Caitlin Ginn has enjoyed cooking for as long as she can remember. 

“My parents would give me a cutting board and veggies to cut, and (I’d) just happily sit on the kitchen floor and cut veggies my entire childhood,” she said.

Ginn’s culinary interests grew in middle school, when she began teaching kids in summer cooking camps. At the same time, she gained professional training, learning with a family friend at culinary school and joining French pastry lessons on Zoom. 

It was around this time when Ginn thought of starting a cake business. She could earn money on something she already loved doing: making cakes for friends and family.  

“I can custom make cakes, which a lot of bakeries can’t do, but I can make it completely customizable to whatever anyone wants,” she said. “I can do custom designs, custom flavors, mix and match different things.” 

Ginn runs Caitlin’s Cakes (@caitlin.s.cakes on Instagram) by herself, from making and delivering cakes to managing expenses and advertising. Ginn has also started catering, providing desserts at Stanford events and other private parties.

Her most common cake order is a chocolate cake with raspberries, and her favorite cake that she’s made was a carrot cake with frosting flowers. 

“It took me an entire day to pipe the entire thing,” she said. “Everyone loved it so much, and I get so many compliments on it to this day.” 

Ginn prices her cakes from $30 to $100 based on size and ingredients used, but finds it difficult to earn high profits while keeping prices low to attract customers. 

“I’m definitely underpaying myself, but if it’s something I enjoy doing, and I just happen to get some money for doing it, then it goes well,” she said.

Though Ginn is unsure about continuing her business due to limited time and access to equipment at the University of Washington, where she’s matriculating, she knows that she will continue baking and cooking.  

“It’s a really useful skill to have and a fun one too — you get to explore and experiment,” she said.