What’s the perfect wedding cake for your big day? The NK Bride Team had the amazing opportunity to interview Melissa Torres of Cake Hero to find out all about her amazing confectionaries. Melissa’s great understanding of art, and her self made baking skills, make her the perfect choice for your wedding cake. Want to learn more about Melissa? So do we!

Q: How did you find yourself interested in being a baker? When did you start your business?

A: It was a really slow burn...I spent years baking for friends, getting better and better, and sometimes someone would “hire” me and I would make some elaborate (for me at the time) cake for $25 dollars that had taken me 100 hours to make and it would feel like I was ripping them off!  But I am so grateful to those early friends/clients, because without them I never would have pushed myself to learn more and more in the way that I did

Q: As a self taught baker, how did you learn to be an expert? Do you remember your first successful cake?

A: I don’t know that I’ll ever feel like an expert!  There are always so many ways to improve...new techniques to learn, every day techniques that can be bettered.  As for how I learned in general, I am self taught.  It was a lot of research on CakeCentral.com in the early days!  Lots of trial and error.  I have never worked with another cake artist so I always wonder if I am doing things in some insane way that could be streamlined. But when I talk to my other cake decorator friends, I find that they all feel the same way!  

Q: How do custom cake consultations work? Do couples taste cake options? 

A: For cake consultations, I love to come to the client.  I bring three types of cake, paired with three types of buttercream, and I bring a book with some examples of my work.  We chat and as they describe their wedding/outfits/aesthetic, I take notes that I refer back to later to.  After the tasting, I ostensibly write out some ideas and pass them along with pricing...sketches are supposed to come later.  But I usually get too excited and sketch them out right away, and then we go from there.  I always feel a little nervous before a tasting!  But I always find that it’s the nicest time, and afterwards I always leave glowing, having met some lovely new people.  And I really do love chatting about weddings, it’s so fun to hear about all the different ways people express themselves on their big day!

Q: With a background in art history, how does your knowledge of art influence your decoration abilities, and aesthetics? 

A: When I went to college and majored in Art History, I thought it was just the most beautiful thing ever, to sit in a dark room and have great works of art described to you and given context in history.  But then I left college and quickly realized that I didn’t have the financial safety net needed to take a job in a gallery or a museum, where entry level positions are often unpaid or paid very little.  I shelved it for a long time and wondered if the major had been a mistake, and worked as a secretary in a variety of locations for many years.  As I was doing that, I was making cakes on the side, but as I was getting my feet under me I mostly got orders for fun, cute things like children’s cakes.  Now that I’m doing this full time and my skills have caught up to my artistic desires, I am SO thrilled to have my art history background.  When a couple describes an idea to me, I can connect it to an artistic period or artist, and draw upon inspiration that helps me create a look that is classic and grounded in a historical context.

Q: Do you often create cakes inspired by specific art works, or styles? 

A: I think I may be all over the map!  Recently I made a hand painted cake inspired by the Monet painting “The Garden of Monet at Argenteuil”. A different cake was inspired by Matisse’s “Dance”, while yet another was simply inspired by chinoiserie.  Then some holiday cakes inspired by the mid century atomic style, and moving forward in time, a little birthday cake inspired by the 70s children’s book author and illustrator Richard Hefter. 

Q: Other than art, where do you find inspiration for your beautiful cake designs? 

A: Inspiration is really everywhere, which is so exciting!  Fashion, flowers, a time period (I’m forever an 80’s and 90’s girl), an architectural style or detail, or a children’s book character.  Clients are always coming to me with ideas and together we always manage to spin something unique and fun out of it all.

Q: Do you feel limited when creating wedding cakes, or do you enjoy making non-traditional cakes? 

A: I think when, as an artist, you are able to put out the sort of cakes you’d like to make, the appropriate couples respond.  I do make some lovely white cakes with sugar flowers, and those are so pretty and romantic that I can’t be mad at it.  But I also find that more and more I am getting brides who are excited to go a little further, to do something a little more dramatic, and that is always so fun for me.

