Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Anderson-Douglas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Danielle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always loved being in the kitchen. My parents allowed me to start cooking and baking at an early age. And as a kid, I was tuned into the Food Network Channel, every chance I could get. I would watch and then go experiment in my own kitchen. It was through the Food Network that I was introduced to the world of Cake Decorating. I have always been absolutely amazed at what people can create out of cake and the actual artistry of it all.
Around 2009, I decided that cake decorating was something I wanted to learn and not just admire. I fully immersed myself into YouTube and Baking Blogs to learn everything I could and taught myself as much as I could with what I had. But back then, the cake industry was much smaller, and good resources and materials were hard to find. You couldn’t just walk into your local Walmart like you can today and find a whole aisle dedicated to cake decorating. Or go to Amazon for everything. At the time I was a single mom, barely keeping my head above water. I didn’t have the money and resources to keep investing in my craft and it became more of a burden than a passion.
By 2011, I had completely burned out and I threw in the towel. I was fully convinced, this just wasn’t a path in life I was supposed to continue. In the years following, I was always asked when I would return to making cakes or if I could make an exception and take an order. So much so, I began to resent cake and regretted ever getting into it. I felt like it was haunting and mocking me. I would later realize it wasn’t a haunting but a calling. When I decided it was worth really trying again, it was 2017, and things began to fall into place, almost immediately. As if this path has been waiting on me all along. Life really has a way of bringing things full circle.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In no way has this been a smooth road but, I am fully convinced that every high and every low was absolutely necessary. The struggles I’ve endured & the lessons I’ve learned, have bought me so much wisdom and guidance. There’s no way I could have made it to this point, without the bad times. My decision to return the cake was ignited through my struggles with severe depression.
Depression stripped me of everything I thought I knew about myself, my life, and my purpose. But through doing the work, it also forced me to dive really deep into self-discovery. I had to look deeply at how God wired me and realize my personality, abilities, talents, & idiosyncrasies are all by design, and these things reveal purpose. Cooking and baking are truly a part of my DNA and getting back into Cake Artistry have in many ways saved me. The more I create, the better I feel. This journey is therapy more than anything and I am thankful it chose me.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My business name is Caked by Dani and I am a home-based cake artist specializing in custom cakes, cupcakes, and other sweets. I love to create cakes that are original in design and clever in style. I enjoy playing with different themes and colors and textures, and just putting personality into my cakes. Cake is like art and this is my art. Art is an expression of feeling. A reflection of thoughts through creativity. That’s what is most rewarding and what makes me most proud. That I am able to produce something that is an expression of my creative mind while also delivering a delicious edible experience that will keep you coming back.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I wouldn’t say I have a favorite childhood memory. I have many favorite memories to choose just one. However, all of my most memorable moments in childhood, and adulthood play like a soundtrack to my life. I absolutely love music and I’ve loved music from a very young age. Music played at home nonstop growing up and its no different today. Listening to music has been a form of therapy for me. So whatever is going on in my life, music is my constant and its always been that way. So many of my life’s memories I associate with song and I love that about music. That somehow words coupled with melodies can allow you to in a sense, time travel, and mentally take to you a precise moment in time in a very vivid way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cakedbydani.com
- Email: cakedbydani@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cakedbydani/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cakedbydani/
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