How Bridget powered through Covid to create her incredible biscuit and cake business

Welcome to The Creative Files, where we speak to some of the biggest crafters, makers and designers, gaining insights into their creative processes, inspiration and their advice for newcomers. It was a pleasure to chat with Bridget this week, the powerhouse behind the A Sprinkle On Top baking brand, to discover how she created her growing business.

What is A Sprinkle On Top Cakes and what is it that you create?

A Sprinkle On Top Cakes is the business that I created through Instagram. What started as an account to share pictures with family and friends quickly became a baking business!

I specialise in creating custom cakes and biscuits for all kinds of events, such as birthdays, baby showers, engagements and more. Recently I have also been focusing on creating videos to share tips and tricks with others and show how they can create their own sweet treats at home.

Tell us about your baking niche and how you found this?

I have always described myself as a girly girl and have always been drawn to all things pink, sparkly and floral. When I was starting out, I found myself creating cakes that always had some kind of sparkle or pink on them. Throughout the years, putting a feminine touch on a majority of my cakes has become a part of the 'A Sprinkle On Top' brand. While I was really finding my niche in creating cakes… COVID happened and suddenly no one needed cakes. The consistent lockdowns in Melbourne forced me to find other creative ways of reaching others, this introduced me to the world of biscuits. While I was making the occasional biscuit when asked by a customer, COVID allowed me to really focus my creativity into this area. I would consider my business to now be more focused on making biscuits, where I always aim to add the A Sprinkle On Top flare!

Tell us about your career journey to date. Did you always know you wanted to pursue this line of work?

I always knew I wanted to do something creative. Throughout high school I was always baking something and taking it in for friends at school. As I got older I started becoming more creative in what I was making, and I decided to set up an Instagram account in order to share what I had been making with family and friends. The account never started out with the intent of being a business and to this day I'm blown away at where I am now! After I made the Instagram account, I decided to take a chance and reached out to an Instagram influencer, offering to make a 1st birthday cake for them. They agreed to give me a go and let me make their daughter's birthday cake. From this wonderful opportunity and exposure, my page which began as a way to share pictures of my creations with family and friends became a small and growing business. I am forever grateful to them for giving me that opportunity. The Instagram space is ever-changing and has required me to be adaptable in order to continue to grow. When I first started out Instagram was used to only share pictures, however now videos are the way to reach an audience.

How did you cultivate your distinct style?

I feel that my cakes and cookies are a reflection of me as a person. I love all things pink, sparkly, pretty and colourful and this is a common theme in all my cakes and cookies.

What is your creative process and where do you get your ideas/inspiration?

My creative process is working out what theme and styles I love, as well as what my clients like. I send images of my previous work, mixed with colours and themes, to work out how we can create our own individual design to fit their idea. I find inspiration in a lot of things! I love colour and sprinkles and often find myself trying to think of something to make based on a new sprinkle mix I have ordered. Sometimes, I find that I'm inspired to do my version of a certain trend that might be making its way through the baking community. Recently, I have been taking inspiration from things in pop culture, for example making cakes inspired by movies or biscuits inspired by tv shows. I find this is something that a lot of people find interesting and it is a fun way for me to get creative with things I love.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

My typical day usually depends on the design and amount of biscuits ordered. I like to spend time talking to the client and working out how I can best create their vision. Once I've sorted out what they want, I start by making the biscuit dough and making sure that is rolled to the correct thickness and placed in the fridge to harden before cutting out each biscuit shape. Once they are all cooked I then start the decorating process, which can be very quick for the more simple designs or a few hours depending on the amount of detail within the design. They are then all packed up ready to be shipped out Australia-wide. In between all that I love to spend days filming content, so I have videos to share with clients and on Instagram.

What has been your favourite project to work on so far?

I have been incredibly lucky to have had some amazing opportunities throughout my career, from working with amazing clients to fantastic business opportunities. However, I would have to say that my favourite project I have been involved with was from earlier this year, when I travelled to Miami Florida for the SoFLo Convention. Not only did this opportunity allow me to travel overseas but I was given the chance to meet many like-minded, creative people who had similar interests and passions to me. I was able to create new friendships within the baking world, work in some amazing kitchens and was able to demonstrate baking techniques to others during the convention.

Who are your biggest artistic inspirations and why?

I draw cake inspirations from creators such as Chell Bells Cakes in London & Cas' Cakery. I find they have very similar styles to my own, which is very feminine and girly. I am always drawn to their work and love seeing their cake designs and how they are created.

Do you have a single piece of advice you'd give to your younger self or someone looking to pursue a similar line of work?

The main piece of advice I would give to others is to keep persisting, even when things are difficult or not working out as planned. It is important to not give up on yourself, your vision or the creative process. Things won't always be perfect or work out exactly as planned but that doesn't mean you won't have something amazing at the end. Trust in yourself, your creative abilities and your intuition!

Find Bridget here:

Instagram: @asprinkleontop_

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@asprinkleontop_

Website: https://asprinkleontopcakes.com/