Review: Mango & Pippin, a chocolatier and baker in Edinburgh

Who made you that cake? I’ve been asked this question often, and the answer has been the same for several years. It was Mango & Pippin.

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Three years of Mango and Pippin #cakes finally in a video. Looking for a celebration cake? You can’t have mine. ~G

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There’s no high street store, but we’re dealing with a more established business than a shady Instagram bakery. Mango & Pippin have a website and an ordering system suitable for custom occasion cakes. It’s a reassurance.

Team Edinburgh Reviews are an example of how Mango & Pippin awareness spreads. Birdy asked me, “Who made you that cake?” then, that year, Mango & Pippin was commissioned to create a dinosaur cake for her birthday. I don’t mean a cake shaped like a dinosaur; I mean a scene from Jurassic Park or thereabouts, complete with the (Birdy supplied) dinosaur models to decorate it.

Occasion Cakes

Occasion Cakes is the category for weddings, graduations, divorces, driving test passes and birthdays. Or should that be Celebration Cakes? I’ve only had the birthday cake experience, but I imagine they’re similar – with the likely exception of wedding cakes. I don’t know if Mango & Pippin make those fancy white multi-tier cakes or offers any delivery services that those specialists might have. I’d ask if I was getting married because it would be that one-time excuse to give this talented chocolatier a stack of cash and the time to wow.

I think the photographs will speak for themselves when it comes to Mango & Pippin’s cake art skills. You can, I note, get better photography on the official Mango & Pippin Instagram.

What, though, do the cakes taste like?

Delicious! I’ve had some amazing cakes, and Mango & Pippin rank among them. My favourites, I think, are the fire dragon cupcakes, but ask me on a different day, and I might say the Macha steampunk cake or the cake that bites back. Okay, maybe it was the cake that bit back.

I’ve had discussions as to which flavour combinations would work best. If you’re going to order something quirky, then my advice is not just to inexpertly and unflexibly demand but to listen to Mango & Pippin.

I should pay attention to details. I’ve bought cookies, baked treats and cakes from Mango & Pippin, and I keep saying ‘baker’, but, importantly, the history here is in professional chocolatier. That’s a much tougher gig.

The Mango & Pippin shop process

You can buy custom cookies from Mango & Pippin‘s online store. This is a straightforward retail process; if you order something online before then, you won’t be daunted here.

Ordering a bespoke cake is a little different as there’s no price list, and it takes time. 

I’ve ordered my birthday cake months in advance before (as a May baby, I must compete with the usual flurry of weddings).

Have a budget in mind, make sure there’s at least two weeks’ notice (I’d recommend more), have an idea in mind and then get in touch via the contact form. I’d even recommend putting together some inspirational pictures to show “this sort of thing”.

Each time I’ve done this, I’ve supplied pictures and notes on the vibe I was going for, but the first time I saw the cake was the day I picked it up. Pay half up front and half later.

For me, the only challenge is the pick up aka the great cake collection. Mango & Pippin do not put birthday cakes in the post. I don’t drive, so for my last few birthdays I’ve walked to Mango & Pippin‘s home HQ, literally picked up the cake and got a taxi home. It works for me.

Overall

I’m a big fan. I’ve paid over £100 each year for my Mango & Pippin cake and never regretted it. If I can afford to do it again this year, I will.

Each of my orders has been a pleasant, professional experience, smooth, easy and reassuring. Each one with the absolute dramatic joy of a cake to remember.