Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Walker.
Elizabeth, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My path to cake baking and decorating was a mix of growing up around some badass bakers (my grandmothers), self-education and practice. Growing up, my maternal grandmother was known for her baking and, since we both lived in Austin, TX I was able to spend a lot of my time with her making cookies, cinnamon rolls, candies and all sorts of sweets. That’s really where my love for baking began.
This may be blasphemy to say in my business, but I really do not have a huge sweet tooth. Baking, for me, has been more about bringing warmth and happiness to those around me and celebrating everything from big occasions to little everyday successes. Cake decorating also gives me a creative outlet and allows me to experiment with different colors, textures, and themes, which is SO much fun for me. I love receiving new requests from customers and experimenting in both baking a decorating.
In the Spring of 2018, after years of baking on and off, I decided I wanted to make a “fancy” cake, so I started following some popular bakers on Instagram and YouTube, watching their techniques and practicing with their recipes. Some bakers I love to follow are Chelsweets, Cake by Courtney and Preppy Kitchen. After getting down the basics like an even bake, smoothing the frosting, some piping techniques, I started to bring in my practice creations to work. Eventually, people started requesting cakes for birthdays and celebrations, offering to pay! This is where Elizabeth Walker Cakes was born. I started documenting my cake decorating process and posting to Instagram and Facebook, where followers could see fast-paced videos of putting the cakes together and frosting them along with the end result. The past two years, I’ve seen my content reach more and more people in my community and word spread about my side business. It’s really an exciting time. Since I work full-time in the tech world, this is still a side business for me, but I’m lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to turn my love for baking into something I can share with my family, friends and community.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Because I’m a self-taught baker, there were definitely learning curves that I had to overcome, and a lot of practice put into making sure my customers were receiving quality cakes. There have been many failed bakes, attempts at frosting techniques that did NOT work, messy kitchens and starting from scratch over and over, but those lessons and mistakes made me a better baker. With support from my family, friends and community, I’ve been able to share my love for baking and cakes with a wider audience, teaching those around me how to make cakes just like mine through videos, cake classes and lessons.
The only hurdle I’ve had to endure this year is morning sickness! My husband and I are expecting our first child this year, which we are PUMPED about, but those first several months it was a difficult for me to muster up the energy to constantly bake and be in the kitchen where many things made me nauseous. I do plan on pausing orders temporarily when I begin maternity leave in July but will notify my customers when Elizabeth Walker Cakes is back open for business later this year. I hope to keep baking cakes and sharing them with my community for many years to come.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Elizabeth Walker Cakes story. Tell us more about the business.
Elizabeth Walker Cakes specializes in custom cakes and cupcakes for all types of celebrations – birthdays, graduation, baby showers, holidays, etc. I love working with my clients and really taking time to make their vision come true, meeting in person or through email and sharing pictures, color palettes, and ideas. Being independent allows me the time to really connect with my clients. Unlike a lot of standard bakeries who offer a select list of flavors, I am more than excited to experiment with new requests and ideas for flavor combinations, like banana pudding cake, thin mint cake, royal wedding cake (lemon and elderflower) or orange-olive-oil-rosemary cake. I also host cake classes for groups of eight or less and private lessons, teaching attendees techniques for baking, frosting and creating a truly photo-worthy cake.
When I first started posting content for Elizabeth Walker Cakes, I always made sure that a quote from my favorite TV show, The Office, made its way in the description. The reason for this is because The Office celebrates the hilarity, awkwardness and beauty of everyday, mundane human life and I want those reading to do the same. You don’t need a special occasion to eat cake or bake one – I hope my cakes and content can bring a little brightness into your everyday life.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
These past several years, I have been extremely lucky to have been able to pursue my passion for baking and build it into a business while still having a full-time job. This definitely reduces the stress I have around growing the business and maintaining a client base while still pursuing what I love.
I really do believe that a lot of my luck has been when my preparation and practice are met with opportunities. With Elizabeth Walker Cakes, I make sure to practice and improve my baking and decorating techniques every chance I get to ensure my cakes and content keep improving for my customers. The luck happens when customers request cakes for an event where I know there will be many more potential customers attending – word of mouth is a large part of my business.
Pricing:
- A 3-tier 6-inch cake – $60 (feeds approx 8-12)
- A 3-tier 8-inch cake – $100 (feeds approx 15-20)
- Cupcakes – $3/cupcake (Dozen minimum)
- Minicupcakes – $1.5/cupcake (2 Dozen minimum)
- Cake Decorating Class ($60/person with 8 person max)
- Customer Cake, Large or Sculpted Cake – $150+ (reach out for quote)
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@elizabethwalkercakes.com
- Instagram: @elizabeth.walker.cakes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.walker.cakes/
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