Hey Up Cupcake: Meet the Leeds baker who turned her lockdown hobby into a prosperous side hustle

The Leeds mum-of-two, and O2 implementation specialist, started dabbling with simple bakes and cupcakes while working from home during lockdown - dropping off her creations on her friends’ doorsteps.

Almost three years later, Nikki now boasts a thriving online business Hey Up Cupcake, with almost 80,000 followers on Instagram and orders flooding in for her incredible floral designs. As well as designing, baking and piping bespoke creations, Nikki now runs tutorials and caters for weddings - all while still holding down her day job.

The 47-year-old told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I started doing a lot of home baking, like everyone did - banana bread and cupcakes with basic swirls - and dropping them off at friends’ doorsteps. I saw a bit of inspiration on YouTube with floral designs and I started trying different nozzles and dabbling with flowers.”

After getting rave reviews from friends and colleagues, Nikki decided to try and turn her baking hobby into a “side hustle” - registering her business and launching her Instagram page in July 2020.

Nikki said: “I decided to just bite the bullet and see what happened. I put a few pictures online and, luckily, it grabbed the attention of a few local ladies - and it spiralled from there. With having so much practice now, I’ve got better and better at the design and putting the colours together. It’s just gone crazy; I’ve never been quiet.”

Honing her skills over the years, Nikki’s eye-catching designs include floral cupcake bouquets and botanical ‘lux boxes’ - which her customers often say look almost too good to eat.

Since one customer requested training on how to make the cupcakes themselves around a year ago, Nikki has hosted training classes almost every week since - with customers travelling as far as London, Scotland and Dublin to her home in East Ardsley.

She also sells detailed training guides for £9.99, including the recipe for her buttercream, as well as catering for weddings and events. This year she’s focusing on more weddings, building a website and continuing her teaching, as well as keeping the orders going out.

“It’s been so lovely to be part of other people’s experiences,” Nikki added. “When I look back I think, gosh, it’s amazing how you can create something from nothing. It’s given me a really good side income and I would have never have thought, in a million years, that I could do something like this.”

Nikki often wakes up at 5am on Monday-Wednesday to take orders, before logging on to work at 8am, then spends Thursday-Sunday baking and sending out her cupcakes. It’s a big juggling act - but she says every minute has been worth it, particularly when she’s flooded with supportive messages from customers.

“It means the world to me,” she added. “It’s people supporting small, local businesses - which is paramount to everything. It’s the bread and butter. And it’s the customers and the lovely messages that keep me going every day.

“I didn’t consider myself as being overly creative, but I’m organised and I manage my time well. It’s boosted my confidence - it’s something I’m doing for me.”