Let them eat cake: It’s a sweet passion for baker

COURTESY ASHLEY LOWE

This Oreo cookies-topped chocolate birthday cake is one of Ashley Lowe’s creations.

When Ashley Lowe started her baking business, she thought it would be a breeze.  

But the joke was on her.

The first customer at Chrissy’s Delights in 2016 asked Lowe for a two-tier cake. During decorating, she had trouble smoothing out buttercream around the sides on the final coat.

Lowe, 32, who was born in the Bahamas, did not go to culinary school but taught herself how to bake and decorate cakes through watching videos on YouTube. Despite her lack of experience and knowledge, she was determined to finish the cake. The home-based baker decided to put her pride aside. Lowe called the bakery at her local Walmart and asked a cake decorator to help her fix the final coat.

“I don't know why she decided to trust me,” said Lowe. “But I called Walmart, and the lady came over to my house and she helped me figure out how to do it. She taught me how to do it and made sure I got it.”

Since then, Lowe hasn’t had a problem with making cakes smooth.

Through Chrissy Delight’s, Lowe also bakes cupcakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and other pastries for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, gender reveals. She’s made sweet treats like Oreo cupcakes, rum cake, and pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls with pumpkin spice icing. Lowe has even designed a cake made of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and a vanilla cake with strawberries and added mini-Hennessy bottles on the top for decoration.

Chrissy's Delights owner Ashley Lowe.

“Her cakes are a home run. They taste absolutely delicious, and all the guests raved about them,” said Monica Patel, who had a vanilla crunch cake and vanilla crunch cupcakes made for her mother’s 60th birthday party. “Ashley is prompt to reply, helpful in determining size and options for party needs. [She] shows you options for aesthetic, [is] very communicative and easy to work with. I recommend her to anyone and everyone.  

“It is safe to say I will use her for all my cake needs.”

For Lowe, designing cakes are very calming.  

“It's relaxing for me,” she said. “That's what I like. It’s kind of therapeutic. I don't know, the movements that you have to make in order to accomplish the designs or whatever is just calming to me.”

Lowe said she really enjoys watching the cooking shows on Netflix such as “Zumbo’s Just Desserts.”

Chrissy’s Delights is temporarily closed right now because she just gave birth to a baby girl and is unsure when she will reopen.

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