About Shelly
What’s an entrepreneur to do when the stock market takes the capital you had set aside for opening your own commercial kitchen? Well, I set out to find someone who already has one, join hands to share the space and help each other out to get the lease paid until the economy comes back!
That is what happened to me, Shelly of “Rapunzel’s Cakes and Cookies.” I have joined hands with a local Murietta frozen yogurt store and I am baking and creating wonderful yummy items in a county-approved kitchen! A section of the kitchen has been set aside for me to do what I do best…create custom-designed cakes and cookie confections! I am by appointment only at this facility.
My passion for baking began many, many years ago in the kitchens of my mother, grandmother(s) and great-grandmother. As a child I would be included in the mixing, icing, and most of all, tasting of some wonderful family recipes. These have been handed down three generations and are still dearly loved by all.
As a child, I received the “Easy Bake Oven” for Christmas, only to have it frustrate me that it wasn’t a “real” oven. I wanted to help and learn to use the real thing. Each year, while growing up, our family would receive a box of baked goodies from our Grandmother “Goodie.” How we looked forward to this time of year! I requested these time-cherished recipes and now that Grandmother is gone, I have become the “goodie” baker in the family and yearly send out that special box of goodies to family and friends.
As a child of four years of age, I escaped our backyard and to take a small trip down to our local variety store. To this day I can remember this outing! While mom was searching for me, I was busy checking out the “candy cake decorations” in their packages, you know the ones…sugar letters that spelled out ‘Happy Birthday’ that you would wet the back of the paper they were on to release them and then place them on a fresh bed of frosting! Yes, I was found…crying at the front door just after the lights had been turned out. Just recently, I was telling this story to my husband and a dear friend, and they both exclaimed, “You were ‘Born to Bake’!”
Many years later, at about the age of 16, I discovered the Wilton Cake Decorating items at our local JCPENNEY store. I was intrigued! I purchased my own set of tips, couplers and a small instruction booklet. I followed the steps, page by page, practicing to make my borders look as perfect as those in the booklet.
At 18, I enrolled in a Wilton Cake class at another JCPENNEY to learn the flowers. The teacher said she wouldn’t be teaching flowers, but please stay anyway. I stayed and received a Certificate of Completion for the class. As she gave this certificate to me, my teacher told me I had a gift and should continue following this passion. I have followed this advice and it has become my passion.
Times have changed and so has the look of not only wedding cakes, but also party cakes with the arrival of fondant on the scene. For the past several years, I have been learning and working with this new art form of sugar and can't tell you what fun it is to work with for creating cakes!
I have had the opportunity to take class with Colette Peters, winner of the very first Food Network Wedding Cake Challenge, on five separate occasions; Kim Morrison, 2004 and 2005 O.S.S.A.S Grand Champion; Rebecca Sutterby, 2008 O.S.S.A.S. Grand Champion and Food Network Challenge winner; and most recently Marina Sousa and Dawn Nemec of “Just Cake” in Tulsa after the Oklahoma State Fair of 2008.
Due to the number of days and hours of instruction I have received, my level of expertise ranks me as a “Professional” decorator. I hope to one day be rated a “Certified Master Sugar Artist”.
I am a competitor at heart and have entered a few cake competitions. The most ambitious one was a 1,500 mile trek in our RV (with my ‘Styrofoam entry’ stowed away on board) to Oklahoma for the Oklahoma State Fair’s 2008 Wedding Cake Competition of the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show. On a point based judging system, my entry received a “Silver Award” with a total of 82.5 points.
Other competitions have included the San Diego Cake Club’s yearly “Cakes on Parade” competition. I entered two entries in 2007 and placed 2nd in the non-tiered sculpted professional category and 3rd in the tiered wedding professional category.
I am a current member of the International Cake Exploration Society (I.C.E.S.); a member of the California Cake Club (3C’s); and a member of my local San Diego Cake Club (S.D.C.C.).
I truly have a passion to bake, and look forward to creating a sweet masterpiece for you!
Bring us your party invitation. We will design your cake to match your party’s theme!
To book your special cakes please contact Shelly @ 951-296-8144
By Appointment Only
Wedding cakes, Birthday cakes, Rapunzels Cakes and Cookies, Cupcakes for special occassions, Weddings, Wedding, Brides Cakes, Cake Decorators, Rapunzels cake, Logo Cookies, picture cookies, Cake bakers, Cake makers, Temecula, Murrieta