Twin Cities woman bakes 100 cakes, donates all to neighbors and strangers
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- A St. Louis Park woman is sharing her passion for baking with her Minnesota neighbors and strangers. In 2020, Alison Smith started making "Cakes for Love," later launching "The Cake Crusader." She donated her time and talents to bake 100 cakes for free during the pandemic. Her neighbors received the first cake after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the couple to cancel their wedding.
"They were so sad and I saw them over the garden fence as you do, " Smith said. "I thought 'Oh I want to do something to kind of cheer them up.' It was St. Patrick's Day so I had lots of Guinness and whiskey in the house."
Smith said she made the couple a Guinness chocolate cake with whiskey frosting. She later asked friends to spread the word on social media.
"I just said to my friends, 'Do you have anybody that you know who is going through a hard time, right now? If you do, let me know who they are and we'll bake a delicious cake for them.'"
Friends donated supplies and Smith crafted personalized cakes. Each design started with a conversation between Smith and the person requesting the cake for someone special.
"A cake that is going to make somebody's heart sing is likely to be something that their tummy enjoys and makes their eyes light up too, right?" Smith said. "What kind of cake do they like? What's their favorite candy? Do they have any hobbies? If it can be a hobby that they love, you know, colors that they love, it's all helpful."
Smith baked cakes for nurses, doctors, retail workers, teachers and even cancer patients in 2020. The sweet treats delivered smiles to dozens of people she never met.
"It's not about me. It's about the person [who is receiving it] and their relationship to the person who requested it," Smith said.
The requests have continued to come, allowing Smith to pursue her passion for baking and make a difference.
"My answer to pretty much anything is to bake a cake," Smith said." People just have hard lives and I think it's important to do whatever you can to help out and to work in the area of your giftedness, I think is important. I can bake cakes so I can do that for people. Whatever you can do to just help out, I think is good."
She shared a quote that speaks to her perspective.
"There's a quote in Teddy Roosevelt's autobiography that says 'Do what you can, where you are, with what you have' and I'm really struck by that," Smith said. "When we're in communities there's always people who are in trouble or need help or whatever. Just do what you can."
For more information about The Cake Crusader or to request a cake for someone special visit her Facebook page or follow The Cake Crusader on Instagram.
