Cake sculpting is an art form, and gifting a personalized cake to someone is as much a source of joy for the giver as the receiver. Dana Phillips shares how she got started baking and decorating elaborate cakes as a promise to her children, and how it grew into a way to spread joy to so many others in her life. As a Certified Wilton-method cake decorating instructor, Dana takes us on her sweet journey through the wonderland of cake and gives us tips to help us bake and decorate with joy and confidence.

About Dana:

“City girl who moved into the woods with a knack for making edible art.” As a young mom the one thing Dana thought would be the most memorable tradition she could create for her kids was customized homemade cakes for their birthdays. She's 53 cakes in and her three kids who are almost all adults can’t imagine life without a cake from her. When she's not baking she's fighting for a better South for future generations, getting the dinner party and game nights planned now that everyone is vaxxed (nothing beats making good food for good people), disappearing into the woods to see the stars, and going on countless motorcycle adventures with her partner, Adam.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- How Dana’s children lead her to pursue cake baking and decorating

- Her favorite cake flavor profiles and designs

- Cake baking tips and ingredient substitutions to make delicious gluten-free and dairy-free cake

- Product brands for gluten-free flour and flavor extracts

Links to resources:

- Dana on Instagram – @pixiestavern

- Christa on Twitter – @christanyc

- Christa on Instagram – @christarosenyc

- Christa’s website – ChristaAvampato.com

- Wilton cake classes

- King Arthur gluten-free flours and mixes

- Michael's cake baking and decorating tools

- Thrive extracts

- Earth Balance vegan butter