Copyright 2022 by How To Cake It Inc.
Published by How To Cake It Books, an imprint of Kayppin Media
(Parkland, FL).
Publishing Director: Connie Contardi
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
used, or distributed in any form or by any means without prior
written consent from the publisher.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021951462
ISBN: 978-1-938447-80-8First edition, 2022
Books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or
business use. For more information, please visit kayppin.com.
Creative Direction by Yolanda Gampp
Design by Laura Palese
Photography by Eugenia Zykova
Printed and bound in China
This book is for my mother.
The sweetest woman Ive ever known,
who always loves my sweets.
I will always remember your support on my cake journey.
You told me every cake I made was beautiful.
You kept your own album of my work to show your friends.
You brewed fresh, hot coffee when I started
to fade during my long days.
You would always drive carefully while I held
onto my creations for dear life!
You would wait patiently while I finished decorating
on site and take photos.
You are simply the best mom I could ask for.
My secret is out. Its been out for a while now. I fell in love with cake decorating when I
was twenty-one years old, and I still love it today.
In high school, I was sure I would be an artist. My mind was a heavy rotation of
daydreams in which I was a sculptor, a fashion designer, an interior designer, a painter.
But the truth is, I never believed I was good enough. The pressure of producing a
portfolio to present to the most prestigious art college in Toronto was a pressure I
couldnt handle. I went to culinary school instead. It was the first time I felt like I knew
what I was doing. The first time I truly absorbed everything around me. While I adore
food (especially eating it) I discovered that my love of baking was far greater than my
love of cooking.
I remember going to the deans office and asking for his permission to apply to a
bakery, rather than a restaurant, for my co-op placement. He allowed it, and, although
I didnt know it that day, the decision helped set me on my path.
I started to work at the bakery on weekends, and as soon as I graduated they hired
me full-time. I learned so much from the seasoned, hard-working bakers there, each
one responsible for specific tasks. I have applied so much of what I learned over those
years to the way I bake today. From the moment I worked the cake-decorating station
I was hooked. When it comes to cake decorating, Ive never looked back, only forward.
I learned how to level and layer cakes properly, how to use simple syrup to prolong the
life of a cake, the importance of a crumb coat and how to decorate all the cakes on
their menu with different techniques.
When I reached the point where I no longer felt challenged at the bakery, I
moved on to the next one. This bakery had a different approach and made a long
list of desserts unlike any I had made before. Once again, I had so much to learn!
But, eventually, I came to the same crossroad and I decided it was time to leave and
start my own cake journey. Both bakeries did not make novelty sculpted cakes or
use fondant. At the time it wasnt popular; there wasnt a single cake-decorating
competition show on television. GASP! I couldnt wait to try my hand at it.
LOVE LETTER
Cake has
a magical
way of
bringing
people
together.
I started to make cakes in my home kitchen for everyone
and anyone who would take one! Friends, family, friends of
friends, neighbors. I remember feeling a constant hunger
for more. Eventually I built a loyal clientele making wedding,
birthday, bar mitzvah, and all kinds of special occasion cakes.
The ritual of cake decorating suits my natural tendencies. I
see a vision clearly in my mind. I obsess over how I will attempt
to make it. I feel determined during the transformation, and
absolute joy at the result. I often had a hard time letting them go,
taking as many pictures as I could long before the days where
we all had cameras on our cell phones. I love creating something
different every time, never repeating a cake, and having absolute freedom to create
beautiful cakes. I especially love witnessing peoples reactions on their special days.
Long before anyone watched me create cakes on YouTube, I was dedicated to this
craft more than any other. What YouTube and How To Cake It gave me was the space
to make the cakes I had only ever dreamed of, that no client had orderedlike my
watermelon cake, for example. Instead of making a cake a week for one client, I made
a cake a week for millions to enjoy, respond to, and try out themselves.
I must admit, writing my first book, How To Cake It , was one of the hardest and
most rewarding experiences of my life. As soon as I was done with my first book, and
before it hit the shelves, I began to daydream about this book youre holding. I am the
type of person who never likes to do the same thing twice, so because my first book
was dedicated to novelty cakes, I wanted this one to be dedicated to flavor profiles.
Im not even sure why, but I like to change things up and challenge myself in new ways.
Alongside my passion for novelty cakes, I also loved baking for the people I
care about. Holidays, in particular, were the times I would make everything but cake.
Cheesecakes, brownies, cookies, tarts, pies, and ice cream. My family and friends all
have their favorites, and Ive shared those recipes in this book, a collection of tried-and-
true cake recipes and methods I have remained faithful to for more than twenty years.
I am so happy to share these recipes with you, and I encourage you to make
them your own and share them with the people you love. Cake has a magical way of
bringing people together, not only at birthdays and weddings, but even around the
staff room table or the holiday office party. Everyone wants a piece!
LOVE LETTER
layering up
On my YouTube channel, How to Cake It, I became known for making sculpted
novelty cakes that often look like everyday objects and foods that people love. I truly
believe that people love to watch a transformation. I begin with layers of cake, and
transform them into things everyone can recognize.
I also make what we refer to as Mega Cakes on the channel. Cakes that have
a theme or a particular flavor profile, in which I layer cakes with desserts, candies,
cookies, and all things sweet. I enjoyed making these cakes because they allow much
more creative freedom than the weekly novelty cakes, and gave me a little break from
