Shout-Out Saturday with Sweet Cravings | Utah Wedding Cakes

Marcia from Sweet Cravings is not only one of the best bakers in Utah, but one of our favorite people. She has been creating wedding cakes professionally for four years and has been baking much longer than that. We sat down with her to ask her a few questions about her business and what she’d want all Utah brides to know about choosing a cake artist for their wedding. Jessie doesn’t normally like cake, but every cake and treat she’s tasted from Sweet Cravings has been her favorite! Because of this if we recommend Marcia, you will know she’s good! If you are looking for a cake artist for your wedding, we’d highly recommend Sweet Cravings! Visit Marcia’s website to see more of her work and to contact her!

How did you get your start baking? What’s the story behind Sweet Cravings?

I’ve always loved baking. When I was a kid, I would ask for mixers and blenders for gifts instead of toys. I think my love of baking started because of my grandma. My favorite memory with her comes from the many times that we would make friendship cakes together. A friendship cake takes 30 days to make and it requires each person to make a portion of the cake. My grandma and I would take a glass jar, add one ingredient after another, and then we’d pass it to the other person to do their part. We made these cakes all of the time together.

I’m an entirely self-taught artist. Everything I create I have learned from doing and practicing. Before I started baking cakes professionally, I would bake all of the time for my friends and neighbors. I first made truffles and they sold really successfully. About four years ago, I had a friend ask me to bake a cake for her because her baker canceled. I had never sold a cake before, and I wasn’t sure of how good it would be, but I gave it a shot to help my friend. After baking that cake I discovered that I had a knack for cakes and I decided to continue to work on cakes. I’m continually amazed because every cake that I make gets better and better! I can look back over the years and see how much I’ve grown.

How much time goes into creating a typical wedding cake order?

This is such a hard question because it depends on the order and on the cake. Many people don’t realize the process that goes into creating a cake. I first have to sit down with the bride for a consultation and have her try out different flavors. After that, I have to design the cake and go shopping before I can even start the baking process. It can take a few weeks to complete the whole process, especially during the busiest times of the year. When it comes to baking, frosting and decorating the actual cake a simple two tier can take about 5 hours or so, but a more elaborate cake design can take up to three days.

 

What makes Sweet Cravings different?

I would say it’s the time and attention to detail that I put into each and every cake. I care about each of my clients and each cake that I create. I’ll typically spend days making sure that every detail is perfect for my brides.

What’s the most common wedding cake order this year?

It’s interesting to see what the trends are each year. This year the major trend is cake bars, and I love it! Cake bars are created with a main cake and accented by other smaller cakes that match it. This usually includes a main three tier cake, a two tier cake, a single tier cake, and also some cake pops and cupcakes.

What’s your dream wedding cake?

I don’t think I have a dream wedding cake per se, but the wedding that I dream about creating cakes for most is my daughter’s future wedding. I’m just so excited to bake all those cakes!

 

Where are your clients located?

Most of my clients range from Utah to Weber County, but I’ve also made cakes for a few weddings outside of Utah the past few years. We’ve done cakes for weddings in Disneyland, Colorado, Las Vegas, and Idaho. Typically for those weddings we will drive and meet up with the couple at a pre-determined location to deliver the cakes.

What is something that most couples aren’t aware of when they look to book a cake artist for their wedding?

I think the least understood aspect of choosing a baker and a wedding cake is realizing all of the detail that goes into the process. Usually, I will get a call from a bride and they will assume that the only decision they have to make is the choice between chocolate or vanilla cake. Most brides don’t realize that there are a variety of flavors, and even flower types (wood, real, sugar, etc) for them to choose from. There are so many options!

 

What are your favorite desserts to bake?

Out of all of the treats and desserts that I can bake my favorites are muffins! I would love to bake them every single day. There are so many different flavors of muffins that I can bake too. My all-time favorite muffin flavor is mocha chocolate chip. I bake these entirely from scratch!

How many different flavors of cake can you create or have you made?

I can create endless flavors and the possibilities are truly limitless. So far I’ve done over 300 different flavor combinations. The possibility of creating a numberless amount of flavors is one of my favorite things about baking cakes, truffles and cake pops! The most unique flavor that we’ve come up with is a Hawaiian flavor called Ube. It comes from a purple yam. Don’t let the idea of a yam scare you though because it’s so, so good! Ube has a hint of nuttiness mixed with a fruity flavor. I was definitely shocked with how much I loved it!

So now that we’ve talked about all the different flavors that you can create, what’s YOUR favorite flavor?

Honestly, this is going to sound boring, but I love a good, classic vanilla with fruit filling! Apricot filling is my favorite filling to use. Some of my other favorite cake flavors are lemon blueberry, apple pie, and raspberry cheesecake. It’s just so hard to narrow down one choice!

 

What’s your favorite style of cake to make and why?

Wedding cakes and cakes for styled inspiration shoots are my favorite! There’s a huge variety available to choose from when you’re creating wedding cakes. You can do a vintage cake, a rustic style, or even a classic or traditional cake. There are so many options! Every time I make a cake, even if it’s the same design, it is always a little bit different. About 90% of my brides tell me their colors and what flavor they want and let me surprise them with their designed cake on their wedding day. Many couples will do this because they see my work beforehand and come to me wanting me to create something especially for them. Cake baking is an art and it allows me to be creative and always create something different. I try to create something unique to each bride as much as I can. One of my favorite things is seeing my bride’s face when she sees her wedding cake for the first time! I love the trust that my couples give me. In my four years of baking wedding cakes, I’ve never had a bride not love her cake.

If you missed our last Shout-out Saturday post for Staghead Designs, here’s the link to check that out!