Business & Tech

Utica Art Student Applies Design Talent to Home Bakery

Utica woman finds success baking and designing custom cakes out of her home.

Once photos of Olivia Elias' cake creations - made from scratch in her Utica kitchen- hit the popular coupon website, Living Social.com, the 22-year-old art student's phone has been ringing off the hook.

Elias said she's had more than 60 cupcake orders in the three days the website ran a sale for a dozen Cake by Olivia cupcakes for $12.

Elias, who bakes and designs the made-to order cupcakes and cakes out of her Utica condominium, said she has been cooking for 16-hours a day for the past week. 

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Having only one oven inside of the Utica condominium she shares with her husband has proven to be a challenge.

"I need another space to bake because it’s getting really hectic in my little kitchen, even though I like working from home," she said.

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Practice Makes Perfect

Wrinkling out the details for Elias will be a piece of cake. Since starting her own business less than six months ago, she has already built a steady clientele and improved her skills.

Elias said her family encouraged her to start baking for a living after she spent 15-hours making a three-tiered butter cream cake for a family graduation party in July.

"After that party, within a week, I made a website and ordered cards. I just went nuts and then I got my first order by the end of the month," she said.

Elias said cakes that would have taken her 12 hours to make before now only take four hours.

"I'm getting a lot faster. I'm still slow compared to the professionals you see on TV, but that's because I think I pay a lot of attention to detail," she said.

For Elias, making cakes that look like art gives her great satisfaction.

"I feel like the cakes are art and it’s better because people get to eat it. When I paint nobody gets to see it," said Elias, who has taken some time off from her art education studies at Oakland University to focus on her cake business.

Elias specializes in fondant, 3-D, butter cream and tiered cakes. Prices range from two to five dollars per serving.

The next big tackle for Elias is going to culinary school so she can learn from the best. 

"I would love to open a bakery and go to culinary school so I can learn from a professional and call myself a "real" pastry chef," she said chuckling.

For now, Elias is just trying to keep her head above the flour and continue to churn out handmade, quality cakes made from all real ingredients.

“It’s worth it when the customer sees the cake and is so happy. That’s what’s worth it to me,” she said.

Elias can be contacted via her Facebook page or by visiting www.cakebyolivia.com.


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