TV Shows and Beyond: Bake Me a Cake – Melanie Baker

Melanie Baker grew up on the East Coast and began her career working as a dental assistant and hygienist before meeting and falling in love with a man who happened to possess the perfect last name for her newest undiscovered passion, Baker. The couple had two children before moving across the country to California, finding Santa Clarita to be the best place to raise kids. Inspired by the talented bakers on TV reality cooking and baking shows (and with many milestones to celebrate) Melanie started exploring cake baking and decorating, as she became pregnant and took maternity leave with her third child. By the time the newest member was officially added to the family, she was honing her skills and finding her voice as a cake artisan.
The television baking shows make it all seem easy, but Melanie was quickly learning everything she could about this exciting industry. She doesn’t just need to bake a mouth-watering cake, but she must design and create it from nothing. At first, she must be a chef, making the batter and frosting and preparing it to bake. But she also needs to be able to use the same skills an engineer or architect would, with precise measurements to make the entire cake solid. Again, she must also be an artist, knowing which colors blend well and how to incorporate decorations to compliment the aesthetics.
Melanie never expected baking to take over her entire life, it had always been a hobby, an outlet to escape from the world by creating something beautiful to share with loved ones. But as the demand for her sweet treats grew from just friends and family, she was inspired to launch her business, Bake Me a Cake. In 2015, Melanie became a licensed baker, making her a legal home-based bakery in Los Angeles County.
In 2016, SCV’s 40 Under Forty highlighted Melanie and her bakery as a fan favorite. She enjoys creating custom cakes, macarons, cookies, and other seasonal sweet treats to a loyal following of dedicated clients. As her social media presence grew, she began to catch the attention of casting agents for popular television networks. Her debut in 2019 on the Food Network’s Halloween Cake-Off in the ‘Monster Wedding!’ episode cemented her desires to compete and to keep growing her business. A year later, KTLA asked Melanie to participate in a segment about hyper-realistic cakes where broadcasters struggled to tell the difference between everyday items and her artisanal cakes. Shortly after, Disney+ selected her to compete on a new program called Foodtastic. Her team built a 10ft replica starship from the beloved Star Wars franchise, which won first place and brought home the championship. Most recently, Melanie appeared in The Big Bake on the Canadian Food Network, which aired locally in December of 2022.
The best part about baking, Melanie explains, is the look on someone’s face when you present them with something you have created just for them. These highly personalized, custom cakes are a surefire way to make any receiver feel special and cherished. She fondly remembers an order where she recreated a World War II B-17 plane for a veteran’s 100th birthday. In her spare moments, Melanie also donates her time and baked treats to the non-profit organization Icing Smiles, providing custom cakes to children and families affected with critical or terminal illnesses. For Melanie, gifting someone with a work of art created for them, meant to be eaten and enjoyed with others, is the best gift she can possibly give. The art she creates isn’t to be gawked at in a museum, but to be savored and shared.
Lucky for us, we can enjoy as much art as we can possibly consume! You can find Bake Me a Cake on Instagram @melaniebaker_cakes and online at www.bakemeacakecali.com.

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