Black Tastemakers: Hyper realistic bakes take the cake at downtown Fayetteville shop
Editor's note: Jane Cakes' brick-and-mortar shop closed in August 2023, but the business continues to operate from the owner's home.
Welcome to Black Tastemakers, an occasional series that highlights African American excellence and influence on the Fayetteville area food scene. Nominate Black culinary professionals and entrepreneurs by emailing tshook@gannett.com.
Lady Gaga named her fans Little Monsters. Nicki Minaj stans are known as Barbz. New downtown Fayetteville bakery Jane Cakes customers are called Sprinkles.
“Sprinkles can come in all different shapes, sizes and colors,” owner Jane Smith explained. “Everyone I meet brings something different to my journey.”
Smith, 33, said she specializes in hyper-realistic cakes. Each one tells a story, she said, and getting to know her customers is part of her creative process.
Since the military spouse and mother of three began selling cakes from her home on Fort Liberty about four years ago, her creations have helped loyal customers celebrate life’s special moments, she said.
Among her favorite creations is a Thanksgiving cake that looks like a roast turkey, a cake that’s a dead ringer for a bowl of macaroni and cheese, and a cake depicting M&M’s purple spokescandy eating a box of the iconic chocolates.
Prices range from $65 for a 4-inch miniature cake, $200 for a 6-inch cake and starting at $500 for a realistic cake. Smith said she recommends ordering at least two weeks in advance.
Downtown store is a pink paradise
In addition to making about 15 custom cakes each month, Smith opened a Gillespie Street store in late May that offers cake slices for $9, mini loaf cakes for $7, and cupcakes and cake parfait cups for $5.
The scratch-made treats, in flavors like strawberry crunch, honey bun, lemon and her signature cookie butter, sell out quickly. Regulars know to get there soon after the shop opens at noon, she said.
The pretty-in-pink, pint-size shop reflects her personality, the New Jersey native said.
With a glittering chandelier, a wall covered in hundreds of silk flowers and velvet furniture, the shop’s hues of blush and fuchsia give a cozy and cheerful vibe.
Even if you haven’t yet been to the downtown shop, you may have tasted Smith’s cakes when they were on the menu at Fayetteville restaurants like Henley’s Vintage Kitchen and NY Supreme Steamers in the last year.
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Now, the only place to buy her cake is from Smith herself.
“I just wanted to focus on giving my all to my clients,” she said.
From nurse-in-training to professional baker
Smith said she comes from a family of nurses and doctors. In early 2019, she was feeling defeated after failing a chemistry class that she needed to qualify for nursing school.
The idea came to her after a lot of prayer, Smith said. With the help of her grandmother, who loaned her the money to buy a small stand mixer, and a lot of YouTube tutorials, she started baking.
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She’s the first person to admit that her first professional cake was awful, but she didn’t let that bring her down. After years of trying to live up to her family’s expectations, she finally felt happy by pursuing her own career path, Smith said.
Now, with her downtown storefront and an expansion that she plans to announce soon on the horizon, she said she hopes her story will inspire others.
“If I can do it, anyone can do it,” she said.
Details
Location: 107 Gillespie St.
Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, noon to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, noon to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday-Tuesday.
Phone: 910-824-2456
On the web: facebook.com/janecakesllc and @jane_cakesllc on Instagram
Food, dining and business reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com, on Twitter, or Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville mom of three opens Jane Cakes, a downtown bake shop
