France, who is now a full-time baker (of both vegan and non-vegan goods), takes cues for her decoration from nature, crown moldings, and baroque architecture—“anything that’s really old,” she says. Ingredient-wise, France’s preference is always to explore seasonal produce foraged or found at the farmer’s market. A recent series of pop-ups in L.A. had her so taken with the local citrus, that she immediately got to work on a calamansi lime-pistachio-cardamom buttercream. With 101K Instagram followers, she’s transcended into a cake celebrity, of sorts. But France is used to sharing pictures of her life and, especially, what she’s eating. She spends time each morning responding to DMs and has an open dialogue with many of her followers, sharing tips and insights.
Photo: Courtesy of Aimee France
Photo: Courtesy of Aimee France
For some, though, grappling with this newfound notoriety can take some getting used to. At first, Clio Goodman, of ByClio Bakery in Gowanus (19.4K followers) kept forgetting she’d reached a threshold of Instagram fame. “I’d just post stuff,” she says, “and then remember—oh wait, people are actually looking at this!” Her first business, Puddin’, opened over a decade ago, when social media didn’t have quite the grip on the food world that it does today. It was a partnership with her private chef clients who believed her puddings would be a hit with New Yorkers. They were right. But, the parameters were limiting. “Americans feel so nostalgic about pudding, that you can’t really deviate too much with the flavors,” she explains.
By 2021, Goodman was ready to experiment with other desserts. Using global inspiration like Thai iced tea and yuzu, she began baking cakes. Three months and some boosted Instagram posts later, she had a business. In January 2023, ByClio, a bakery and coffee shop peddling cookies, brownies, and, of course, cake, opened in Gowanus. Goodman’s decoration style is far less central to the process than some of the other bakers I spoke to—in fact, she’ll ensure customers can have whatever fillings they want as long as she can dictate the frosting (with some suggestions and requests, naturally). “I focus less on how perfect it looks and more on the experience you’re having with the cake and how you relate to it,” she says. Her confections are beautifully frosted, of course, and covered with edible flowers, but the alchemy really comes in the unexpected flavors themselves, which are dreamt up by Goodman (think: coconut-oolong with blackberry filling or watermelon cake with lime curd and guava frosting) or in close collaboration with clients. Goodman embraces any and all requests and specifications—particularly impressive when you consider that in March alone, she and her team made more than 200 special order cakes and, as wedding season approaches, those numbers are only increasing.
Photo: Courtesy of Clio Goodman
Photo: Courtesy of Clio Goodman
In addition to being an important catalyst for the launch of these businesses, the pandemic and its aftermath also created an environment where people have begun ordering more cakes, according to the bakers I spoke to. Weddings and birthdays are popular occasions to celebrate, of course, but each cake-maker receives many “just because” orders. People are more open to indulgence, says Prat, and want to memorialize all sorts of moments in a beautiful way. But also, if we’re being honest, they want to post on Instagram. Forkfuls of frosted sponge may be fleeting, but a grid post of your birthday or engagement or divorce cake lasts forever.