Natalie Sideserf - I Made a Life-Sized Yoda Cake for Team Duff (Goldman) on the Competition Show Buddy vs. Duff (Cake Sculptor)

I have a fine art background, but when it comes to using edible materials I’m pretty much self-taught. I’ve been doing realistic cakes for the last decade now, so I’ve gotten a ton of experience working with different materials and cake subjects. I also make at least one cake each week for my YouTube channel, so I’m also always trying new things and finding ways to improve.

1. Tell us about yourself and your journey.

I graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in fine art, and soon after leaving college a friend of mine suggested that I try making a sculpted cake for a friend’s birthday. Although I didn’t really know what I was doing, I really loved it. So in 2011, my now-husband Dave and I moved to Austin, Texas so I could pursue a career in decorating. 

I worked at a bakery where I was able to learn the basics and in 2012 I started Sideserf Cake Studio. Since then, I’ve had my own TV show (“Texas Cake House”), judged on “Nailed It” (Netflix), “Chopped Sweets” (Food Network), and “Cakealikes” (Discovery Plus), and have my own YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers that’s growing more every day. It’s been 10 years since I made my first sculpted cake, and I still love it more than ever.

2. Is it your love for baking or your love for art that made you choose cake sculpting as a profession? 

Definitely my love for art. After I started getting more familiar with the materials, I really focused on coming up with ways to make cakes more realistic. Early on in my career, only a handful of decorators were doing realism, and being that my art background was concentrated in sculpting and painting, that’s what I wanted to do. 

When I made a bust cake of country music singer Willie Nelson in 2012, bust cakes weren’t really a thing yet so when pictures of the cake went viral - reaching #1 on the front page of Reddit - I knew I was onto something.

3. What was the most difficult cake sculpture you have ever made? 

I made a life-sized Yoda cake for Team Duff (Goldman) on the competition show Buddy vs. Duff. Not only was it a challenging cake to make on its own, but the time constraints made it especially difficult. Not to mention the pressure that came with attempting to beat Cake Boss’s team, who are a group of incredibly talented bakers and decorators.

4. What was the most uncanny request ever made to you by a customer?

A film festival in Austin called Fantastic Fest once ordered a cake of a butt for the premier of a movie called “Buttboy”. And not just any butt, but a butt filled with all kinds of trinkets and a TV remote sticking out of it. I think that was one of the strangest requests I’ve ever gotten, but it was also a really fun cake to make.

5. Have you had a professional training or are you self taught? Please share your experience.

I have a fine art background, but when it comes to using edible materials I’m pretty much self-taught. I’ve been doing realistic cakes for the last decade now, so I’ve gotten a ton of experience working with different materials and cake subjects. I also make at least one cake each week for my YouTube channel, so I’m also always trying new things and finding ways to improve.

6. What were the challenges you faced being in this unique profession of cake sculpting?

When making a cake each week for YouTube, I have to find new items or subjects every week that I think my viewers will enjoy while also continuing to innovate and keeping the process interesting. I never want my work to be boring, so I’m always challenging myself to make the next cake better than the last.

7.Have you ever pranked someone with your realistic sculpting skills? If so, please share. 

Yes, I once worked with a YouTube channel called Dude Perfect, and they had a game show video where my cakes were on a table among a bunch of other items, and the contestants had to pick which item was cake. I am proud to say that they did not guess correctly right away and needed a few turns before successfully identifying the cake.

8. What would u advise to upcoming bakers and cake sculptors?

The competition is steep and the opportunities to make a career of it are limited, so you really have to have a passion for it. I’m almost always thinking about my next project or coming up with ideas for what that project might be. 

Find your own style and run with what you’re best at because you’ll stagnate just replicating other cakes or techniques. Let your own creativity drive you, not someone else’s.

Natalie Sideserf 

Natalie Sideserf is the owner of Sideserf Cake Studio in Austin, Texas and one of the world's most prominent cake artists. She has received global recognition and acclaim for her hyperrealistic cakes and remains one of the most influential decorators in her industry.

Interviewed By - Aliza Hussain