Self-taught baker Georgina Martinez specializes in show-stopping desserts adorned with everything from pears, thistles, and Cape gooseberries to swans and bows. “I want it to be very whimsical, very girlie, kind of magical,” she says. She succeeds on all fronts.
Pre-pandemic, Martinez worked as a server in restaurants. Then she did a stint as a personal assistant and shopper. In 2022, she made a New Year’s resolution: to learn how to bake. When a friend needed a cake for a birthday party, she figured she’d give it a shot. Things took off from there.
Her flavors are as fresh as her designs. She likes to emphasize seasonal ingredients, which means stone fruits, berries, or even tomato jam in the summertime. “Sometimes I’m shocked by what people pick,” Martinez says. “For example, last year, when I did an olive oil cake with tomato jam and marscapone, that was the most popular one. And in the spring, everybody was ordering matcha cake. I thought matcha would be such a difficult flavor for people to get behind, but it was very popular.”
As for fall, she’s moving on to coffee and spice. “I’m also bringing back a really popular one, a churro flavor, which is like a cinnamon-spiced cake with a cinnamon buttercream.”
Next up: cookies. “I want to learn how to make really whimsical cookies,” Martinez says. “That’s kind of my big goal for the holidays. I want to be able to offer custom cookie tins and maybe even cookie cakes.”
For her custom creations, prices range from $60 for a 4-inch-wide tower to $186 for her popular domed design. Pickups are in the Knox area, or she will happily make a personal delivery for a fee.
“It’s just me,” she says, laughing. “So you’ll see me if you’re picking up. If I’m delivering, it’ll be me chaotically running around.”
This story originally appeared in the October issue of D Magazine with the headline “Piping Hot.” Write to kathy.wise@dmagazine.com.
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