I’m a self-taught baker living in the Virginia countryside, where I find inspiration in the seasons, the beauty of nature, and the rhythm of slower living. After many years working in the renewable energy industry, I found myself craving a creative outlet during early motherhood—and baking became just that. What started as a simple joy quickly grew into something more. I’m a francophile at heart, and the name Cake Joie came to me because joie means joy in French—a perfect reflection of what baking has brought into my life. Every cake I make is thoughtfully designed, made completely from scratch, and filled with the same joy I felt when this all began.
How It all got started...
What began with flipping from-scratch pancakes and tweaking boxed cake mixes in my dad’s kitchen grew into a wholehearted love affair with cake. I started baking homemade cakes for friends and family, and quickly realized it wasn’t just about the final slice—it was the entire process that lit me up. The measuring, the mixing, the creative freedom—it all became a way to return to myself after the fog of early motherhood. As a self-taught baker, I found joy—or joie, as the French so charmingly say—in the ritual of it all.
Now I bake to mark a season, a feeling, a Tuesday. I believe cake has the power to gather people, make memories, and remind us to savor what truly matters. My hope is that you’ll find a little inspiration here to create your own kind of cake joy through the recipes I share and the stories behind them.
At Cake Joie
Cake Joie exists to help you bring a beautiful homemade cake to the table—because baking a cake from scratch isn’t just doable, it’s deeply rewarding (and honestly, far more delicious than a box mix). Here, I share easy, seasonally inspired cake recipes that I’ve developed in my little cottage kitchen. With an emphasis on fresh ingredients and rustic simplicity, each recipe is woven together with stories and the small joys that shape them.
It’s my hope that Cake Joie inspires you to do more than a recipe—it’s about learning to trust yourself in the kitchen, to observe, to create, and to connect with the process. With a few simple tools and some practice, you’ll find your own rhythm—and perhaps even a little joie along the way.
The name Cake Joie is a nod to the French word for joy—joie—and the feeling it evokes. I created Cake Joie because I’m often inspired by the French lifestyle, where there's an appreciation for simple pleasures and taking time to savor life’s moments. It’s my hope that you’ll find that same sense of joy—not just in the finished cake, but in the act of making it, too.