Cake Diaries Welcomes Kellie Barclay

The Sugar Cove is delighted to welcome Kellie Barclay of Fancy that Cake in Fergus, Ontario. A passion for cake design that began when her youngest child finally started school, has since evolved into a second career. This shows you that it's never too late to start walking another path, especially when that path leads you to all things sugar! As all of us sugar peeps know, all things sugar is the meaning of life. So sugar peeps, let's strap on our cake shoes as Kellie shares with us what ignited her passion for all things sugar.



My passion for sugar began when my youngest finally started school. He was now in school all day, every day and I was tiring of my job in retail. So I began to look for something to do with my "grown up" self. I seriously considered going back to school for pastry chef certification, but with the only school offering that course two hours away in downtown Toronto, I thought maybe a few cake decorating classes would get me started.

I took Wilton I, and then discovered Klara Johnson's School of Confectionery Arts in Cambridge. I began taking classes there and took as many as I could fit into my schedule. Then Icing Inspirations opened up in Kitchener, and began offering the opportunity to learn not only from the talented owner herself, but also from some fabulous Food Network Challenge participants and I was hooked. My first wedding cake was for my Mom in 2009, and I haven't looked back since!

From 2009 onwards I had been working at cake design part time for about two years when, in November of 2010, my office job ended due to slow business. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as my husband and I decided that maybe this was the push I needed to go cake design full time! After doing some research and a lot of planning, I took the final leap into making cake a full time business and renovated my basement into my own cake studio. I am very fortunate to be in an area that allows me to have a separate licensed kitchen in my basement and thanks to my husband's handy skills and my family's support, my cake dreams have become a reality. Plus I am now able to work from home.

Since learning the art of cake design, my sense of 'cake style' has evolved and now falls somewhere between traditional and whimsical. I LOVE making sugar flowers - some people knit in front of the TV, I sit and make sugar flowers! I love that I can take a simple piece of rolled out gumpaste and turn it into a bright, beautiful poppy or a sweet and simple daisy. There's nothing like putting that special summin', summin' on that cake to add that touch of whimsy.

Those special touches that I add to my cakes, comes from being an absolute believer in continuously learning. It's essential to being a great cake designer! No one person can know everything there is to know. Trends and styles are always changing and evolving. By taking classes, (and I usually take two or three per year) I am always learning new techniques and improving on old ones. And the payoff come from hearing the happy feedback from my customers. I love to know that I have helped make my clients event special. From weddings to birthdays to anniversaries, you name it - any occasion is a reason for cake!

Kellie Barclay