Baker Chat: Lucy of @sillygoose.cakes
Meet Lucy, the creative force behind @sillygoose.cakes, known for her abstract, sculptural "cakescape" designs that bring together her architecture background and a deeply playful approach to pastry.
What started as an experiment in breaking the rules has grown into a full-fledged business celebrating its first year—proving that the best creative work happens when you stop going by the book.
Follow along with Lucy's beautiful work on Instagram @sillygoose.cakes
From Architecture to Cakescapes
Lucy's path to cake decorating runs directly through design school. She studied architecture in college, and those principles never left her. "Something should never have a clear front and back," she explains. "The entire piece should be significant in some way on all sides. You're not designing one part of something. You're designing an entire thing." She applies that thinking to every cake she makes—building what she calls "cakescapes" that are visually interesting from every angle, every perspective its own.
Breaking Free from the Book
Architecture school was regimented. Planned. Precise. And for Lucy, that eventually became a creative cage. "Everything was so regimented, so by the book, so perfect planning all the time," she recalls. Cake decorating became her escape hatch. "I loved using cake decorating as a way to break free from that. A lot of designers, after going through school, are in a slump of feeling stuck." Silly Goose Cakes, now one year old, is the result of leaning fully into that freedom.
A Distinct Artistic Vision
Lucy's signature style is immediately recognizable: limpets, squiggles, ribbony shapes, and piping tips used deliberately the wrong way. "I love to intentionally use piping tips the wrong way. I think it creates really interesting pockets and shapes." She insists on keeping everything edible, too—her signature "bows" are made from curled and draped citrus peel, styled to look like satin ribbon. "People wonder, what piping tip is that? Even though it might be a really traditional tip." No artificial dyes, no fake flavors. Everything is made as naturally and homemade as possible.
The Flavor Philosophy
For Lucy, decoration and flavor are inseparable—she builds one from the other. Her process starts in an unexpected place: "I start with what do you hate? What is the big no?" From there, she expands the conversation well beyond cake. "What's your favorite perfume? What's a dessert you really love? What herbs do you like? Do you like floral things?" It all funnels down into a cohesive flavor combination, which then informs the decoration. A recent example: a matcha cake with toasted sesame caramel and mandarin mascarpone, topped with whole stemmed mandarins and mandarin gelée—"I wanted to bring that element, though it's subtle on the inside, back out on the outside."
Wisdom for Aspiring Bakers
Lucy's advice is simple: don't feel like you need to fit into a box. "If you love traditional Lambeth piping styles, go at it—I'll never hate on somebody else's style. But if you want to go against the book because you're exhausted by the book, just play." She believes baking carries an unfair reputation for being unforgiving, and that fear holds people back. Her other piece of advice: expand your community. Connection with other bakers has been central to how Silly Goose has grown.
The Canvas
When it comes to Ollin, Lucy describes the mixes as the perfect starting point. "I love how they provide this canvas to paint on, so to speak, and combine flavors with and play." The chocolate rye has a special place: "Chocolate and rye has my heart." She's already dreaming up future creations—a sticky date golden cake, a chocolate rye with Meyer lemon and bay leaf cream. The Golden Mix, she says, is "really flavorful and tender, but also the perfect canvas."
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