Women In Business | Lakewood, Colorado
Jessica Lockhart-MsJessiCakes
“Hate is too big of a burden to carry. Forgive always and love unconditionally.” This is the motto that Jessi lives by and puts into every cake that she bakes. It doesn’t surprise me when I see what she’s made for me today.
When you live with forgiveness and love in your heart, the ability to create comes much more easily. There’s a freedom that shows up when one lives in a state of creativity. I feel it myself when I’m behind the camera or editing photos.
In March of 2020, Jessi left her job of 13 years being a Physical Therapy Assistant to be home with her two daughters during the Covid-19 shut down. Five months into it, feeling lost and confused about her future, she baked a rainbow cake for her daughter’s birthday.
There was no looking back.
The Gift of Family
As a kid, Jessi remembers baking with her Grandma and Great Aunt. These memories have stayed with her as she dabbled over the years, and never took them seriously as a possible career until 2020.
When her Grandma passed on, Jessi was able to ask for her Grandma’s mixer. Anticipating the standard three glass bowls and handheld with two beaters, she was overjoyed to find a KitchenAide staring back at her. It’s likely being put to the test as you read this!
Now when she’s preparing her cakes, Jessi knows that there’s a piece of family with her as she mixes her fun creations. Her daughters’ laughter and teasing that “mom is MsJessi Caking” settles into knowing that the girls will take these memories with them into adulthood, just like she has.
These gifts that we carry forward aren’t limited to blood families. There’s a whole group of bakers on Instagram that Jessi follows that share tips and tricks for anyone to learn from. Through classes and collaboration, Jessi has created a new group of connections in the 8 short months that she’s been making cakes professionally.
She received a “sign” telling her that by following her heart great things happen and doors open, when a retired baker landed in her path and has been graciously supporting her ever since. Jessi has a whole new extended family that didn’t exist a year ago when everything felt dark and unimaginable.
There’s constant growth going on in the kitchen, and this month Jessi did her first 3-tier wedding cake. The proof is in the pudding batter that you can live your dreams, because the orders keep coming in with happy customers on the receiving end.
Not All Unicorns and Rainbows
It wasn’t long into all of this before Jessi blew out her oven. It was just after I met her that she ended up getting a new double oven to manage the load she was putting on it. There’s quite a bit of heat happening in the Lockhart kitchen!
And seriously, when you take a look at her website, there are definitely a few rainbows and unicorns hanging out. You’ll also find your favorite candies and a few cookie dough balls decorating the featured cakes. What is she using to make all of these creative designs, outside of Oreo cookies and her own frosted donuts?
With a lot of baking shows on Netflix these days showing the decorating capabilities of fondant, you’d assume she’s doing some of the same. But NO! Jessi uses buttercream to decorate her cakes, and swears by the combination of banana bread cake and Biscoff cream cheese frosting.
If you happen to order one of those, she might just make an extra round for herself! But “shhh”, don’t tell her girls!!!
Birthday Twist
It was my 40th Birthday that landed me in front of Jessi. Well that, AND that I love to photograph bakers of cookies, cakes, and everything exquisite!
The part that took me by surprise was, well the whole cake was awesome so I can’t really say just one thing... Well, yes, I can.
This one thing did actually make and take the cake. There were gemstones literally rising out of one side of my cake. Biting into the gem stones I was shocked to find that they were not sugar. Or fondant. Or anything I had ever come across before.
Jessi looked up an old Japanese recipe for making these “stones.” I anticipated them being hard and relatively inedible, like most fancy cake decorations. They weren’t either of those things. They were like a hardened jelly, and I had to fight with my husband and son over who got to eat them!! They were so good!!
My birthday cake came with a champagne flavoring. It was a light flavor that I know is tough to get just right. When I looked at the cake, I thought it would be light, just like the champagne. Jessi makes a solid cake that holds together really well, and no one will go hungry...they’ll just go back for more because it’s so good.
The other twist to Jessi’s business are the macarons that she makes. I have a feeling if you want rainbow or unicorn ones, she could make it happen. If you’re not a cake person and want a different type of custom made dessert, this is a great option. So many flavors to choose from or why not create your own flavor combination?!
My preference? Key lime pie macarons...wow.
First Birthday Cake SMASH!
I was delighted to not just get a beautiful cake for me to smash into, it has been a treat to meet Jessi and know who to turn to for the cake or cupcakes when doing a first birthday photo shoot.
As much as we love getting the pictures of our kids filling their faces with colorful icing and delighting in the instant sugar high, starting out with a beautiful cake is equally priceless. To see a child’s eyes light up from a favorite cartoon character, toy, or animal sitting in front of them is sometimes the best picture of all.
You can really choose any theme, and Jessi is likely to have covered it or gotten very close. You’ll find in her online gallery Baby Yoda, snakes, puppies, oceans, whales, zoo animals, athletic balls, dinosaurs, bees, owls, and yes….rainbows and unicorns.
Jessi was so incredibly fun to work with and interview! You will LOVE working with her and anything that comes out of her kitchen!
For the more adult cakes, my favorite was of course mine! There is also a stunning forest at twilight cake where she faded the colors just right and it’s simply beautiful. To look at the options you can visit her site at www.msjessicakes.com or visit her facebook page.
Ready to schedule that birthday SMASH?! We can do it outside on a picnic blanket, or inside at the studio. You name it, there’s some fun ready to be had with a themed cake and your kiddo!
Book NOW and put “Birthday SMASH” in the subject line of your email. I’m almost fully booked for June and will be around for the summer to support your family photography needs.
Looking for a wedding cake and photographer?
We can do both of those as well! Especially since Jessi has knocked her 3-tiered cake out of the park and has her new oven ready to take on a few more. I only book one wedding per month, so check in soon as those appointments fill up fast.
Thanks for celebrating my 40th with me this year. It’s been an awesome journey and I’m so grateful to have the memories with each family I have gotten to work with over the years. Here’s to celebrating in style with MsJessiCakes!!!
~Cheers!
Kim
If you’re a Woman In Business here in Denver, CO I’d love to hear from you and feature you in my next blog. I’m always looking for great entrepreneurs that are willing to share with others what gets them going, fills their cup, and makes them laugh out loud. Fill out this submission form, and I’ll be in touch!
This peek into Kim’s world was brought to you by Emily Kamala. Emily is a freelance writer and life coach who loves to share stories, write blogs, and experience life so fully she has to bring it to life on the page. If you’re interested in reading more of her work, you can visit:https://www.emilykamala.com
Kim Morgan has brought her passion for connecting and telling stories through photography to life. Her ability to put you and your family at ease is so palpable you don’t even realize she’s behind the camera getting those precious moments for you to carry with you many years later. She lives in Colorado with her husband, son, and dog, where they enjoy exploring the mountains and laughing at every opportunity. Her website is KWDesignsPhotography.com to see her amazing work and set up your session!