the past 10 years, I’ve had the privilege of building real connections with my customers,” she explains. “It can start with an engagement cake, then move to a wedding cake, then a christening cake, birthday cakes, and I become part of their celebrations. You get to know people and their families, and because cake is tied to so many big life moments, you often hear their stories, and it’s such a privilege to be part of that.”

It’s this personal touch that is key to her creations. “I love how personal cake can be,” she muses. “Everyone has different tastes, passions and ideas, and I get to turn that into something beautiful and delicious. One memorable moment was when I had total creative freedom to design a bespoke 60th birthday cake for Boy George. And as a massive 1980s music fan, that was surreal! Another was during the COVID-19 lockdown, when a woman ordered a big, fun birthday cake just for herself, purely to bring a bit of joy to a difficult time. Then getting to see kids’ faces when they collect their cake, too, is brilliant. I really love it.”

It’s clear there’s a sense of joy and real care in everything Jenny makes. Years of trial and error, experimentation and repetition have led to the kind of skill that looks effortless but is anything but. Every piped border, every colour combo, every flick of the wrist is part of a process she’s refined over hundreds of bakes.

Jenny’s customers know this, with many of them returning year after year, trusting her with the most special of days.

What has been a career highlight for her? “I’ll never forget the moment I got a call asking if I could create a cake for a Disney film being filmed nearby,” she recalls. “I was sitting at my kitchen table on a normal Tuesday morning, and I remember I was wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt of all things that day. The movie was Disenchanted, and seeing my cake on screen was such a blast! Working with that production team opened the door to other exciting opportunities, including creating for a huge Netflix production last summer. Being on a TV set and getting to see behind the scenes was something I never imagined cake life would lead to. That was very fun and most definitely a ‘pinch me’ moment.”

Away from the kitchen, Jenny’s world is as colourful as her cakes. She’s a sea swimmer, a mum to two teenage boys, an ’80s music devotee, and a firm believer that more is more, particularly when it comes to buttercream and sprinkles. Her personality shines through in everything she does, from her brilliantly fun social media presence to the vibrant, joy-filled bakes that have become her signature.

Her future plans now include sharing her skills with others, and in June of last year, she launched her online cake masterclasses.

“It’s been exciting and challenging, and has taken off far quicker than I could’ve hoped,” she says. “I get to connect with cake enthusiasts from all over the world, from Melbourne to Toronto, across the US and Europe, and of course, Ireland. We are all united by our love for cake.

“That side of the business – teaching online and building a cake community – is a big focus for me in 2025 and beyond; I’m excited to see where it leads next. I have so many ideas and goals, the challenge is getting the time to get around to them all!”

One thing’s for sure: whatever Jenny puts her mind to, success is bound to follow. For her, baking isn’t just about cake – it’s about making people smile. And that’s exactly what Sweetie Pie does, one joyful, buttercream-filled centrepiece at a time.

To see more or place an order, follow Jenny on Instagram (@sweetie_pie_dublin) or visit www.sweetiepie.ie