March 13, 2013 10.01 am This story is over 132 months old

In pictures: The first Lincoln Clandestine Cake Club

Glorious cakes: A new club has formed in Lincoln, where members bake and test each others’ cake creations.

Lincoln’s first ever Clandestine Cake Club meet launched on March 12 at Thomas 2, featuring an array of delicious homemade cakes.

As part of the national club, which centres around a cookbook, members bake various cakes for other members to test at monthly events.

The Lincoln club is run by main organiser Claire Leverett and co-founder Melanie McDonald.

Claire Leverett said: “The cake club is a club designed to help people socialise, make friends and explore their baking hobby. The ethos really is to bake a cake, slice it and share it!

“We meet once a month with different themes at a secret venue, which is released a couple of days before the event, to keep it exclusive to members only.”

She added: “Mel and I are both members of the Clandestine Cake Club but hadn’t made it to a meeting. Then an opportunity arose for a new organiser, and we both emailed our interest. We were invited to do it together so we did.

“All the recipes are very different. Some are from books, some are family recipes. That’s what we want — there’s no judging, it’s non-competitive, and we want to encourage all levels of baking to come and explore and feel confident.

“Plus, you get to cake home — what’s better?!”

Melanie McDonald said: “It’s a great place to get tips and advice from other members as well, which is really important too.”

Sarah Thomas, owner of Thomas 2 and host of the first meet, said: “We got involved when Claire stopped me one day and told me all about it. I hadn’t heard of it before, but when I researched it, I found it was a really cool thing to be a part of, so I couldn’t miss that opportunity.

“I’ve seen a banana loaf that looks lush, and there’s a huge chocolate cake that looks really nice, there’s loads I could take inspiration from and I love the book.”

To join the Lincoln cake club, register on the Clandestine Cake Club website for free and put in your postcode to find your nearest event.

A forum on the website also lets members find out the latest news on where the event will be held and which cakes are being made by other local members.