When she made a baby shower cake for a friend in November of 2010, Lori Hynes could have never predicted how the next 15 months would unfold.
“I still don't understand how it got so big," says Lori of her home-based cake making business, known as Lori's Sweet Cakes. The St. Paul-based business now has over 1,400 followers on Facebook and admirers coming from all over Canada and beyond.
Describing herself as a busy and creative person, the mother to six-year old Kempton and three-year-old Jessa, used to spend her nights scrapbooking photographs of her family. Now, she has hardly any time to scrapbook as she spends many evenings in her kitchen, creating masterpieces coveted by cake-lovers near and far.
The Hynes family came to St. Paul a few years ago when Lori's husband, Robert, received a posting as an RCMP officer in the area. When it came time to buy her daughter's first birthday cake, Lori approached a friend, asking where the best place to buy a cake would be.
Lori remembers how her friend was surprised that she didn't make her own children's birthday cakes, which gave Lori the motivation to get in the kitchen. Although the flip-flop cake she made for Jessa is a far cry from the cakes she now makes, it was one of the things that kick-started the creation of Lori's Sweet Cakes.
In November of 2010, Lori decided to create a cake using fondant and in turn discovered a hidden talent that has since blossomed. She partially credits “years of playing with play-doh" as one of the things that has helped perfect her skills, since the texture of play-doh is similar to fondant.
But, even she is surprised at the talent she inadvertently discovered, asking herself, “Where was this hidden ability?"
Mostly self-taught, many of Lori's customers are surprised to find out she has no technical training. The only certificates in her kitchen are two she recently achieved – one for food handling, and the other stating she operates a licensed kitchen.
“I've never bought a book on how to make cakes," admits Lori, adding, if she wants to learn a new technique, she simply searches Internet blogs or logs onto YouTube.
There are regulations involved in selling food products from a person's home, and after getting rather busy with her newly established business in 2011, Lori realized she had to take a break to reevaluate things and find a comfortable balance between making cakes and being a good mother and wife.
It was only when she quit making cakes that she really realized she needed to get back at it. She decided if she started making cakes again, she would become licensed, which required creating a second kitchen in her home.
On Feb. 1, Lori's Sweet Cakes began taking orders again, and over the weekend prior to Valentine's Day she and her husband, also known as Mr. Sweet Cakes, made over 300 cake pops, along with a handful of cakes.
Cake pops are an important part of Lori's Sweet Cakes and one of the things she believes has made her popular. Cake pops are essentially rolled up cake and icing on a stick. They are coated with candy melts and decorated as a variety of things from Valentine's Day hearts to barnyard animals.
“I think that's what made me popular," says Lori, adding, it was something new that hadn't yet been introduced in St. Paul. Lori also credits the growth of her business on social media and people simply spreading the word.
Last year marked another milestone for Lori, the creation of her first wedding cake. The experience was one of her fondest memories, and the family she created the cake for was more than happy with the result.
Lori says she has been lucky to have customers who trust her creative vision.
“It's as if people are as excited for me as I am for me," she says of her business, adding, she has received emails simply congratulating her for becoming a licensed kitchen and getting back to what she loves doing.
The process of making a cake is quite consuming and each cake takes hours to perfect. A variety of steps are necessary before “the fun stuff" can even begin, says Lori. First, she must bake it, tort it, fill it, and ice it. She often works late at night, after her children have gone to bed, decorating her creations.
Although her family will live a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, knowing there's always a possibility of her husband being stationed in a new community, Lori does envision having a storefront in the future, if it can be profitable.
“We live RCMP lives, and having to move every few years is going to be challenging," admits Lori.
And for now, she is happy with her new kitchen and the support she is receiving from the community.
In the end, the real reason she makes cakes is to simply see people's reactions and “to see people who are so grateful." And busy schedule aside, Lori still considers herself first and foremost, a stay-at-home mom.
