Isla Vista–based cake business Sunshiney Cakes is truly a bright source of sweetness in Santa Barbara County. Lily Fitz, a student at UC Santa Barbara, started her business two years ago when she began making cakes for friends’ birthdays. During her junior year, she had a spacious kitchen in her living space in Isla Vista where she would make these cakes and post images of them on her social media feed on Instagram. From there, someone reached out to ask if they were for sale, and the business took off and blossomed like the flower adornments she is known for on her cakes.
Fitz described this blooming as “such a gratifying process,” where she has been able to make cakes inspired by her California surroundings. She uses flowers, vegetables, and fruits that she finds at local farmers’ markets as decorations, making each cake uniquely special and seasonal. So far, she has made cakes ranging from one to nine layers, with the smallest size taking around three hours to make and decorate. She has made cakes for the UCSB Fashion Club Runway and pop-up events at Lazy Eye and Lucky Penny. Part of the Acme Hospitality group, Lucky Penny is a local favorite pizza restaurant, which is very full-circle for Fitz, she says, since she worked at pizza restaurants throughout high school and college.
Fitz noted that her favorite creatively designed cake is more personal. Her mom turned 60 last year, and she created a six-layer cake for the occasion, with each layer representing a special period of her mom’s life. She said that her mom inspires her cake-making, as her mom is an artist herself. The special birthday cake was lemon and olive-oil flavored and was decorated with pink, white, and purple flowers, as well as strawberries and cherries.
The largest cake Fitz has made to date was a nine-layer wedding cake, which she said was difficult to transport, but well worth it to create something special for the couple.
“It is hard to say no” to people who want her cakes, Fitz says, because she would make cakes for everyone if she could. Fitz loves to be creative and bring people together with something as simple as a cake, saying “it’s unreal” about the flowers she has received for her work. People ask for her cakes specifically from all over the state to buy them for a significant other or someone they love. She says that having a cute cake is a good way to mark a special occasion: “If you are going to have a cake, it might as well be a cute cake!”
Agreed! You can order a Sunshiney Cake for spring or get more information by direct messaging @sunshineycakes on Instagram.
You must be logged in to post a comment.