Akiko White is an illustrator, artist, and writer who lives on a farm in the Texas Hill Country and loves the art of cake illustration, painting in watercolors and in oils with a palette knife technique. She took a break from licking icing from her fingers to chat with me about her wedding cake business. 

How did Akiko White Cakelustrator get its start? It actually was a bit of an accident. I had been making cakes for my family and friends while I was illustrating and writing children’s books. One of my friends suggested I make an illustration out of cake. I entered the Tomie dePaola competition through the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators with a Cakelustration (cake-illustration) and won the competition. The next year I entered the That Takes The Cake competition in Austin with a different Cakelustration and won the Best in Show. Soon after, I began to get more and more orders for my cakes. 

What services do you offer? I can design a one-of-a-kind custom cake for any occasion. I especially like to create cakes that are more artistic and are not like anyone else’s cake. I feel like if you have come to me to have a cake made, then you are looking for something extraordinary. I can make simple cakes, but I truly love using my imagination to create a special cake.

What is your decorative style or approach to creating and designing cakes? It all comes down to what the customer is looking for. But I really enjoy painting on cakes, creating 3D elements with movement in my cakes. The sculptural cakes are challenging and I love the challenge. 

What’s your favorite part of your job? Being creative.

What makes cakes from Akiko White unique and special? Not only do my cakes look amazing, they also taste amazing. I am a very small company. I only take on a few cakes a week. My recipes have been handed down generations and I use nothing but the best ingredients. Sometimes if my hens are laying enough eggs, there are farm-fresh eggs in my cakes. I never use a boxed cake—everything is made from scratch, just like your grandmother used to bake.

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