Conversations with Sierra Crown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Crown.

Hi Sierra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always loved creating things. I started with crayon drawings on the walls in my bedroom as a little girl, and then, as a teenager, I began sketching portraits of my family members. From there, I discovered painting. I became enamored with painting abstract acrylic artwork on canvas using bright colors and palette knives.

I’ve also had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember, but I found very little excitement or uniqueness in the cake flavors or textures I picked up at grocery stores or the desserts I ordered at restaurants. Nothing ruins a pretty cake like taking a bite and it being flavorless and dry. So I thought, “Why not create beautiful cakes and cupcakes that taste more unique?” I quickly found my absolute love and passion for baking 3 years ago when I baked my first red velvet cupcake. I started baking as many things as I could. I didn’t just want to bake things that looked pretty, I wanted to bake cakes that changed people’s perspective on the generic flavors they’d had before.

Creating a cake design is a lot like painting for me. I think about a concept I want to do, look for ideas, and mix and match food coloring gels to create the perfect color tone. Over these three years, I’ve baked countless cakes, cupcakes, and treats for friends, family members, and customers. I love making elegant cakes and cupcakes with deep colors or soft pastels, but I also enjoy making cute and fun designs for holidays, birthdays, and special events. While creating beautiful confections is very important, I will always find that the flavors and textures matter just as much. There’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing someone bite into something I’ve made and telling me it’s “the best cupcake they’ve ever tasted” when they never used to like cupcakes before then. That’s the best feeling in the world, and I plan on doing this for a long time.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, this journey has been fairly smooth, though it’s definitely had its ups and downs. Sometimes my creative ideas work, and sometimes they don’t. When they don’t I just scrape off all of the cake or cupcake frosting, and try again. I can’t even count how many YouTube tutorials I’ve watched on perfectly smoothing the top of a cake or perfectly piping a buttercream rose. Luckily, I’ve gotten better at a lot of things I used to struggle with. It’s been a big learning experience, but I’ve loved every second of it. Patience and practice goes a long way when you’re a baker.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Every time I make a cake or cupcakes, I always bring my knowledge of painting into what I create. It helped me a lot through this whole process. I specialize in deep colors and soft pastels but also enjoy making black cakes or brighter colors. Because they’re so fun to make (and I’ve noticed not a lot of bakers in my area do this), I do a lot of floral rosette cakes and cupcakes, vintage cakes, palette knife cakes, and buttercream flower cakes. These designs combined with the quality and care I put into the flavors of everything I bake help me stand out from many bakers in my area.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My family and fiancé have been the most helpful with my learning experiences and networking. It can be a little discouraging when you start, but having people you know to hand out your business cards, repost your content on their social media, and have an excellent product to back it up are the most important things. YouTube tutorials from bakers and cake designers also helped me immensely in getting down my technique and figuring out my niche. I probably would have given up a long time ago if my family wasn’t in my corner or my fiancé wasn’t as loving and supportive as he is. Having people around you that believe in you means everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.snowdropcakesandconfections.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snowdropcakesconfections/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snowdropcakesandconfections/