MiaButler

If you do something you love, work will never feel like work. For senior Eden Smith, this famous theory holds true. Growing up, Smith enjoyed watching the renowned television series, “The Great British Baking Show.” Her fascination with the show inspired her to experiment with her own baking. In doing so, Smith discovered that she appreciated creating through baking, inspiring her to turn her baking pastime into a baking business, specifically for cakes. “I have always liked making cakes for my friends’ birthdays and realized that it came naturally to me,” she said. 

With that realization, Smith decided to launch her new company “Eden and Fleur,” a French-inspired name, (Fleur meaning flower), to symbolize her speciality style: flowers. Smith’s cakes feature a unique and elegant look, as they are delicately decorated with floral touches. This distinct appearance is not as simple as it may appear, though, and is accompanied by a tedious process of “cutting the stems and using flower tape so they don’t disturb the flavor of the cake,” Smith said. Flowers are not the only decorating form Smith offers. She often decorates with pistachios and raspberries, too, she said, amongst a variety of other flavors. 

Creative flavors are a signature of Smith’s company. So far, her favorite flavor has been a lemon-blueberry cake: “I really like the lemon and blueberry cake. It has a blueberry compote and a lemon curd in the center,” Smith said.

While experimenting with new flavors, Smith has simultaneously been experimenting with selling techniques. The main outlet to purchase from Eden and Fleur is her instagram, @edenandfleur, where orders are done via direct messaging (DM). Customers can come to Smith with ideas of their own, and she suggests styles and more, making the customer feel heard and seen. 

Smith has slso tried selling a cake at a local restaurant on New Year’s Eve; “I had to bake a cake for Lola’s,” a cafe located in Dundee where Smith has additionally worked as a food runner and server for the last six months, “and had to make it in their bakery,” she said. This opportunity arose when, after showing her coworkers pictures of her cakes, “one of the owners, Clare, asked me to make a cake for the New Year’s Eve service,” Smith said. This experience was not only new for her in terms of in-person purchasing, but also in the creation process. Smith’s business is operated out of her home kitchen however, for this particular evening, she worked inside of Lola’s kitchen. In the new setting, “I had to use their ingredients but it was challenging because I didn’t know where everything was in their bakery, and I had to use a different oven,” Smith admitted. 

Her hard work paid off, though; she baked a raspberry pear cake with a Swiss meringue buttercream for the evening, cut it into eight slices, and charged $10 per piece. It was a successful night and milestone for Smith as she sold out of her first ever, publically displayed cake.

Smith is proud of her success so far, and she does not intend to stop growing anytime soon. “My goal is to one day make a wedding cake,” she said. Smith is “not sure if [she] wants to pursue baking as [her] solo career,” but she is interested in expanding her business. 

To support the young baker, you can reach out to her via DM on instagram at @edenandfleur, and follow her to see what she is mixing up. Smith may just be getting started with her cake creations, however she really takes the cake as a student, server and entrepreneur. Check out Eden and Fleur the next time you are in need of a cake for
an event, or even just for yourself, because a little cake never hurt anyone, especially a cake personally made by Smith.