BY RYAN SPELTS

Raquel has loved to bake since she was a little child. She grew up in Brazil and has fond memories of going to her grandmothers house to bake. Her grandmother would help her and she learned from a very young age how to make delicious cakes.

She worked as a flight attendant for 15 years and during that time continued to bake and learn decorating skills. Her husband was offered a job in Utah and they moved here. They also had a daughter and Raquel loved making cakes for her. When they would have parties parents of her daughters friends would see her amazing cakes and tell her over and over that she should start a cake making business. She waited until her daugher was about 12 years old before she started selling some cakes. Word of mouth worked well for her as she started getting calls from people who had seen her cakes and wanted to order. Raquel and her husband decided to form a business and to pursue making cakes more seriously.

In 2020 they decided to open a store front and found a place in Clearfield, however because of the pandemic it took forever to get the remodeling done and they weren’t able to open the store until 2021. Sprinkle Berry Cakes can be found at 540 E 1700 S Ste 101, Clearfield, UT 84015. They make custom cakes for birthdays, weddings and any special occasion. Her Facebook has examples of her beautiful cakes. facebook.com/sprinkleberry She loves to make birthday cakes the most because of how excited the children are when they see their cakes.

Raquel’s tips for making great cakes are simple, love and patience. She says it sounds cliche but love is really the most important ingredient. She also says patience is important. She always bakes cakes one day before. She says you shouldn’t try and decorate a cake the same day you bake it. It makes things difficult. She also said that decorating is a matter of trial and error. Everyone has a different style and approach and it really take patience and practice to get good a decorating. Raquel was kind enough to share one of her recipes with us so you can make a professional cake.

“Love is the key ingredient”

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Swiss Meringue Buttercream

By Kariann Rugg with Cake Dame

4 cups sugar
2 cups egg whites
6 cups butter
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Measure sugar and egg whites in a metal bowl. Place over a double boiler on high heat. Whisk until temperature reaches 60-70 degrees C. Remove from heat.

Add salt and whisk on high speed until the mixture has completely cooled and medium to high peaks have formed. Add room temperature butter slowly and cream together.

A 6-quart KitchenAid bowl will work for this recipe. This recipe yields approximately 3 liters, so feel free to adjust to your needs.

Add a small amount of purple food color gel to turn buttercream white.

This type of buttercream is not as sweet as American buttercream. You can add a few cups of sifted powdered sugar to sweeten it up.

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French Vanilla Cake Mix

by Lana Spencer

I like this cake recipe a lot because it’s easy but still tastes homemade. The recipe is great for wedding cakes. The cake stacks really well; it’s dense and moist. It’s just a great recipe and can be used with any cake flavor.

1 box vanilla cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
generous dash of salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup water
3 whole eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 Tbsp. butter flavoring
1 tsp. almond flavoring

1. Grease and flour 3 six-inch round cake pans.
2. Mix together the cake mix, flour, salt and sugar, Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the sour cream, water, eggs, vanilla, butter & almond flavoring.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients
5. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

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Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting

By Raquel Oreggia with Sprinkle Berry Cakes

Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water (or brewed coffee)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 cups butter softened
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsp vanilla extract
7 cups powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup milk as needed

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour or cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Alternatively, you can lightly grease the pans and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a low speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that everything gets mixed in.
4. Divide batter evenly amongst the three prepared pans, about 3 cups of batter per pan. Tap the cake pans gently on the counter to allow any bubbles to rise to the top and escape.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then remove the cakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely.
7. Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

1. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until just combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more once refrigerated.
4. Use frosting to frost and assemble cake, or transfer to a piping bag for decorating. Once frosted, this cake should be refrigerated but can remain at room temperature for up to 4 hours.