A RUGBY-playing policeman baked his own wedding cake, 84 cupcakes and another for his birthday as he prepared for his marriage ceremony in Urmston last week.

Adam Wilkinson, 30, of Flixton Road, who ventured into baking for the first time with a ‘bad sponge’ earlier in the year, began the project after being put-off by the high price of shop bought cakes.

Using a compact six-foot by six-foot kitchen, the policeman donned his apron and oven gloves before following instructional Youtube videos – which even saw him carefully fashion intricate flower-shaped icing.

Mr Wilkinson said: “The missus wasn’t happy about me being in the kitchen so much, but I get quite OCD when it comes to cake making and she knows that I am best left to it.”

The result was a spectacular four-tier cake which consisted of chocolate, vanilla, lemon and fruit layers – and it proved a hit on the big day with barely a crumb leftover.

Mr Wilkinson, who turned 30 a day later, admitted his planned wedding diet has ‘gone down the pan’ after his baking marathon – which also saw him cook-up 84 personalised cupcakes for guests in addition to his own birthday treat.

He said: “It is not something I had ever thought about before, but now I am really into it – and I am pleased that it went down so well.”

The fledgling baker, who plays for Eccles Rugby Union Club, and is looking forward to his honeymoon in Australia next year with new wife, Vicky Wilkinson, a 29 year-old nurse, now has designs on setting up a business called ‘Cake it Like a Man’.

He added: “The rugby lads ripped me when they first heard about my baking – but now they’ve tasted them and had lots of samples, that has all stopped.”