A new drive-thru dessert shop has opened up in Manchester, and it’s already proving popular among those with a sweet tooth.
Your Girl Can Bake – which is based in Higher Ardwick, and brands itself as ‘the UK’s first car dessert dine in’ – is the brainchild of 24-year-old Ikraa Riaz, who has loved baking since she was 10 years old, but had never actually dreamed she would be able to make a living from it.
After graduating from university with biology degree last year, Ikraa first decided to set up an Instagram account to sell her tasty creations – and it went down such a treat that the young entrepreneur has now launched the drive-thru dessert service.
Customers receive a platter of handmade fresh desserts in the comfort of their own vehicle – and Ikraa says people from all over the UK can’t get enough of it.
“We only launched last week but the response has been absolutely amazing,” Ikraa told the MEN.
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“We’ve had people driving hundreds of miles to come and try our treats.
“When I was little, I would find any excuse to bake cupcakes and brownies for friends and family, and I would always try and perfect the recipes or get creative.
“When I started uni, I was only baking in my spare time but I knew when I finished my degree that I wanted to get back into it and I always had a desire to own my own business.
“To make a living doing what I love is a dream come true.”
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Ikraa runs Your Girl Can Bake with two of her family members and makes all of the sweet treats fresh and by hand every day, allowing customers to book a slot to drive up and tuck in to their heart’s content.
You can order up to 10 dishes, and choose from a menu of sweet and savoury plates.
Your Girl Can Bake is the brainchild of 24-year-old Ikraa Riaz, who has loved baking since she was 10 years old / Credit: Instagram (@yourgirlcanbake)
Think everything from loaded waffles drenched in chocolate, huge bowls of pick n mix, cookie dough topped with a huge selection of chocolate delights, chocolate fondues, brownies, and so much more.
Don’t have a raging sweet tooth? There’s also a number of savoury dishes to try including nachos, samosa chaat, Gulab Jamun, the far-less chocolatey Indian dessert Falooda.
Explaining why she decided to set up the firs-of-its-kind business, Ikraa said: “Sometimes sitting in your car is just much more private and personal because you don’t have people around you like you do in the restaurant.
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“I wanted to create a place where you could have that drive in experience but for desserts and sweet treats.”
Viral Manchester doughnut window serving ‘spaghetti ice cream’ to close down
Daisy Jackson
Baby Mayhem, a dessert hatch in Ancoats serving fluffy filled doughnuts, has announced it’s closed for good.
The brand shot to fame with its baked-fresh-daily treats, which customers could have topped with ‘spaghetti ice cream’ and cheesecake filling.
For a year and a half, they’ve had consistent queues for their doughnut ice cream sandwiches and coffees, and become one of the most viral traders in Greater Manchester.
But now Baby Mayhem’s doughnut window in Ancoats is closing for good, with its founder James Turner citing a rise in rent and ongoing building works among the reasons for its closure.
He said that it’s become ‘increasingly difficult’ to operate the site, with the wider building undergoing construction work, telling followers that he’s only been able to open seven days out of the last eight weeks.
He’s also said that there is a ‘proposed increased rent’ looming, forcing him to close the Ancoats hatch for good.
But it’s not the end of Baby Mayhem as a brand, with a unit outside the Etihad Stadium, pop-ups planned at the Joie stadium, another term at Manchester Metropolitan university, and more appearances around town.
He also dropped a hint at a certain Christmas Market…
James will close the Baby Mayhem doughnut window in AncoatsBaby Mayhem’s fluffy doughnutsCredit: The Manc Group
In a statement, James said: “After an incredible year and a half, we’ve made the really difficult decision to close the Baby Mayhem hatch – for now.
“Over the past few months, ongoing building works have left much of the site under construction, making it increasingly difficult for us to operate consistently. We’ve only managed to open seven days in the last 8 weeks.
“The works have also had a huge impact on our kitchen, making it impossible to create our desserts to the standard we expect from Baby Mayhem. Alongside the disruption and proposed increased rent, continuing to operate from the hatch simply isn’t sustainable right now.
“But one thing is certain – this is not the end of Baby Mayhem.
“Over the last 18 months, we’ve been lucky enough to build a wonderful relationship with Manchester City FC and that’s something we’re incredibly proud of. That relationship continues to grow, with our unit outside the stadium, we will have pop ups at the Joie stadium for all the WSL home games, and also popping up at Kids Fanzone at every Manchester City home game.
“We’ll also be back at Man Met for another term of Baby Mayhem Burger, with more pop-ups around the city, a few festivals still to come and of course, we love a Christmas market.
“Sometimes in business you have to take one step back to take two steps forward.
“For now, the hatch is closing – but Baby Mayhem isn’t. To everyone who has supported us over the last year and a half, thank you.
A banana pudding bar is opening in Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
Buttercup – the viral banana pudding business based in Manchester – has announced the closure of its pop-up space… as it makes way to open its very own standalone site.
The hugely popular pudding brand is set to open its very first location this autumn, bringing a banana pudding bar to the city centre.
Buttercup launched last summer, creating little pots of the hit US dessert made famous by the iconic Magnolia Bakery.
Each dessert features vanilla custard whipped with cream, soft sponge, and fresh banana, which you can then customise with rotating flavours and toppings (like the current sticky cornflake and raspberry, inspired by school dinner puddings).
And now it’s time for Buttercup to bid farewell to its nine-month residency at Deansgate General Store, ahead of launching its own pudding bar.
Since launching, Buttercup has served around 50,000 puddings, hosted sell-out pop-ups across the city, collaborated with some huge brands, and built a loyal following around its signature build-your-own pudding bar.
With this new standalone space, you’ll be able to indulge in its signature banana pudding, plus new flavours and a build-your-own toppings concept, with new toppings including cookie dough bites and brownies. A new drinks menu is also in the works.
Buttercup will leave Deansgate General Store on Monday 31 August, and will reveal its new location in the coming weeks.
Buttercup founder, Natasha Black, said: “This feels like the perfect step for Buttercup. It’s been such a pleasure to call General Store home for the past nine months, and I’m so grateful to the team there for helping us grow into what we are today.
“But as we continue to grow, now feels like the right time for us to step out on our own. I can’t wait for people to see what we’ve been working on and bring Buttercup to life in our own place!”
Emily Sergeant -
21st September 2021 
