Bored Panda reached out to Amanda.
“'Baking Thursdays' was a tradition I had in college at Columbia University where every Thursday night I would get together with my track and field teammates, bake something crazy and hilarious, and bring it to practice on Friday. When COVID sent us all home and Columbia closed down, I started an Instagram and TikTok so I could still do this in a way. Since my first TikTok in July, I’ve gained 254k followers and 2 duets from Gordon Ramsay himself, but the most fulfilling part has been being able to bring people together and make people smile with my own food creations.
My brother is a powerlifter, and I’m pretty into lifting myself, so when people took a liking to my 'buff Shrek' cake, I went all out and made a whole buff cake series. They’re my favorite cakes to make. I have so much fun with them, and it seems like my followers like them too. I’m so happy and grateful that this fun hobby of mine has been able to become such a big part."
How did you first venture into the world of cake decorating?
"I've always had a love for cake decorating. I used to make cakes with my mother for every holiday, and as I grew up, I turned to it as a source of comfort and fun. It always brings me back to my childhood, simpler times."
When did you realize that you could turn your passion into a business, or at the very least a profitable hobby?
"I started my page, "Baking Thursdays" after being sent home from college at Columbia University due to the pandemic. "Baking Thursdays" was a tradition I had with my track and field teammates in college. Every Thursday night, we'd get together and I would bake something silly to bring to practice the next day. I'm a thrower so fuelling up was always important!
I started my TikTok so I could still connect with my friends and share this hobby with them, although distanced. My page is a silly space where anything can happen. I never expected it to grow into what it has grown into, but now that it has, I just want to make more and make people laugh, one cursed cake at a time.
I'm about to graduate from Columbia with a computer science degree, but my career has made a very unexpected, very welcomed change, and I'm embracing it!"
You’ve created a wide range of cakes and designs–how would you best describe your cake decorating style?
"Unconventional, to say the least. I love to bake, and I love to make people laugh. While lately, I've been venturing more into "cursed" and "buff" cakes, as that's what my followers seem to be loving, my "brand" has always been making cakes out of things that you wouldn't expect to see as cakes: memes, portraits, cartoon characters, etc. I don't take myself too seriously, and I have fun with every single one of my projects. It's always my goal to try to bring the viewer along with that fun. I'm always trying to get better, but I started this project because this is truly what I love to do. I don't want to lose sight of that, and I'm glad to see these silly projects that I love so much are bringing other people joy. We could all use more silly distractions."
What are your essential tools for cake decorating?
"My edible tools are cake, frosting, modeling chocolate, and color dust! My tools for sculpting are a basic sculpting tool set I got off of Amazon and a hair dryer. As chocolate is extremely temperature-sensitive, I use a hair dryer to heat it up and keep it moldable as I'm working. In reality, it's a much longer and messier process than the edited video makes it out to be!
As far as the tool set, I could make everything I make with just 2 of the tools: a toothpick (or anything with a sharp point) and a tool with a dull end (for smoothing). With those two sculpting tools, you could make anything on my page."
What's the story behind the "Buff" cake series?
"Most of my followers don't know this, but my big brother is a national record holding powerlifter. I grew up learning all about lifting and fitness, and I'm a bit of a powerlifter myself. I had made some buff Shrek brownies and a buff Spongebob cake before (for my brother), but this recent "Buff" cake series took off after somebody requested a "Buff Shrek" cake. People loved it and from then on, most of my requests have been for more buff cakes, and I love it."
What part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?
"My favorite part of my cake projects is the point at which I can start seeing my creations take shape and come to life. That's when I dive in and add a bunch of random things to bring my creations over the top. This is the stage when I add the piercings, tattoos, and uncomfortable muscle definition. After those features are added, I shade the whole cake with color dust which really brings the creations to life. These final pieces are my favorite part because my hours of work are tied together and the vision I had before I even started is materialized into a tasty treat :)
I really love reimagining characters and things I already love. My favorite cakes have been this "buff" cake series and my "Emo Shrek" makeover. I'd love for people to suggest other types of makeovers: whether it's through makeup, body type, outfit, and more. I'm just here to have fun with my audience and bring our ideas to life! (and then eat them :))"
What’s the most unusual/bizzare cake design you’ve been asked to create so far?
"This "buff" cake series has been a really interesting change in direction. I've always gotten silly requests given the nature of my page, but now they're just ridiculous, and I mean that in the best way possible. My followers are mad scientists/evil geniuses who share as weird of a sense of humor as I have. I'm excited about more crazy adventures together. I like to give the people what they want!"
What was the hardest cake design you've done so far?
"The most challenging cake for me was surprisingly my "buff" self-portrait. I kept getting that as a request so I promised it at the "250K followers" milestone. Something about staring at my own face and trying to replicate it with chocolate was just unsettling and difficult. I wasn't too unhappy with the outcome though. Still plenty of room for improvement though! I'm motivated to keep improving, especially at portrait cakes. My "pre-buff cake" followers know that before this, I was known for my portrait cakes of Gordon Ramsay. He dueted me twice and I haven't impressed him yet, but I'm thinking maybe it's almost time for a round 3...
All in all, thank you guys for your support/interest in my page :) It is very flattering and motivating. Stay tuned for more crazy adventures!"
