Cake Because You Care

Photography by Dave Bryce. Styling by Keith Recker. Cake stands and champagne flutes by Mahla & Co Antiques.

Carley Rice of Flower & Fin in Rochester, PA, works “magick” into everything she makes. In her own eloquent words, “The way I see it, baking is energy work. My kitchen is a sacred space. It’s a place for meditation, creativity, and manifestation. I speak love into my work and I hope my creations lift your spirits and serve as a reminder that when you are feeding yourself, and others, to do so with a compassionate heart.”

While we find her cakes irresistibly enchanting, her work also includes wands of deliciously seasoned salts and sugars with intentional properties, as well as fine tisane ingredients like chamomile and hibiscus. Her vial of Passion Sugar, a blend of sugar, rose petals, ginger and cardamom, called out to us…and worked its way into several of the photos in our February 2021 Togetherness issue.

But it was the magickal Valentine’s Day cakes she made for us that really stole our hearts. In fact, they’re on the cover of the Togetherness issue, with their expression of a gorgeous spectrum of intentions and virtues. Within the cakes themselves, a hint of ginger increases energy, passion, and has healing properties, while cardamon, a member of the ginger family, attracts love. Their “naked icing” style suggests a smoldering sensuality, while everything used as decoration extends the messaging of the cakes into spiritual realms.

Atop the cakes, rosemary signifies love and remembrance, while thyme symbolizes the fortitude of enduring love. Lavender “lifts our spirits, and relaxes and helps to clear the mind.”

Figs represent love and fertility – not just in the sense of baby-making. “I like to think of fertility as not only relating to pregnancy, but as a symbol of embarking on a new journey for the self, whether that’s creative, a new business venture, or some other fledgling endeavor,” explains Carley.

The pomegranate symbolizes protection, prosperity, strength, and positive transformation. “All good things to have in a relationship!” says the baker herself. Strawberries suggest love, romance, and good luck.

Red carnations symbolize deep love and affection, and chrysanthemums evoke optimism, joy, and longevity. Tightly curled rose buds speak to the potential of romance to blossom and flower into a great joy.

For more about Flower & Fin, or to place an order: flowerandfin.com.

For more about our friends at Mahla & Co Antiques: mahlaantiques.com