Liberty Baking Co.

Who’s behind it: 39-year-old Alison Friedman.

Based in: Fairfax.

Backstory: The classically trained pastry chef opened her company in 2017.

First one she made: A two-tiered cake covered in blue-and-orange daisies for her twin brother and sister’s b’nai mitzvah.

Design aesthetic: “Minimalist and clean,” Friedman says. “The cake should never look like it’s anything other than cake. It should look edible and approachable.”

In her kitchen: A welding blowtorch tempers batters and quickly brings butter to room temperature.

Oddest request: People often ask to have an edible family photo on a sheet cake: “I always found that to be weird—like, ‘I want to eat my brother’s face.’ ”

Favorite slice: Hummingbird cake with warming spices, pine­apple, pecans, and vanilla cream-cheese frosting.

Sweets by E

Who’s behind it: 39-year-old Evan Sanderson.

Based in: Sterling.

Backstory: During grad school for sports psychology, Sanderson began baking cakes to unwind. Her business start-ed in 2012.

First one she made: To celebrate her best friend’s parents’ birthday, she created a two-tier cake covered in purple and green fondant with an argyle pattern on the bottom and polka dots on top.

Her biggest: A five-tier wedding cake dotted with fresh flowers in autumnal colors that served 175 guests.

Design aesthetic: “As far as wedding cakes, I want to create a classic, timeless look so when someone looks back on it in 15 years, they don’t wince.”

In her kitchen: X-Acto knives make cutting fondant a breeze.

Oddest request: A cake made to look like a jar of Rao’s pasta sauce.

Favorite slice: Simple almond cake.

Cakes by LaLa

Who’s behind it: 35-year-old LaLa Economides.

Based in: Kensington.

Backstory: Economides learned to bake by watching YouTube videos. She started making cakes full-time six years ago.

First one she made: When she was 12 years old, she made a daisy-adorned birthday cake for her sister, who was going through a hippie phase.

Design aesthetic: Glammy with lots of fresh flowers, her birthday cakes are often inspired by the dress a client will be wearing at her party.

Celeb gig: Creating a 50th-birthday cake for Gizelle Bryant from The Real Housewives of Potomac.

Where you’ll find her on Thursday mornings: Potomac Floral Wholesale in Silver Spring, browsing the flowers to decide which ones will blossom on her cakes.

In her kitchen: Nearly two dozen aprons include several with a Harry Potter theme.

Favorite slice: Cinnamon cake with cookie-butter filling.

Capitol Jill Baking

Who’s behind it: 30-year-old Jill Nguyen.

Based in: Capitol Hill.

Backstory: During the pandemic, Nguyen started a cottage bakery selling breads and pastries out of her apartment. She added cakes last year.

First one she made: A German-chocolate turtle cake for a friend. It collapsed but was still delicious.

Design aesthetic: “I challenge myself to create unique flavor combinations, a different design, and new color decorations for each person,” Nguyen says. “I don’t ever want to repeat myself.”

Craziest cake: A cactus-shaped version—that didn’t rely on fondant or modeling chocolate. She topped a base of chocolate cake and salted-molasses buttercream with a tier of olive-oil cake, lemon curd, and pandan buttercream.

In her kitchen: More than 30 piping tips create interesting icing patterns.

Favorite slice: Olive-oil cake with yuzu curd and salted-honey buttercream.

Photograph of Nguyen by Chris Svetlik.
Photograph of Economides courtesy of Economides.
Photograph of Friedman by Megan Lucks.
Photograph of cakes courtesy of subjects.
This article appears in the September 2024 issue of Washingtonian.