We were lucky to catch up with Erin Cortinez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Erin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

The cake world lives and breathes trends. Currently my favorite trends are the Lambeth style and the use of wafer paper in cakes. The Lambeth style, also known as the “vintage cake style” is very trendy right now and I’m obsessed. It simultaneously makes reminds me of Marie Antoinette & a 1950s wedding cake. It can be done in so many different color palettes and piping techniques that it is one of the most versatile cake styles there are. It’s funny because I have been in the this business long enough to see trends come and go. When I started in cakes, big obnoxious borders were the trend, but then a couple years later borders on cakes were considered out of style and people started liking cakes that were cleaner with zero border at all. Now we’re back to loving the piping having borders on our cakes again, trends really do always come back around.

Wafer paper is something I’m currently learning to work with but is becoming very popular for high end cake artists to use. You can use it to make flowers, sails, and add texture like feathery or more paper machete like. It’s an alternative edible material to fondant and is so fun to use! It dries quickly and once you get used to working with it, the creative possibilities are endless.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started in the baking industry 10 years ago but I have wanted to be a pastry chef my whole life. I have worked in multiple cake shops and have taken lessons and new skills from each to get me to where I am today. I’ve worked at Frothy Monkey Bakery for 3 years and run the cake department. Our cake department thrives on creativity. We try to think outside of the box (I do love a trend, though I’m a little over Barbie) when it comes to our designs. We ask these questions when designing a cake:
Is it edgy? Does it have an element of texture? Is it cohesive? Is there an aesthetic mood? Does it need glitter? (iykyk)

Did I mention our cakes are also crazy delicious? We’ve worked hard to create a unique flavor menu for our clients to choose from. Each client is able to choose the cake flavor, filling, and buttercream flavor to make their dream cakes combination. We use a light and perfectly sweet Swiss meringue buttercream on all of our standard cakes. We also offer gluten-alternative and vegans options for everybody to enjoy!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my career is being with my clients through milestones. I get to celebrate sweet gender reveals, birthdays, graduations, weddings, etc. This year I had a couple that I had made a wedding cake & anniversary cake for and now I get to make their gender reveal cake! It’s just amazing to be able to help someone celebrate these moments.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Our clients are mainly from word of mouth and social media. Since we don’t have retail store front, we are little hidden so social media is the biggest way to spread the word and to showcase the desserts we’ve created and currently offer. We’re a small department but we make up for it in passion and creativity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://frothymonkey.com/bakery/
• Instagram: @shetalkscake. @frothymonkeybakery

Image Credits
Ali Miller @_alimiller www.alimillerphotography.com