When I started making cake, I only had one goal.
I wanted to recreate the cake I had for my baby shower for my son’s first birthday. I wanted my cake recipe to be something he could have every year for his birthday if he wanted. Eventually, I figured I could pass it down, but for now, it’s the gift I made for him that he can have every year.
I started testing out my recipe in late fall. And let me preface this by saying I am a seasonal baker. As soon as the cool air breaks through the heat of summer, I pull out my rolling pin.
It’s the natural thing to do.
I tested this recipe in between making cookies, cinnamon buns, bread, and a very deep but short-lived sourdough phase. On top of this, early fall to late winter is when my family has the most birthdays. As it turns out, it’s the same for my husband’s side of the family. And I believe everyone should have cake on their birthday. It comes with the territory.
So I was making birthday cakes, testing flour ratios and American vs Swiss meringue buttercream recipes, and so on.
By that point, I had become known in my family as the one who bakes. And if it was someone’s birthday, they’d come to me for a cake, and I was always happy to have an excuse to make one.
Eventually, my mother-in-law suggested I start a bakery, which I did not take seriously because there was no way I could start a bakery. I had a list of reasons and excuses ready to support that.
But one day, let’s say it was a Tuesday, I let the idea sink in. And when it did, I started to consider all the things I could do just by selling cakes.
I’ve always wanted to host supper clubs or gatherings, and I thought making cakes could be a great entry into that. I’ve been wanting to design and make my own ceramic tableware; maybe this could be the reason to expand into that as well. My mind started racing.
I’m always checking out cookbooks from the library, and I loved watching the cooking channel when I was in high school.
My mind rambled on and on about the possibilities and all the things that led up to that point. And when it finally ran out of steam, circling back in on itself, I decided I would start selling cakes.
After that, cake making became intentional and not just a birthday obligation. I had so many ideas for cake flavors, and I wanted to try them all.
It was exciting. And for the first time since having the baby, I felt like I had stepped into something real. Something that put air in my lungs.
That something was cake.
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