by Anna Edwards

anna.edwards@essnmedia.co.uk

Surrey Street Market has a sweet new addition to its traditional stalls – one selling homemade cakes.

Nestled between the fruit and veg and – rather temptingly for gym-goers – outside Virgin Active, are Selina Chooramun's tasty treats, which are already selling like, well, hot cakes.

Miss Chooramun, 27, has ditched her nine-to-five office job as a former picture researcher for eggs and flour in her kitchen.

She said: "I was doing my office job for three-and-a-half years and I just couldn't do it anymore. I really wanted to give the stall a go. It allows me to be so creative.

"I've just bought a house with my boyfriend though, so he's doing his office job at the minute while I'm making all these cakes. It was a bit of a nerve-wracking decision, but hopefully people will keep coming back."

Miss Chooramun, from Purley Road, South Croydon, has only been baking since September, but decided to make her kitchen her office after her former work colleagues kept begging her to bring in cakes she had made.

She said: "All my friends and family like them, and work kept asking me to bring them in. My mum's a really good cook, but she never had the flair for cakes, and I've never gone on a cake-making course, so I don't know where I got it from.

"Some recipes I take from books and tweak, others I've had ideas about and just experimented really."

Since setting up shop at the end of last month and opening every Friday, Miss Chooramun has sold out of all her indulgent slices.

She said: "I was quite nervous when I first opened up, wondering if people would pay £2 for a slice of something.

"But I think people must be crying out for cake. All the slices were gone by about 2.30pm, so now I make sure I make more, although my last batch of nine cakes took about 12 hours. I've already had orders for birthday cakes and people asking for wedding cake samples."

Miss Chooramun, whose business is called Yummy Choo, says customers are already asking for different flavours.

"People asked for carrot cake, and I've found the Nutella cake has gone down really well.

"The big glittery chocolate cake is really one for the girls, and I've got healthy banana cake for anyone who doesn't want to be too naughty or who's come out of the gym," she said.

Miss Chooramun hopes to expand her business to markets in central London and making cakes to order.

For more information, or if you want a cake made to order, call 07811 950083, visit www.yummychoo.com or e-mail yummy.choo@hotmail.com.