Let’s be honest, if you haven’t heard about Afternoon Tease, you’ve probably been living underneath a rock for the past few months. Either that, or you have an unreasonably good supply of homemade cake.

Afternoon Tease opened on King Street in 2013 and has become a staple for students craving brunch, brownies or a good old slice of lemon drizzle loaf. As the name implies, it’s a cute little café which blends 1950s pastels with pale wooden tables and empty golden syrup tins. A vintage tea-room with a twist.

“The sponge feels reassuringly solid – none of that artificially aerated rubbish here”

The pink neon sign hanging in the front window is a daring décor choice which works well, and the quirky blackboard messages outside the café hint that this is a place which doesn’t take itself too seriously.

You’re unlikely to meet a tourist here – perfect for when King’s Parade feels like too much – and the café is well-loved by students and families alike. I even bumped into my old primary school teacher a few weeks ago, which is no mean feat given that I’m from Northern Ireland.

Its small size makes it impossible to sit without making some sort of eye contact with your neighbours (fuelling potential contributions to the Overheard at Cambridge page) – an important factor to bear in mind if you’re planning on setting up camp for a few hours of intensive study.

The community seems to extend outside the café, too, because the proprietor, Jo, also makes cakes for Hot Numbers Coffee and Duke House B+B, creating a community of cake and coffee-sellers.

Jo combines traditional cakes with exciting new flavours to produce baked goods which are familiar and surprising all at once. Take, for example, a simple, gluten-free chocolate cake, paired with delicate notes of Earl Grey tea, bundt cake topped with swirls of sticky dulce de leche, or how about almond sponge with a rhubarb and cardamom buttercream? These cakes are lovingly handmade every week, and it shows.

Bread and Rutter: Bould Brothers Coffee

The sponge feels reassuringly solid – none of that artificially aerated rubbish here – and the buttercream icing on my lemon and raspberry cake truly tasted like something I would whip up at home. Special mention must be made of the excellent cake-to-icing ratio, which is a skill in itself. The cake isn’t cheap, but so much better than any packaged cake you could buy in the supermarket (apart from Caterpillar Cake, of course).

“It also comes in a cute, extremely Instagrammable blue cup and saucer”

If cake isn’t your preferred mid-morning snack (though if so, I’m not sure we can be friends), you could pick a chocolatey brownie, toasted banana bread or sourdough toast slathered in butter and jam.

Alternatively, you could extend your stay until lunchtime and try their soup of the week, a melty toasted sandwich or a cheese scone. Brunch, at weekends, includes various egg/bacon bap combinations and two options which change each week – think chorizo jam with avocado and eggs, sweetcorn fritters or a beany breakfast quesadilla.

Drink-wise, I’ve heard good things about their hot chocolate, and their Masala chai latte, made with a dash of honey, sounded like the perfect pick-me up for a cold day. Coffee comes from local Caravan Coffee Roasters and Hot Numbers and is reasonably priced for a Cambridge café. It also comes in a cute, extremely Instagrammable blue cup and saucer.

You’ll never get bored at Afternoon Tease. There are plenty of options to choose from if you’re feeling adventurous, but the good old favourites, like the Victoria Sponge and the bacon bap, will always be there for you when you need a comforting reminder of home