WHEN Dorset baker Emma Woods heard she had been shortlisted for a national wedding award, it was literally the icing on the cake.

For Emma who runs Fancie Buns Cakery from her home in Parkstone, Poole, specialises in the design and creation of wedding cakes and dessert tables.

Now she is one of only eight finalists shortlisted from hundreds of entries by industry experts for the UK’s ‘Best Wedding Cake Company’ award.

Emma tells Taste: “I was gobsmacked because I thought it was another junk email at first. But it turns out that I am up against some really big names, and most of them were based in London. It took a few days to sink in."

Although Emma is a trained chef, her culinary skills were shelved when she spent 15 years in the local finance industry.

But her career gradually took a turn for the sweeter.

She explains: “I started making cakes for my daughter’s birthdays and for friends and their little ones.

“Then one of my friends asked me to make her wedding cake, and it just went from there really. I loved it."

After setting up in 2013, Emma's business started going from strength to strength although she had to juggle a full time finance job, a daughter and a home business at first.

“I honestly don’t know how I did it," she says. "I was working five days a week, and I have a little girl so I had to work late into the night.

"But I liked the idea of being able to work from home and being able to be with my daughter and family.

“My colleagues were really supportive and I started working three days a week, but when my daughter wasn’t at school I had to work it around her. It was last April that I finally decided to give it up and focus on her cake businesses.

Since then, Emma has never looked back and hopes to build her cake business (tier by tier) within the year.

“I’d like to build up more weddings and teach more classes - but winning the UK Wedding Awards so it would be wonderful if Echo readers could vote for me."

The awards are hosted by three leading bridal brands – Hitched, You & Your Wedding and Perfect Wedding.

To vote for Emma, visit hitched.co.uk/awards/vote/#best-wedding-cake-company. Voting closes on February 11 and winners will be announced in early spring.