Disclosure: These items were received as review samples. All opinions are my own and based entirely on my experience. Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
A couple months ago, I began to outgrow the last bras I bought in size UK 30H (yes, only a month after I reviewed them here). I started to shop around for the next size up, but didn’t really want to spend the money just yet since I didn’t know if my breast growth would continue apace.
Lucky for me, Cake Maternity happened to reach out at just the right time! Their PR rep actually started by sharing some information about the Sugar Candy bra (an Hourglassy favorite!), but sadly, I had to inform her that I had sized out of the bra cups during pregnancy. However, instead the brand offered to send me a couple maternity/nursing bras for review, and I was more than happy to oblige.
Cake is an Australian brand that specializes in maternity and nursing bras along with an assortment of accessories and basic garments such as swimwear and leggings. Their bra size range is impressively inclusive, ranging from A cups up to US N cups (which is UK JJ).
On the US website, everything is listed in US sizes, so if you’re more familiar with UK sizing, do take care to convert your UK cups to their US lettering scheme. In this case, the US sizes are single letters only without skipping any. UK sizing goes D, DD, E, F, FF, then single-double letters after that, skipping the letter I). To find your US size, just count up the number of letters you are away from UK D, and count the same number of sizes up from US D. So if you wear UK G, for example, that’s 5 cup sizes up from UK D; and in Cake’s US sizing, 5 cups up from D would be I.
Since Cake bras start at 32 band, not 30, I had to sister size a bit too. I requested whatever their equivalent is of UK 32H (which is US K). But their bands have five (yes, five) columns of hooks and eyes, so the band sizing is quite flexible and I’ve been perfectly happy in the 32’s. Even though I normally prefer a super-tight band, I’m better off in a slightly less snug fit these days since my boobs are more sensitive than usual. I fluctuate between the second and third tightest hooks, so I’ve got room to tighten it further if I want or loosen it up if I need as I continue growing.
I wanted one plungier, multi-part cup bra and one seamless bra. So the two that I requested are the Timtams and the Croissant (are you noticing a theme here? All the bras are named after foods!), both wired nursing styles.
First we have Timtams. The size range is 32-42 D-N (though note 40 stops at M and 42 stops at L), and I received size 32N. I find this bra overall to be very comfortable. It has a lovely round and uplifted shape. The cups are sufficiently deep, the wires aren’t too wide, and the straps don’t rub or dig in. The wires are called “flexi-wires,” but they feel the same as my usual underwires, so I’m not sure what the difference is. They’re quite firm in my opinion.
I get just the tiniest bit of pillowing on my bigger left boob. The lace trim is nice and stretchy, but it has a strip of only slightly less stretchy stabilizer along the inner edge, which I think accounts for the pillowing. I must impress upon you that it is extremely minor, though, and does not show through clothes.
My one complaint (and this actually applies to both bras) is that the gore does not tack at all. It looks to me like the wires are tacking on the model, so I suspect it’s because my boobs are simply too big and too close together. Considering the height of the gore, if they did tack, they would dig into breast tissue on me, so it’s a compromise I’m willing to make since the bra is otherwise so comfy.
Finally, since this is a nursing bra, I must comment on the way it opens for breastfeeding. I seem to have forgotten to take a photo, so I’ll share the manufacturer image instead, but in short, there’s a clip at the top of each cup where it meets the strap. Upon unclipping it, the cup folds down, leaving you with a strip of fabric along the outer edge of the cup, keeping your breasts lightly supported from the side and making it easy to clip the front panel back in place. With both of these bras, I was able to easily unclip and re-clip the cups with just one hand, yet I’ve never had them pop open by accident.
Next we have the Croissant bra, which has soft, seamless cups (except for a single seam up the center of the gore) with the underwires hidden under that outer layer for a nice minimalist look. Sizes are 32-42 C-K (though 42 runs D- I).
The fabric is ultra-soft with a nice amount of stretch without being too bouncy. It has more of a scoopneck shape, which results in no pillowing at all for me. It’s got the same “flexi-wires” as Timtams, but slightly higher wires. Once again, the cups are sufficiently deep, the wires aren’t too wide, and the straps don’t rub or dig in. The profile is just a little more east-west than the Timtams, but not by much. I think it’s to be expected based on the minimal structure. Overall, I find this bra to be extraordinarily comfortable, with excellent support and lift and a seamless look under clothes.
Once again, the gore doesn’t tack. In fact, it’s slightly worse in this case because the bra has less structure and higher wires in the gore. But again, it’s a compromise I’m willing to make to ensure it doesn’t dig in to breast tissue and considering the overall comfort level.
This time, I did remember to take a photo of the clip and the under-clip structure! It’s the same clip as Timtams, but the understructure has a triangular frame of fabric around the breast rather than just a strip on the outer edge. I think this inner triangle gives the bra more stabilization since the outer layer has no seams, but I must admit that sometimes it peeks out the top of the cup.
In this case, I also remembered to take a photo of how the bra looks under clothing! I’m wearing a Mirror Mirror Moda (formerly Bolero Brand) dress in size small here, so it’s quite stretchy and tight and gives a very clear view of how the bra fits.
Lastly, I photographed the interior structure and bands of both bras. Note the fun neon yellow interior trim of the Croissant bra!
I’m extremely pleased with both these bras. I’m hoping that my boobs don’t get any bigger so I can actually use them for nursing. But if they do grow any more, I’m relieved that I can at least replace the Timtams with a bigger size (up to 3 more cups!). This is a bra I would absolutely not hesitate to spend my own money on.
