Painting with Frosting

For Zulem Angel Mendoza, each cake is a painting, a work of art where the canvas is the cake, the brushes decorating tips, and the paint colored frosting. The creative process comes naturally to this artist, who is guided by color combinations. “I believe every cake should be perfect and look just right for the occasion,” says this frosting artist.

Originally from Mexico City, Zulem began learning the art of cake decorating at age 14, when her love of drawing led him to work at Pie in the Sky for a limited time. She enjoyed it so much that she sought further work at another bakery and continued to practice on her own. During this period, she was inspired by examples in books. In addition, she studied painting for a year in Guadalajara, where she mastered the use of color, light and shadow that gives such beauty and aesthetic balance to her cakes. In 2002 she returned to Pie in the Sky to stay, taking charge of their colorful cake designs.

The long hours required for large, complex wedding cakes and highly detailed boutique cakes are amply rewarded when the customer is pleased with the work. That is the incentive for Zulem and the entire Pie in the Sky team. She enjoys the challenge of creating designs to suit each individual taste, the impetus for her to continue learning new decorating techniques and ways to meet the challenges of working with such delicate and delicious materials in our climate!