Baking the best of it: Paige Tolley uses restrictions to start business

MOSES LAKE — Paige Tolley started her own business, Paige’s Custom Cakes, last summer because she said there wasn’t much to do.

Summer 2020 was full of restrictions, canceled activities and closed places. It all left teenagers like Tolley, a sophomore at Moses Lake High School, without a lot of options. So she came up with something to do.

“I took an interest in cakes,” she said.

And it wasn’t only making cakes -- she wanted to see if she could turn it into a business.

“I have a lot of time on my hands, so I could make something out of it,” she said.

Tolley, 15, started baking, adjusting recipes to get the results she wanted, and collecting decorating ideas. She had experience in the kitchen, among other things, making her own birthday cakes through the years.

“I’ve always had an interest in baking,” she said.

She started with orders from family and friends. Then, she started hearing from people who tried her cakes at an event and liked the results. Other customers found her on social media.

‘It just went from there,” she said.

She takes orders via social media to get the details of what customers want. Many of her customers leave it up to her to determine a design. Other clients have specific ideas, like the customer last week who wanted a cake with a bee theme.

“If they (customers) have a specific idea, then I weave that in,” she said.

In the process she’s learned a lot, she said — not just about baking, but about running a business.

“I have a lot of spreadsheets that I keep track of,” she said.

It’s more than tracking material costs and labor, she said. She’s had to learn how to talk to adults she doesn’t know, which can be difficult for teenagers, she said. She’s learned a lot about customer service.

She’s also had to learn about time management, especially once September rolled around and she started classes again.

And baking a custom cake is a multi-day operation. Cold ingredients have to reach room temperature, and the cake or cupcakes are baked about a day in advance so there’s plenty of time for decorating.

A custom cake — at least a cake from Paige’s Custom Cakes -- can’t be lopsided, and it can’t have cracks, she said. The top must be flat. The buttercream frosting and decoration must be consistent.

“It just takes practice to get it professional looking,” she said. “I made a lot of practice cakes.”

Family members provided feedback on what looked good and what didn’t, she said, and they still do.

“There are a lot of eyes on it to make sure it looks good,” she said.

Her best sellers? “My Oreo cake,” featuring the eponymous cookies, and her German chocolate cake. Her favorite design was the wedding cake she made, her first try at a wedding cake.

“That one is really pretty,” she said.

The wedding cake illustrated another lesson about being in business -- it had to be right. That meant there was a lot of pressure involved in making sure it met her standards, she said.

But even though each cake and batch of cupcakes must be consistent, each is also unique.

“Every one of the cakes I’ve done is different. It’s like a painting, basically,” she said.

Both her baking and decorating skills have improved, she said. And her business has grown beyond her expectations.

“I have a consistent two to three orders per week, and I didn’t think that would ever happen. It’s crazy,” she said.

On the other hand, the business has fulfilled the original purpose of providing something to do at a time when many activities are still restricted.

“It’s good to be busy. Busy keeps you occupied,” Tolley said.

She’s not planning a culinary career, she said, but she does expect baking will be a lifelong pastime, maybe even a lifetime side business.

“It’s really fun and rewarding. It’s a great hobby. I guess not a hobby any more. It’s a great business. I really enjoy it,” she said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.