A little more than a year ago, Molly Jarvis’ trendy desserts took Baton Rouge by storm. Her meticulously decorated cake balls flew off the shelves at Alexander’s Highland Market and made appearances at big community events like Brew at the Zoo and the Old Governor’s Mansion Gala.
Now, Jarvis has nearly 30 regular and seasonal cake bite flavors, including hot chocolate, apple cider, gingersnap, eggnog, white chocolate peppermint and Christmas cookie for the holidays.
The Cake Jewels owner prides herself on her skills in combining art, design and baking, as well as her ability to turn almost any dessert into a cake ball.
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“When I eat a new or different dessert, I’m always thinking, ‘How can I make this into a cake bite?'” she says. “It’s honestly not as easy as you would think. It’s a lot of trial and error and wasted ingredients, but always well worth it in the end.”
When it comes to the holidays, Jarvis says she likes to fashion cake balls after things that personally remind her of the holiday season. Starting with the basics, Jarvis took classic flavors like peppermint, gingerbread and sugar cookie and added her own twist to each. Jarvis says all of her cake bite recipes contain a secret ingredient, though she won’t divulge what.
Some holiday flavors mean more to this wedding coordinator-turned-baker than others. Recipes such as her grandmother’s carrot cake and fruit cake are made with special care and attention.
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Jarvis’ holiday creations are as aesthetically pleasing as they are tasty. The Cake Jewels begin with freshly baked cake mixed with homemade icing, which are then dipped into melted chocolate and decorated according to customer specifications. For the holidays, Jarvis crafts Santa’s hat, Christmas tree and snowman cake pops, and Christmas tree-shaped arrangements of assorted cake bites.
Jarvis says she can decorate Cake Jewels as elaborately or as simply as customers desire.
Cake Jewels is offering several holiday specials, including assortments of a dozen bites for $25 and 20 bites for $40. Jarvis’ website lists other holiday packages. The last day to place a holiday order is Saturday, Dec. 12.