In preparation for her brother’s wedding, Lindsey Jean Newman’s soon to be sister-in-law asked is she could bake a small wedding cake

“I made a little, two-layered cake for them and they absolutely loved it,” Newman said, which sparked a new interest for her.

With the Superbowl only a few days away, Newman was eager to put her newfound interest to the test.

“I made one for the Superbowl and everybody seemed to like it, so I just made another one and another one,” Newman said.

“It was just for friends and family to eat, and I just kind of got the itch.”

Despite it being just a tasty hobby for Newman, she started receiving some encouragement to sell her cakes. So, Newman started a Facebook page and began posting pictures of her creations online. Interest in her cakes grew rapidly.

“Right now, I have an order for 60 cupcakes,” Newman said, pointing to a pile of boxes in the corner of the room.

Despite her online advertising, word-of-mouth has provided the most return for her business. And after completing the necessary certification, Newman runs Baby Cakes out of her own kitchen.

Newman, a self-taught baker and single mother, moved to Fountain Hills five years ago. After her son was diagnosed with autism, Newman quit her job as an educator to take care of her son full-time. With more time at home, baking became a natural past-time for her. She finds new ideas for her cakes through watching baking videos online.

“I just watch videos and see something I like and say, ‘oh I want to try that,’” she said. “It’s just fun to try new things.”

Newman’s custom-baked cakes have been commissioned and swiftly devoured at graduations, weddings, birthdays and everything in between. She receives several requests for “just because” cakes to celebrate the little things in life.

“My neighbors right next door just moved in, so I sent them over some cupcakes,” Newman said. They loved them so much that they asked her to make a cake for their realtors as a thank you.

“It’s been an adventure,” Newman said, who’s business page urges her customers to not stress about the cake.

“I’ve got it covered,” Newman writes, admitting that she enjoys the stress of preparing her cakes and the anticipation of her client’s reaction when they see it for the first time.

Ordering from Baby Cakes begins with the client choosing the cake size, with options ranging from six to 12-inch cakes, the former serving a small gathering of 4-6 individuals and the latter feeding a party of 30-40.

Next is deciding the style of cake. Clients can choose an ombre-style cake, which incorporates a rich and gradual blend of colors that grow lighter from the bottom up, topped with dollops of frosting and sprinkles. A drip-style cake involves dripping decadent, ganache-like chocolate over the cake sides, with light sprinkles and client’s choice of chocolate drip color. A cookie/candy bar-themed cake includes crushed up and lightly dusted cookies or candy bars throughout and atop the cake and naked style is a lightly iced cake, topped with fresh flowers or fruit.

“With each cake I’ve gotten better because I learn something new,” Newman said.

Cake flavors range from French vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, lemon, confetti and marble, and clients can choose their choice of frosting flavor, cookie or candy bar. Dairy-free options are available upon request.

“Time management is everything,” Newman remarked, whose process typically takes two days in the making.

After baking, she freezes the cake overnight to seal in the moisture and flavor. The following day, she adds the frosting and decoration, stacks the cakes in layers and carefully places them in boxes.

“It’s a lot of stages, but they’re all so necessary,” Newman explains.

When a cake calls for special decoration, Newman likes to collaborate with local flower shop owner Tiffany Stearnes, who runs Fountain FlowerGirl in town.

“Lindsey will send me pictures of her beautiful cakes and ask about colors or types of flowers,” Stearnes said. Her uniquely crafted flower decorations have been seen at the local artwalks down the Avenue of the Fountains.

When she is not looking after her son or baking delectable desserts, Newman is either working out or out on a run.

“Running is my forte,” Newman said. “People usually see me running around the neighborhood or walking the dogs.”

She enjoys staying active to balance out her time indoors, especially when large cake orders keep her inside for prolonged periods of time.

With her local success, Newman is faced with a decision to expand.

“If it gets too big, I’ll have to rent out a space, get a commercial kitchen, but I don’t really see that in the near future,” Newman said. “I think we’ll stick with this for now.”

For more information or to order from Baby Cakes, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/fhbabycakes or call 307-752-4170.