We Mean Business: Multi-award-winning Northampton cake maker shares that AI is raising customer expectations
A multi-award-winning cake maker from Northampton has shared that AI is raising customer expectations, and it is difficult to reach the perfection of a design generated online.
Launched in February, the Chronicle & Echo’s latest campaign hopes to help curb future business closures after a bleak start to 2026 across the town.
The twice-weekly stories spotlight what Northampton stands to lose if your favourite businesses were to close down, highlight the biggest challenges they currently face, and encourage greater support from the powers that be and the community before it is too late.
The next business owner to share her insight is Mindy Robinson, who has run SophistiCake Creations from her home in Duston since it was founded at the end of 2012.
The venture first began when Mindy was asked to make a wedding cake for a colleague and she believed it was important to become a registered baker before taking on the challenge.
Mindy had only baked treats for loved ones prior to this and after getting her kitchen inspected and becoming a registered baker, she decided to make a go of selling cakes alongside her job.
Not only does SophistiCake Creations offer cakes of all kinds, including for birthdays and weddings, but Mindy expanded her offering during the pandemic – when she had no choice but to get creative to keep business going strong.
She delivered afternoon teas in boxes and post-pandemic, Mindy now caters for afternoon tea parties of up to 24 people, kitted out with the crockery and cutlery to match.
Let’s take a look at what Mindy had to say…
How would you summarise your experience of running an independent business in Northampton at the moment?
“It’s hard work and challenging,” said Mindy. “I don’t want it to come across as negative but it’s hard. I love my job but the price of ingredients, boxes, cake boards, everything has gone up. Looking at the price of cocoa and chocolate in particular, it’s gone up 20 percent in a year – more than that actually. It’s hard but I still love creating in the kitchen.”
What are the biggest challenges you currently face as a business owner, and what impact do these have on the daily running of your venture?
Mindy continued: “AI is starting to come into cake decorating. Quite a few times people have sent me pictures saying they want a cake that looks like this. It’s really hard to make something look as perfect as these AI cakes are.
“I go back to customers if it’s not achievable and if it is, I tell them I’m not the person. I didn’t realise the use of AI was happening at first until I looked closely at the pictures.
“I explain what I can do for customers. I try not to say I can’t do it, but explain it’s going to look different because of what I’m going to do. Most are okay about it and some don’t come back to me. It could be the price I’ve quoted them.
“The business will reach 14 years in November and there’s no way I’d be able to carry on if I didn’t have a job as a music and drama teacher. I’m choosy about which orders I take these days.”
What do you believe Northampton stands to lose if your business were to close down? What unique offerings do you bring to the town that would be sorely missed?
“I like to think I give a certain quality and uniqueness in some of the flavours I offer,” said Mindy. “I give a personal service, which I’m proud of, and I’m supplying over 600 cupcakes for a corporate business soon.
“I go to cake decorating competitions and have another one in November. I’m working on different flavours, like a gluten-free German chocolate cake and an American chocolate cake with a coconut and caramel topping.”
What small actions can our readers and the Northampton community take to support your business in 2026?
Mindy concluded: “Carry on following my page. I get most of my business through Facebook, emails and I still take phone calls. Contact me and hopefully I can help. I’ve got a core group of customers and I want to carry on baking for as long as I can.
“I offer wedding cakes, celebration cakes, cupcakes and afternoon teas for up to 24 people. I’m not asked to do afternoon teas as much and there are some great businesses out there. Amy’s Vintage Teas can supply up to 250 people or more. I’m slowly coming away from that and offering cupcake bouquets. People give those instead of flowers.”