Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Audrey Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Audrey , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea of Audrey’s Cakelicious came from a mix of love for my culture and for my community. As a child of Chinese‑Indonesian immigrants growing up in the Twin Cities, I was surrounded by many Asian cultures but rarely my own. Whenever my family and I travel to Indonesia over the summer, we always go to the local morning market. Each time we visit, we stop at the same food stand where I always buy my treats; they sell a variety of Indonesian desserts like roll cake, layer cake, sticky rice cake, and so much more. Whenever I’m back in Minnesota, I always find myself missing those delicious desserts. This ultimately inspired me to recreate them here. While recreating those desserts healed a part of me, I also wanted to share them with the people around me. So, in 2021, at the age of 12, I launched Audrey’s Cakelicious, selling only traditional Indonesian desserts — a passion that has since grown into a business offering everything from Indonesian roll cakes to classic cupcakes and custom layer cakes.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is Audrey Williams, and I am the face behind Audrey’s Cakelicious, a teen‑owned, culturally inspired baking business located in the Twin Cities. Baking has always been a passion of mine since before I could even spell my name. My earliest memories are in the kitchen, helping my mother mix cake batters and learning how to frost my brother’s birthday cake. As I grew older, I continued to refine my baking skills and began experimenting with traditional Indonesian desserts. Growing up, I saw a lack of representation of Indonesian culture in my community, especially when it came to food. With my passion for baking and my love for the community, I developed a desire to share my baked goods and start my own business.

The two Indonesian desserts I currently sell are my strawberry, raspberry, and coffee mocha roll cakes, and my pandan chiffon cake. The Indonesian roll cake takes a unique twist on the traditional Swiss roll, as this version is denser and filled with a sweet fruit jam. The pandan chiffon cake is a light and airy chiffon cake with an earthy pandan and coconut flavor. For more classic desserts, I offer a variety of cupcakes, including vanilla, chocolate, lemon raspberry, biscoff, and apple cinnamon. I also offer specialty items like a two‑layer 6‑inch lemon raspberry vintage chiffon cake and brownie donuts in flavors such as classic chocolate, s’mores, and chocolate raspberry.

What makes Audrey’s Cakelicious unique is the combination of cultural authenticity, quality ingredients, and a distinctive aesthetic identity. Every dessert I make is rooted in the traditional flavors and techniques from my Chinese‑Indonesian heritage, but presented in a modern, approachable way for everyone to enjoy. I’m intentional about selecting high‑quality ingredients to ensure every dessert has the right texture, flavor, and consistency. Prioritizing quality allows me to give customers desserts that taste as good as they look. Finally, my aesthetic identity sets my brand apart; my cakes and cupcakes feature simple yet elegant frosting designs that fit any occasion.

What I’m most proud of is the impact my business has had on my community. Whether it’s an Indonesian customer telling me my roll cake tastes like something from their favorite food stall back home, or someone trying pandan for the first time and loving it, those moments remind me why I started. I’m also proud that I’ve built this business while balancing school, pop‑up events, and a growing online presence, proving that age doesn’t limit passion or professionalism.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My social media audience grew very organically, and it wasn’t something I planned out super intently from the beginning. When I first created my Instagram account for Audrey’s Cakelicious at the age of 12, I didn’t know what content creation, audience engagement, or high‑end editing meant. To me, that Instagram page was just a place to post pictures of what I had been baking.

As time went on and I learned how to use Instagram, I was surprised by what an amazing tool it was for promotion. I started sharing more than just the final product — I posted behind‑the‑scenes moments, late‑night baking sessions, and the reality of being a teen business owner. I focused less on posting the perfect photo and more on simply being myself. For years, I struggled with how to grow my page, but I eventually learned that authenticity is truly the key.

My first big jump in followers came from a reel that unexpectedly went viral and reached over 700,000 views. I went from 200 followers to 700 in a week. It wasn’t a complicated video — just a simple, satisfying clip of me pouring cake batter into a pan with the caption, “How it feels when someone decides to order and support my small business.” It told a small piece of my story in just a few seconds, and that’s what made it stand out. From there, I kept posting consistently, sharing a mix of Indonesian desserts, custom cake designs, and the reality of being a teen running a small business. Over time, people started following not just for the desserts, but for the story behind them.

My top three pieces of advice are to post authentic content, post consistently over time, and lean into what makes you unique. Authentic content captures people’s attention — they like seeing the real, messy, behind‑the‑scenes moments. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. After my reel went viral, what continued to push my content out there was consistency. Planning out your content can be really helpful — building a schedule for capturing, editing, and posting helped me stay organized without feeling overwhelmed. And finally, lean into what makes you unique. For me, that meant sharing what life is like as a full‑time high school student balancing a baking business. Leaning into your uniqueness helps you stand out and draws the audience you’re looking for.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

At my first ever pop‑up event, I made a mistake that taught me the importance of understanding my audience. My Indonesian coffee mocha roll cake is one of my most popular menu items, a big hit among both Indonesians and non‑Indonesians. Knowing this, I assumed it would sell well at my first pop‑up. What I didn’t consider was that the event had a lot of kids, and most kids don’t want a coffee‑flavored dessert. I ended the night with almost all my coffee mocha roll cakes left, while all my strawberry roll cakes sold out.

It was discouraging, especially because it was my first pop‑up and I had worked so hard preparing for it. But instead of letting that experience stop me, I took it as a learning opportunity. I reflected on what went wrong, learned to research my audience before every event, and adjusted my menu strategy moving forward. That lesson has shaped how I plan for every pop‑up now.

Looking back, the turnout wasn’t what I hoped for, but it taught me how to adapt quickly, stay flexible, and keep going — which is exactly what resilience looks like in a small business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.audreyscakelicious.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreyscakelicious/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Audreyscakelicious