Wang bakes elaborate cakes for friends’ birthdays

Among the countless presents that sophomore Kellie Chiou receives on her 16th birthday, the one that stands out the most is from sophomore Connie Wang. The present is a topsy-turvy, three-tiered cake made from scratch, each layer embellished in different pink and purple patterns—stripes and polka dots—and completed with a purple “16” and a large bow at the top.

This cake is only one of the elaborate cakes that Wang has crafted for her friends, a hobby that she began about three years ago. Her inspiration was the show, “Ace of Cakes,” a reality show featured on the Food Network starring baker Duff Goldman and his custom cake shop, Charm City Cakes.

“The cakes they make on Ace of Cakes are really awesome,” said Wang. “It looked really fun, so I wanted to try making [cakes like the ones on the show] too.”

Ever since discovering her talent and deciding to pursue this skill, Wang has only improved in making cakes, creating bolder and fancier confections with each attempt.

“I began with making simple cakes, then [moved to] two- or three-tiered cakes and topsy-turvy cakes,” said Wang. “I’ve also made cakes in the shape of different sports, [such as] basketballs, soccer balls and baseballs.”

Wang’s unique cakes make her stand out among other amateur bakers. Her unusual talent requires a great amount of time, dedication and creativity that few people have.

“This talent is a great skill to have. Most people can’t make cakes that nice. They all have special meanings [according to] who she is making the cake for and are all really unique,” said Chiou. “They also look really professional and she learned how to make them just by watching the Food Network.”

Despite the time and effort it takes to make the cakes, Wang finds that when she gives the cake to someone, their reaction is worth all the trouble.

“The time that it takes to make a cake usually depends on how big it is. If it’s a small one, it maybe takes about two hours. If it’s big, it can take the whole day,” said Wang. “Even though it can take a long time, when I give the cake to them, they’re really happy and it all becomes worth it.”

The friends that Wang has given cakes to find a hand-made cake is more than enough of a great present.

“I feel really special when I [receive] a cake, but I also feel kind of bad because you can see how much effort she put into it,” said Chiou. “The cake itself is wonderful and delicious, but, in addition, she gets me a really nice present too. I mean, the cake alone would make an awesome present. Connie is just an absolutely amazing person.”