There’s a secret cake shed tucked away on a quiet street in Penarth and if you’ve got a sweet tooth, it’s well worth tracking down.
Tucked beside a house on Baron Road, Bakehouse38 (also known locally as “the cake shed”) is a small back‑garden setup selling homemade cakes, cookies and brownies on an honesty basis.
You slip through the side gate, pick your treats from the shelves and either drop coins in the box or tap to pay, it’s one of those very Penarth combinations of trust and Instagram‑ready charm.
New Christmas treats on offer at Bakehouse 38, Penarth | Penarth Times
Run by baker Leda Fotopoulou, the shed’s counter is stacked with regularly changing bakes: think tiramisu, raspberry brownies, Oreo chocolate cake, lemon loaf, cookies and seasonal specials which, at Christmas, have included gingerbread and other festive treats.
Most options sit in the £3–£4 bracket, which is a touch pricier than a supermarket cake bar, but you are paying for small‑batch, homemade bakes rather than mass‑produced slices.
On my visit I tried a mix of staples. The cookies were the standout: big, golden discs with an excellent contrast between a proper hard crunch at the edges and a soft, gooey middle.
They taste like the kind of cookie you wish you could reliably turn out of your own oven, generous on the chocolate without being over‑sweet.
The Victoria sponge was another highlight a neat, well‑layered slice with fresh‑tasting jam and plenty of cream, light enough that you don’t feel weighed down afterwards.
The brownies were more of a mixed bag. They had a decent chocolate flavour but, compared to the cookies, felt fairly average, missing that rich fudginess that makes a brownie memorable.
At around £3 a portion, that might feel steep if you’re used to grabbing a multipack from the shops. But when you weigh it against the fact everything is made in a home kitchen, in small quantities, with someone clearly fussing over the details, it starts to feel more like paying for a little treat experience than just a sugar hit.
Between the honesty‑box charm, the constantly rotating flavours and those standout cookies, Bakehouse38 is a genuine hidden gem for Penarth locals.
Yes, £3‑plus per slice is on the higher side for an everyday snack, but putting a price on carefully made, small‑batch cakes you can pick up from a quiet residential street feels a bit joyless.
If you like the idea of supporting a local baker and don’t mind spending a little extra for something homemade, this tiny cake shed is absolutely worth a detour the next time your sweet tooth kicks in.
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