As recently reported, a Columbus bakery that specializes in custom cakes is making plans to open a new bakery later this winter. Love Riley Cakes is opening at 14 Dillmont Dr, and owner Riley Harris who has been operating out of a studio, will use the extra space for a display case full of grab and go items, as well as having a larger storage area that will her help keep up with customer demand.
With a personal style that leans toward edible glitter, edible gold leaf, bright colors and fresh florals, combined with cakes that have light-hearted messaging and decor, like a martini-inspired birthday cake complete with olives made from frosting and “tini bit older” written in frosting in the center, Harris admits she’s always been drawn to “weird cakes.”
That combination of incorporating trends, using colors and that signature bit of quirkiness has drawn in a lot of people in Columbus. A quick scroll through the bakery’s Instagram feed and one can’t help but get mesmerized by the cakes adorned with colorful frosting, fresh flowers, fruit, glittering miniature disco balls and decorated with vintage cake piping techniques that include lots of scalloping and flowers made with frosting.
While vintage-inspired cakes are having a bit of a moment, Harris said she always strives to find a way to blend trends with her own personal baking style by also incorporating those elements she loves to create with, like edible glitter and bright colors. In addition to cakes, Harris makes cupcakes, macarons, donuts and cookies, and those items can also be custom decorated in every type of theme, with some past designs including unicorn cupcakes and Harry Potter themed baked goods.
Harris has been baking since she made a batch of cupcakes as part of a middle school science project. After that experience, she knew she’d found something she loved to do and from there, she made cakes for family and friends throughout her teen years. When she was 18, the Wooster native went to London to study at a pastry school for three months.
“It was the coolest experience I’ve ever had,” she said of her time abroad.
Once she returned to the states, she moved to Columbus at age 18 and worked side jobs to help sustain her baking business. The business took off, and during the pandemic Harris said she was making 15 cakes a week, which was hard to keep up with at that time, operating from her home kitchen.
After an extended break, during which time she started working a full-time job, Harris slowly started baking again and before long she was getting several custom cake orders each week. When she was let go from her job earlier this year, Harris decided to go all in on her passion and the business has been growing quickly ever since. When the business outgrew the studio she leased in Grandview within three months, Harris decided it was time to move to a larger space and found the Dillmont Drive location.
Right now, there’s not a firm timeline for opening the space, but she is aiming for winter. When the space opens, there will be a dining area for guests to enjoy their baked goods on the spot, along with some grab and go style coffee offerings by Jennings Java. The interior of the space will feature lots of neutrals, allowing the artfully decorated cakes and other goodies to really shine.
Stay up to date on the opening of the new bakery by following Love Riley Cakes on Instagram.
