11. Hummingbird Bakery (Notting Hill branch)
It’s hard to believe that the Hummingbird Bakery opened as long ago as 2004: its genuinely American-style looks and baking are still as fresh, sweet and appealing as ever, and the London market is showing no signs of cupcake fatigue.
The original branch in Notting Hill is still the real McCoy. Tiny, hectic, and often with a long queue outside, it’s a little haven of truly American pies of cartoonish proportions, tall and pretty layer cakes, and rows and rows of sprinkled, pastel cupcakes. These legendary cupcakes come in classic flavours (vanilla, chocolate, red velvety, carrot etc) with soft sponge and sufficient sugary buttercream topping to give you a severe sugar rush. There are also highly photogenic seasonal specials (mostly vanilla and chocolate but with different decorations), plus a new range to coincide with the recent book Cake Days including a date-filled sticky toffee version (above). Pies are the ones we know of from reading classic children’s books and watching old cartoons, and prove to be just as good in real life as imagined: Mississippi Mud Pie, Key Lime Pie, Pumpkin Pecan Pie, and Banana Cream Pie.
The bakery will also fulfil all sorts of special orders. There’s a big business in ordering on-line for delivery within London - the maximum of 312 cupcakes per order gives an idea of how many cupcakes are now being consumed by Londoners. It’s all very flexible with options on icing colours, flavours, various size whole cakes (sold by the diameter), and a range of commissioned celebration and wedding cakes that look like the sort of thing customers might wear on their heads to Ascot.
The Hummingbird is now well established as part of London’s cake history and a must-see on the cake trail, and as long as you remember that they are the epitome of the sweet, high-bicarbonate and high-frosting style, they won’t disappoint.
[Good news: there is now a branch on Old Brompton Road near the major museums in what has been for so long a cake wasteland.]
133 Portobello Road
London W11 2DY
Tel: 020 7851 1795
Website: www.hummingbirdbakery.com
Open: Mon to Fri 10 – 6, Sat 9 – 6, Sun 11 – 5
Commissions taken
The Bakery also has a wide selection of cake in its ‘without’ ranges which are all gluten-free.
And a slice of culture: Portobello Market, Portobello Road antiques shops, Electric Cinema (most comfy seats ever), legendary Books for Cooks, Piers Gough's 'Turquoise Island' which houses public toilets/Wild at Heart flowers, colourful Notting Hill terraced houses, various classic NH film locations.
Yum! Yum! Yum!
Just the most fab cupcakes!
Oh! And I feel ancient I watched 'the Blues Brothers' and 'Repo Man'. In that very cinema when they first came out!
Posted by: A Trifle Rushed | November 24, 2011 at 22:12
Your description of Old Brompton Road as "a cake wasteland" has to be my favourite quote this month. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face during a week of too many late work nights.
Posted by: Rebecca | November 24, 2011 at 22:29
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving to you from New York.
Both this post and its immediate predecessor give me such motivation to try to get on a plane sometime soon.
We do have major cupcake empori-yums over here, but they are not near the V&A.
I will have a look at the Hockney bio, and hope that my wonderful library will buy it. How I would like to get back to see that colorist's show.
Thank you for always giving me (and others) so much inspiration.
Posted by: Frances | November 25, 2011 at 00:08
Date filled sticky toffee...enough said, I am off to camp outside and snaffle hot from the baking tray!
Sarah x
Posted by: sarah-jane down the lane | November 25, 2011 at 06:23
Dear Jane
Informative text, lovely pictures, as always. I am working on the Danish translation of Cake Days right now, so this is very inspiring. Plan to make a capital cake tour when I visit London in January.
Ulla, Denmark
Posted by: Ulla | November 25, 2011 at 08:07
i was given a Hummingbird bakery book last year. The recipes do no disappoint. Yesterday I made the lemon and poppyseed frosted ring cake; it looks and more importantly tastes fantastic!
Posted by: Karen | November 26, 2011 at 08:21
I am a regular reader, but I want to thank you especially for the posts on bakeries and other places around London (which one won't find in the usual tourist info). I bookmark each post in anticipation of my next trip to London.
Posted by: Stashhaus | November 26, 2011 at 16:35
Your words and images of pastry shops in London make me want to hop on a plane. I will most certainly take a list of them with me when I visit England again.
Posted by: Frances Roth | November 30, 2011 at 15:57
Are pies really that American? I never realized...you might enjoy baking one (if you haven't already). Smitten Kitchen has the best crust recipe along with fabulous fillings, tossing sliced apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar will produce pretty amazing results. Thanks for the lovely cake posts!
Posted by: Sarah | December 01, 2011 at 04:10