Janel’s Cakes

Janel Shepherd, owner of Janel’s Cakes

What started out as a hobby in 2010 has turned into a career for Janel Shepherd. Her business, Janel’s Cakes, took off after her tasty treats kept tantalizing friends and family back for more, and she officially launched in 2011.

It all began when her son asked her to make a special cake for his aunt’s birthday. Shepherd says she didn’t want to just slap some icing on and give it to her. “I really wanted to make it look pretty, so I looked up, ‘how to make a butter cream rose’ on the Internet,” she explains. “There were so many ideas for beautiful cakes! It became a hobby for me soon after and bloomed into a real business not long after that.”

She began posting pictures of her cakes on her personal Facebook page, she was getting friend requests from people who wanted to see her cute confections. To handle the increase in friend requests, she decided to start a Facebook fanpage for her cakes. The page was, and is, called Janel’s Cakes, a name that stuck and ultimately became the official name of her business.

Since then, she’s a one-woman show who handles it all. Shepherd hand makes all of the cakes, cupcakes, cake pops and cake balls.

What makes Janel’s Cakes unique is that Shepherd makes custom cakes, cupcakes, cake pops and cake balls. Oftentimes, other bakers specialize in a variety of products, but Shepherd sticks to cakes.

“All of my cake products are created from scratch and custom designed to what my customer wants,” she adds.

Customization is something Shepherd loves most about her business. Some of her favorite projects include sweet treats for baby showers, weddings, birthdays and even the Western & Southern Open cupcakes to commemorate the annual tennis tournament.

Currently, Shepherd works out of her home, but in the next year or two, she plans to expand into a full, over-the-counter retail business in the Mason area.

She says she’ll also be offering decorating parties in the Mason and Landen area soon. During these parties, customers will learn how to decorate cakes and cupcakes in a fun, social party event atmosphere.

To learn more, visit www.janelscakes.com. You can also like her on Facebook.