Q: What is special about creating a wedding cake for someone? 

A: It is such an honor to be a part of someone’s day, and to be a part of a celebration of love.  When I see a photo of a couple cutting their cake together, or I get an email saying they were eating leftover cake in bed the next morning, I just melt. And it’s such a time honored tradition...a classic moment that may evolve regarding what’s trendy, but really is always the same.  Your parents had a cake they shared with their loved ones, and their parents did.  It’s so romantic!   

Q: You have an emphasis on using organic and fair trade ingredients, where do you source from to insure these boxes are being checked? 

A: It takes a lot of extra research to make sure my ingredients are fair trade and organic.  Fair Trade means that the people producing ingredients in developing countries are paid a fair price for their goods by the purchasers in developed countries.  When I learned how hard it is to grow crops like cocoa, vanilla, and sugar, and how little some of those people are paid for their hard work so we can have such lovely treats here, it felt like the right choice to do what I could to be a part of the solution.  I’m not doing anything so extremely noble, I just do my research before I buy ingredients and I take the time to find out where they’re coming from, and how ethical the business is.  Vanilla Queen is a great resource for vanilla information and products...that is a really tough industry with thin margins, and growing a single vanilla bean takes a ton of work.  I love Wholesome Sweeteners for their Fair Trade sugar products, and Equal Exchange is a great place to get Fair Trade cocoa and chocolate.  

Q: What is your favorite cake you have ever made? Why was it so special to you?

A: I don’t know if I can pick a favorite!  I feel like every new one is a new favorite.  But if I have to choose, a recent one that I love is a three tier based on Vera Neumann’s art.  Her work is so colorful, lively, and expressive, and she was such an amazing business woman.  I made the cake on a whim for Thanksgiving and it was so fun to share one of my decorated cakes with friends.  Usually they just get cake top in a container with some extra frosting on top!  So this one was really special.

Q: Are there any wedding cake trends you have noticed, or any trends that you really love? 

A: I adore the trend of more sculptural, expressive cakes that don’t even look like cakes, they almost look like natural rock formations!  Jasmine Rae is a pioneer in this style and while I don’t think it’s something that fits into my personal aesthetic, I love seeing the risks she takes, and the way she pushes the art of cake forward.

For myself, I have been having a lot of fun experimenting with putting my sugar flowers in cloches and vases.  Sugar flowers take so many hours to create, and what a lot of people don’t realize is that they keep indefinitely! Sugar flowers on a cake can be made into a memento that will live on for years if cared for properly. 

Q: Where do you recommend couples look for inspiration for wedding cake ideas?

A: There are so many places...besides a wedding outfit (tux, gown, etc), florals, and invitations, I also think there can be so much done with shared interests.  A shared love for an art style, artist or even the cover of a favorite album can provide inspiration.  A pattern on an item of clothing, the wallpaper in the room your reception is taking place in...or even sometimes it’s just a vibe.  If someone tells me they want something modern and striking, that goes a long way!  I would also say that if a couple has no idea, that’s not a problem.  That’s what we’re here for!  I have had some of my best work come out when a couple tells me that they love my style and then tells me to run with it.   

Q: What style wedding cakes are your favorite? 

A: Beautiful, delicious, and with an attention to detail. Beyond that it’s hard to say...one of the wonders of this craft is that it’s always evolving!  

Q: Do you have a go to color palettes for wedding cakes?  How would you describe your decorating style? 

A: My color palette is whatever suits the project, so there’s no one palette that I would say describes my work.  Although I will always try to work in a little pink! I strive for beauty and restraint in my style...I try not to ever allow things to get too busy on the cake, and I try not to follow trends (although I couldn’t resist making a terrazzo style cake!).  

For information on how to order, my ingredients, and pricing, couples can check my website, www.cakehero.com.  To see my most recent work, there’s always Instagram!  

Cover Photo credits: Cake Hero