Rachel Embleton will always remember standing on a chair in her nan's kitchen as a child, making her own little cakes from spare pastry cuts and sprinkles.

Now, with the support of her family and 15 adopted "mams" she's ready to take her fledgling business, Fairycakes of Fulwell, to the next tier.

Rachel makes cakes for special occasions; and spends hours in her kitchen making sure that each birthday, wedding or christening gets the perfect centrepiece.

The 29-year-old is a devotee of traditional sugarcraft, and is also teaching herself chocolate work.

Rachel, who now lives in Fulwell, also works part time at the ESPA centre in Ashbrooke as a support worker, helping adults with autism.

She said: "I really like my job. I get to go trampolining, to the pub, and to the cinema with these fantastic guys. It's a very broad spectrum disability, from those who cannot do much for themselves to those who struggle to interact.

"It's really rewarding when you see someone progress socially or learn something new."

But far from leaving her caring side behind, Rachel is using Fairycakes of Fulwell to help another cause close to her heart: the Grace House Hospice Appeal.

Rachel said: "I raffle cakes for the appeal because every little helps and this year I'm running a 'win your wedding cake' raffle.

"I just think it's a really good cause. Thankfully, no one has had a need for something like that in my family but I think it would be a really good service to have in Sunderland, very necessary."

After getting the cooking bug in her Nan's kitchen, Rachel began making little Christmas cakes when she was 13 to give to her family and friends.

She said: "I took the recipe from a standard Bero book and decorated them with a ribbon and little Father Christmases.

"On reflection it was a poor effort, but perhaps not too bad for my age."

After finishing school at Hylton Red House Comprehensive and studying art and design, and photography, Rachel's next foray into cake-making was for her own wedding.

She said: "When I got married to Michael, in 2002 we didn't have a lot of money to play with, so I decided to make our wedding cake.

"I had a good recipe by then that I'd worked on, so I went along to Canny Cakes, on Frederick Street, and bought the ingredients."

As well as buying ingredients, Rachel also decided to take the plunge and signed up to take the sugarcraft classes on offer at the shop with owner Angela Green.

After racing through the beginners' and advanced classes, she signed up for a further course with Joan Carter at the Salvation Army on Shakespeare Street.

Meeting Joan and the rest of the women in the class was a turning point for Rachel.

She said: "Joan knows her art inside out and is just so passionate about sugarcraft. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on me.

"She really is fantastic at what she does and she's a lovely person to boot.

"I couldn't have met a nicer group of women at the class – it's like having 15 extra 'mams' and I love the bones of them."

Along with Joan, husband Michael, who used to be in the Army, is one of Rachel's biggest supporters: helping to organise the orders and keeping the website up to date

Rachel said: "I decided to start the business because of Joan and Michael encouraging me. I think I have the best husband in the world.

"I would rather sit on the fence to be honest, but they kept telling me I was good and eventually I took the jump."

One of Rachel's biggest professional inspirations is Alan Dunn from Gateshead, who she describes as the "David Beckham" of sugarcraft.

She said: "I've got his books and I've seen him demonstrate several times. I would love to reach his standard. His flowers are really special because at first glance they look real."

After taking her cakes to wedding fairs in the Northeast, Rachel is now picking up orders for 2009.

She said: "I went to a wedding fair in Seaburn and four people placed orders with me that day. Everytime I got an order I did a little dance!"

Rachel is a member of the British Sugarcraft Guild which meets on the second Tuesday of each month at the City Library.

She said: "It's really good having people around me who are so supportive. There's no problem with me being the new girl. We all share tips and advice."

A large wedding cake can take two weeks of 9-5 work to complete, depending on the decoration. When finished, large cakes weigh a tonne, something Rachel takes into account.

She said: "I won't give anyone else the job of carrying the cake because if it goes then there's only me to blame.

"They can be as heavy as a four-year-old child!

"I was carrying one once and just as I got to the table my legs began to buckle.

"I just managed to save it – I suppose in hindsight it was quite funny because everyone sort of gasped but I broke into a sweat at the time!"

Baking and decorating cakes has given the Rachel the creative outlet she has been looking for since leaving college.

She said: "Some people know exactly what they want, but others let you be a bit more creative.

"One bride just wanted the colour to be blue and ivory to match her dress and flowers, so I did her a tier cake with blue hydrangeas on it.

"When I left school I did an art and design course but I never found an outlet until I started doing this.

"Now I get to be creative and paid for something I love doing."

For the future, Rachel has plenty of ambition.

She said: "It feels good to keep a dying art going. I'm now at the stage where I could take my own classes and hopefully I will be able to start some soon if there is enough interest."

But her ultimate ambition is to bring a traditional tea room to Sunderland.

Rachel said: "I'd love to open a tea room in Fulwell, on Sea Road, like Betty's in Harrogate. I'd ask all the ladies from the Salvation Army class to come and work with me.

"It's a bit pie in the sky but I can see it!"

* For more information, visit: www.fairycakesoffulwell.co.uk

Win your wedding cake

Rachel is selling raffle tickets for £1 to raise money for the Grace House Hospice Appeal.

The winner, who will be picked on October 12 at the Stadium of Light wedding fair, will win a wedding cake worth up to £300.

All proceeds will go to the Grace House Hospice Appeal.

To find out more, call Rachel on: 0191 549 0318 or: 0797275786 or email:

fairycakesoffulwell@hotmail.co.uk.