Local People: Steph McNab

Bathgate resident Stephanie (Steph) McNab has been interested in cake design ever since she was a teenager, but the thought of making a career out of her passion was just a dream.

She now owns and runs Cherry Blossom Designer Cakes in George Street, Bathgate, and recently celebrated winning a silver award at the world’s largest cake competition which attracts competitors from all parts of the globe.

So how did the dream become reality?

After leaving school in 2006, Steph attended Edinburgh’s Napier University where she studied Forensic Biology, but eventually realised a career in forensic science wasn’t where her future lay. She left University in 2011 to take up a period of paid employment. Eventually though, the long-established lure of wishing to start her own designer cake business was too strong to resist. Steph left her job and enrolled in a bakery and cake design course at the City of Glasgow College.

On graduating in 2018, she took the plunge (or should that be sponge?) and started her own cake business, initially working from home. As orders started to grow she soon outgrew her kitchen (and almost every other room in the house). Retail premises were obviously now required but they needed to accommodate both a fully equipped baking area as well as space for showing off Steph’s amazing cake creations.

The decision was made to look for a high street location in Bathgate, largely due to Bathgate’s excellent location within central Scotland but also Steph’s family links in the town. After a detailed and lengthy search, a former shoe shop in George Street was chosen. Following a total renovation from top to bottom, Cherry Blossom Designer Cakes commenced trading in April 2019 and hasn’t looked back since.

Steph recently celebrated receiving a coveted silver award for her first attempt at the prestigious Cake International Show at the NEC in Birmingham in January. “Competition was fierce, but I managed to land a silver award. To be fair, I was absolutely chuffed to win any award at my first attempt, not least at the most prestigious cake show in the world, but to then later find out I was only three points off a gold award has made me even more determined to aim for the top prize next year,” says Steph.

Business is flourishing, and Steph would like to acknowledge the help received from Enterprising Bathgate in establishing her business in the town, along with fellow Bathgate traders and shop owners who continue to provide either valuable advice or custom, or both.

The business name Cherry Blossom Designer Cakes comes from the fact that Steph’s husband proposed to her in Japan, which is renowned for its cherry blossom trees.

Check the website www.cherryblossomdesignercakes.com, telephone 01506 798987 or email info@cherryblossomdesignercakes.com for more information.