Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Horne.
Hi Melissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
A Delaware native now residing in Elkton, Maryland, I had always had a creative side. By day, I work full-time in special education, a role that reflects the same patience, care, and heart I bring to my other passion—baking.
My love for baking began at an early age. Like many kids, I remember the excitement of creating tiny treats in an Easy-Bake Oven, never imagining that those childhood moments would one day grow into a successful cake business.
Later in life, I decided I wanted to learn how to create beautiful cakes for my own family’s birthdays and special occasions. I took a short cake-decorating class to learn the basics, but everything that followed was largely self-taught. Through plenty of trial and error, YouTube tutorials, baking shows, practice, and determination, I continued developing my skills and discovering my own style.
What began as simply wanting to make special cakes for the people I loved soon became something much bigger. Friends and family began asking me to create cakes for their celebrations, word spread, and the orders kept coming. In 2009, Cakes by Mimi was born.
Over the years, I have built a loyal client base and have had the privilege of becoming a small part of countless milestones. One of the most meaningful parts of my journey has been watching customers and their families grow—creating a child’s birthday cake year after year, then sometimes having the opportunity to create cakes for new chapters and celebrations in their lives.
I especially love creating children’s birthday cakes and getting to see their reactions when I deliver them, I also love when customers send me pictures afterward and I get to see their smiles with their cake. Those moments mean so much to me.
Weddings have also become a special part of Cakes by Mimi. I love working with couples, hearing their ideas and transforming their vision into something beautiful—and delicious—for one of the most memorable days of their lives.
For me, Cakes by Mimi has always been about more than cake. It’s about creativity, relationships, celebrations, and having the opportunity to make life’s sweetest moments just a little more special.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. One of my biggest challenges has been balancing Cakes by Mimi while also working full-time. There have been many late nights, early mornings, and weekends spent baking and decorating after already working a full day.
As Cakes by Mimi has grown, I’ve also had to learn how to run the business side of things—not just make cakes. From scheduling and pricing to communicating with customers, and managing a busy calendar, there is so much that happens behind the scenes. As a one-woman business, wearing all of those hats can sometimes be overwhelming.
But I think the struggles have also made the journey that much more rewarding. I started Cakes by Mimi simply because I loved creating cakes for my family, and seeing how far it has come since 2009 is something I’m incredibly proud of. There have definitely been challenges along the way, but I wouldn’t trade the relationships, memories, and experiences this business has given me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Cakes by Mimi specializes in custom cakes and desserts created for life’s special moments, from birthdays and weddings to showers, anniversaries and everything in between. I love taking someone’s idea, sometimes even just a picture or a few details, and turning it into something that feels personal and unique to their celebration.
Over the years, I’ve become especially known for my custom birthday and wedding cakes, as well as my jumbo cookies. I love being creative and trying new things, whether that means designing an elegant wedding cake, creating a fun children’s birthday cake, or coming up with a new cookie flavor.
What I’m most proud of though, isn’t necessarily one particular cake or accomplishment—it’s the relationships I’ve built with my customers. I have families who have trusted me with their celebrations for years. I’ve made birthday cakes for children as they’ve grown up, and I’ve been able to be a small part of so many milestones. To have someone continue choosing Cakes by Mimi year after year is probably one of the biggest compliments I could receive.
I think what sets me apart is how personal my business still is. Cakes by Mimi has grown tremendously but I’m still the person answering the inquiries, baking the cakes, making the buttercream, decorating each order and handing it to the customer. There is a little piece of me in everything that leaves my kitchen.
I also never want to stop learning. Being self-taught has taught me not to be afraid of trying something new, making mistakes and figuring things out along the way. Trends change and techniques change, but my goal has stayed the same: I want every customer to feel like what I created was made especially for them.
At the end of the day, I’m proud that something that started as a love of baking for my own family has grown into a business that allows me to be part of so many other families’ happiest moments. That means more to me than I could have ever imagined when Cakes by Mimi began.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Most importantly, I’ve learned to never forget why I started. Cakes by Mimi began because I loved creating something special for the people I cared about. Even as the business has grown, I still want every cake and dessert to have that same feeling behind it.
This journey has taught me that success isn’t just about how many orders I can take or how busy I can be. It’s about being proud of what I create, appreciating the people who continue to support me, and still loving what I do after all these years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cakesbymimi09.com
- Instagram: cakesbymimi09
- Facebook: cakesbymimillc
