May Cake Decorator Spotlight
Hi everyone! I am so excited to be featuring Erica, the owner of Wink By Erica in Houston, TX. I am always so impressed by her work (beautiful cakes and adorable treats) and brand marketing. I once attended her cake workshop, and it was a fantastic experience! Read on about one of the sought after bakers in Houston, TX.
Hi Erica! Tell us about yourself.
Hi friends, I’m Erica! I’m a native Houstonian and alumna of The University of Texas at Austin. I worked in corporate marketing for five years before starting Wink. In 2017, I took a leap of faith and went full-time with Wink to chase my sweet dreams. I’m married {no comma} and we have a one-year-old and a dog. I’m a lover of personality assessments (My enneagram is 2w3, my myers-briggs is ENFJ) and live by the motto of “leave people better than you found them”.
How did you get started with making cakes? What made you to decide that this is your career?
My first job out of college was in Minneapolis, MN working for General Mills. Being a Texas girl, I didn’t like going out to weather the snow much, so I found myself making cakes and cake pops with the Betty Crocker cake mixes I’d get from work. That became my passion, and I loved creating treats that became part of other’s special memories and moments. I’ve always been a believer in doing more of what makes you happy with your one beautiful life, so I decided I wanted to do more baking and less corporate marketing.
What is the biggest accomplishment to the date of your baking career?
My biggest accomplishment so far would have to be starting our wink workshops! Being able to do a workshop meant having our own space, a team to help, with the goal of spreading more sweet cheer to others. We want to keep growing our workshops with the vision to inspire more bakers to start their baking careers. It’s definitely one way to “leave people better than you found them” <3
Do you have a memorable cake that challenged you?
Yes, it was one of the first wedding cakes I ever did back in 2016. I started my business {no comma} making only small treats like cake pops and macarons. I then grew to making small cakes, but wedding cakes are a whole other animal. I made a watercolor drip cake. I haven’t had much experience stacking cakes, doing watercolor cakes, or drip, but somehow I was doing all 3 for my best friend’s wedding. After a very stressful week, the cake came together beautifully and was even featured on Martha Stewart. It made me feel like this is something I can do as a career.
What do you love the most about your job?
I love making special moments a bit sweeter. Cakes and sweets are always a part of special milestones like a birthday, graduation, wedding, first baby, and so on. It makes me happy to share in our client’s joys through sweets.
What are your go-to tools when designing a cake?
I feel like I’m the oddball out on this one. I don’t use too many fancy tools, just a turntable, scraper, and offset spatula, and I’m good to go!
Do you have a favorite cake design?
Yes, my daughter’s birthday cake! (See below) I’ve been wanting to make a connected cake plus I’m obsessed with rainbows and boba, so I made her my dream cake – hah!
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to own a cake studio?
My advice is to get your operations and finances to a good place. Share the space if you need to. We started off sharing our kitchen with another baker which helped us financially and we learned a lot from each other! Lastly, the location is SO important. Don’t try to skimp and move to a place where it would be hard for clients to get to you.
Share a fun fact about you!
I was never a fan of breakfast food before but you know I’m a type 2 (people pleaser) when now I make and eat almost every popular breakfast food (waffles, pancakes, dutch pancakes, french toast, biscuits & gravy, hashbrowns, every type of egg, etc) at least once a week because my husband loves breakfast food.
What is your favorite dessert?
Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! 🙂
My Favorite Cakes
Colorful Smarties Drip Cake
All the sweet rainbow pastel dreams come true working with a collaborator on a special project for @smarties!
Pretty Blooms Watercolor Cake
Inspiration can come from anywhere! The colors and pattern were inspired by a decorative box I saw and loved.
Ice Cream Sherbet Cake
This is our “It’s sherbet day” cake, an OG signature cake that screams party.
Lovely White Swan Cake
This cake reminded me of how I started because it was one of those moments where I haven’t made a cake like this before but said “Yeah, why not!” and loving how it turned out.
Cute Buttercream Cactus Cake
A pink ombre cake with buttercream cactus, a colorful garland, and topped with a mini cactus decorated funfetti donut.
Beautiful Strawberries & Bark Mini Cakes
I am slightly obsessed with this mini line up of 4” pretty in pink in white, pink, mint, and blue.
Twinkle Twinkle Baby Girl Shower Cake
As a Cancer and lover of pink, stars, & the moon, I was over the moon for this cake. For more baby shower inspiration, click here.
Modern & Minimalist Wedding Cake
Although we’re known for our colorful, whimsical cakes, we also love flexing our minimalist wedding cake muscle.
Floral Easter Bunny Cake
Cute character cakes are always sure to delight and bring a smile.
Bubble Milk Tea Cake
This is our bubble milk tea cake from our new Kawaii collection with a new flavor, brown sugar milk tea for the ultimate cute food delight. Kawaii is a culture of cuteness with charming, adorable, and darling characters that make you go “awww”.
Rainbow & Bubble Tea Cakes
My dream cake of rainbows and bubble tea for the most precious girl in the world to me. My baby girl’s first birthday. Topper by shopaalvo.
Erica, thank you so much for the feature! Make sure you visit her Instagram for more beautiful cakes!
