Do you love dessert? Are you a big fan of cupcakes and cakes? Celebrating a special occasion and need just the right touch added to your event? Well meet Ayana, a Baker who can help make your event a sweet one!!
Proudly representing Detroit, MI, Ayana Patrick is a Consultant in youth development and owner of an online bakery called Bake Sweet Love!! (Such a BOSS!) With her passion being her daily motivation, Ayana receives support from her family as a reinforcer to follow her passion! As a kid, Ayana had a passion for baking with her Mother being a major influence!
Ayana states that her Mother is an amazing cook and Master in baking, who went as far as to take cake decorating classes, to be able to create beautiful custom cakes for all of their birthdays; with Ayana staying right by her side while she created those wonderful sweets!!
“Often times our cakes reflected who we were so our superheroes and barbies looked like us, it was clear how much love she poured into her baking. I’ve always been grateful for that.”
“I love making clients happy. I love seeing people truly enjoy indulging in what I’ve created. It feels good and makes me proud. It’s why I bake. Being on my feet for several hours can take a toll on my back, but it’s nothing a little Epsom salt can’t fix.”
For Ayana, her passion of baking was not always recognized. Ayana tells us that she was a model in Detroit and then moved to Brooklyn, NY, to continue her pursuit of modeling. After a while, she decided that she didn’t love modeling but loved fashion, and she got into high end retail. During that time, she started to get back to baking and realized that it was something she could do every day for the rest of her life. For Ayana, it was what she loved more than anything.
“Baking has always been my passion but not always at the forefront. I took many different paths to get back to baking. I didn’t just wake up and decide to be a baker, I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
As Ayana started her business, she faced a huge challenge of creating and building it, but that didn’t stop her success!
“Coming up with a name, logo, website, menu, prices, business plan, etc. were a bit of a challenge, because you want to stand out and be “special” but also practical and smart. I think with anything you’ll have challenges and they change as time progresses. I don’t have the same challenges but I’m constantly working on improving what were once difficult hurdles.”
Bake Sweet Love specializes in babycakes (cupcakes), sweetbites (minis), cakes, cookies and cake pops! (YUMMY!) There is also an “adults only” menu, which are cocktail inspired as well as specialty flavors. The main menu is designed for customers to create their own combination, which means that they can select a cake flavor and then choose their frosting. Ayana says that it was important for her to allow customers to use their creativity. (NIIICCEEE!) Ayana tells us that her favorite pastry to make is cake, with baby cakes being her second favorite!
“They’re super fun because they can be filled and garnished with some of the most amazing flavors.”
With “Goldie’s Brown Sugar & Bourbon babycake” being the most requested, a lot of items on her menu are inspired by friends and family! (SWEET!)
“Goldie’s Brown Sugar is named for my best friend and sister Goldie. People LOVE it, it’s a brown sugar cake infused with bourbon, topped with a bourbon-vanilla cream cheese frosting and drizzled with a bourbon-vanilla caramel (from scratch).”
Although she loves doing everything, babycakes are Ayana’s specialty and is what people come to her for; the balance of the flavors and sweetness is really appreciated.
“I love sweets but I’m not a fan of super sugary desserts, I like to take pride in the fact that my babycakes aren’t super sweet and that makes them really good. People also really love to mix and match flavors and you can only get the full experience of that with babycakes.”
Make sure you keep up with Ayana and Bake Sweet Love, as she will be hosting a pop-up shop soon, with details will be posted on her website and social media accounts!! Ayana is also working on a several private events for the month of February!! (BOSS MOVES!!)
If you’re interested in creating your own baking business, Ayana has the following advice,
“Create a plan, do your research and stick to it. Baking has to be something you love not just something you do because there is a lot of work involved and it’s not easy. Believe in your craft and continue to make it better, we’re all works in progress.”
Ready to taste Ayana’s sweet treats? Well you can place your orders thorough her website at:
If you have any questions, you can email Ayana at: faq@bakesweetlove.com.
Be sure to check out other sweet treats of Ayana by following her social media at:
Instagram: @bake_sweet_love
Twitter: @bakesweetlove.
Facebook: Bake Sweet Love
Ayana has these last words for the readers:
Always remember to be sweet and let life be sweet to you!
Until next time…
“Boss Up and Be Blessed”