With Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day round the corner – although frankly we don’t need an excuse - one of Dorset’s star cake makers is sharing her top tips to create the perfect frosting for any cakes you bake to mark a special occasion.

Sue Gould, a mother and foster carer from Poole, has been baking since she was a child. Today, she’s honed her baking skills to create fancy and fun cupcakes for customers of Saucy Sue’s Cupcakes.

Sue said: “I still use my nan’s recipes for the cakes. I love the reaction I get from customers when they collect some bespoke cupcakes, I feel so privileged to be part of their special day.

“My favourite cupcake flavour is the vanilla cupcake filled with fresh raspberries with a white chocolate buttercream and my favourite designs are the baby shower cupcakes.

“The most popular flavours are vanilla, chocolate, lemon and coffee and the most ordered design are a vintage style which are especially popular for Mother’s Day.”

Saucy Sue’s has been running for just over two years.

Sue said: “On my first anniversary I held a party at the Orangery at Merley and raised funds for Forest Holme which I am proud to say was a huge success.”

The baker said she’s proud to call Dorset her home, where she bakes every day.

She said: “I have always been a Dorset girl, never moved away! I am a mother to two children Morgan, 20 and Jamie,18, and I’ve also been a foster carer for 16 years, currently to an amazing 10 year old boy.

“The children that I have been honoured to care for are my daily inspiration and I am lucky enough to still be in touch with them all.

“I am also a teaching assistant at a local infant school. Sleep is highly over rated!”

Luckily for them, they’re all her taste testers and Sue said they’re ‘very honest’.

She said: “I love each and every aspect of my life and consider myself to be incredibly lucky. I have been told that my kitchen smells of ‘love and happiness’ – maybe cake is the answer to world peace.

“I would definitely encourage anyone and everyone to bake and to bake something that they would enjoy eating and sharing with others.

“I am super proud of the cupcake decorating parties we have been able to take part in for both children and adults, they are so much fun.”

With a growing customer base and online following who marvel at her everyday bakes, Sue has her sights set on her end goal.

She said: “My dream would be to open the first cupcakery in Poole and with the support of my amazing family and friends I firmly believe it will happen.”

Follow Sue’s recipe for white chocolate buttercream frosting to give your cakes the perfect finish:

Ingredients: 300g white chocolate, 500g icing sugar sieved, 160g unsalted butter at room temperature, 50ml single cream.

Method: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile in another bowl beat the butter and icing sugar together, (I use an electric mixer) add the cooled chocolate and cream, mixed until smooth. This covers 12 cupcakes or 24 fairy cakes. Visit saucysuescupcakes.co.uk to find out more.