Indulge your senses with a cup of tea and slice of what you fancy this National Cake Week

Berridges, Ipswich

Found above the jewellers, this spot has an old fashioned charm, and an unforgettable central dessert table laden with yummies. The lemon meringue pie is puffy, crisp, sharp and out-of-this-world good. And they sometimes have a gooey chocolate cake which, when warmed up, is heavenly.

The G & T, Yoxford

Winner of our best café award in this year’s food and drink awards. Gina and Thalia offer proper, personal, friendly service in a homely environment where there’s often well over 20 homemade cakes chalked up on the board. We liked the saffron, lemon and polenta cake, excellent, wholesome carrot cake, and spicy ginger cake on our visit. Well worth the trip.

Cragg Sisters Tearoom, Aldeburgh

A finalist in our food and drink awards, Cragg Sisters has huge array of teas to choose from (and sniff before you buy). We tried a wedge of Victoria sponge, which was fluffy, fresh and fully of vanilla, buttery flavours, with a good dollop of jam smothered inside. The cheese scones are some of the best we’ve ever had.

Hollow Tree Farm, Semer

Everything in the Woodlands café at this family-friendly farm is made by the kitchen team every day. For children there are always cutesy shortbread biscuits fashioned into animal shapes. While adults have a choice from a regularly changing selection of slices and cake wedges such as the popular brownies and flapjacks.

Hollowtrees.co.uk

The Stables, Brightwell Barns

The whopping great cakes keep customers coming back here. They’re always homemade and you never know what you’re going to find. There could be dense fruit cake, coffee and walnut cake, a very chocolatey chocolate cake, mocha cake – even the occasional twinkling rainbow unicorn cake. Lovely scones too.

Tuddenham Old Stores

It’s only open during school term time, so this is one to enjoy midweek. The building is stunning and eating lunch or cake in this place feels like sitting in the midst of a Country Living magazine shoot.

At the counter is a long row of cakes, made in the village for the tearoom. But our absolute favourite is the sticky toffee cake. They’ll ask if you want it warmed up and you have to say yes. Then the sticky icing oozes over the top of the moist sponge, taking you to cake paradise.

Applaud, Ipswich

Winner of best café in our awards last year. The sisters who run this place (Beth and Hannah) have just got the formula so right. Proper coffee. A small menu of changing savouries. Delicious cheese scones. And daily changing, really interesting cakes – including gluten-free options. Think vegan lemon cake, cinnamon buns and double chocolate chip cookies.

First, Debach

There’s a modern industrial vibe at this rural café where they serve darn good Frank & Earnest coffee, made obsessively by the team using freshly ground, small batch beans.

Cakes are made by The Cake Dude, whose motto is ‘square cakes with a rounded flavour’. Try out the rum banana bread. Or the dark, molasses-rich ginger cake. If you’re a chocolate fiend though, it’s got to be the mocha cake, made using the same coffee served in the café.

Christine’s Patisserie, Woodbridge

This is a darling little café, all pastel-coloured and pretty, with a surprise courtyard out the back. The cakes made by owner Suzanne Archer, are really lovely. Generous in size, and packed with flavour, you won’t be able to resist a slice (or two). Think salted caramel peanut tarts, chocolate, coconut and chia seed brownies, cashew and carrot cake, or pistachio and rosewater sponge.

Gastrono-me, Bury St Edmunds

Currently in the middle of a move to bigger premises, make sure you check out the new, bigger Gastrono-me. Cakes, bread and pastries are made every day by the bakery team. We defy anyone to walk past and not be tempted by the window display of individual pecan pies, Bakewells and chocolate tarts, Swiss buttercream whirled coffee cake, and gigantic brownies. The peanut butter brownies are to die for.