In recent years, perhaps due to the popularity of television shows such as “Cake Boss” and the beautifully curated Instagram culture, the demand and interest in novel and artistically-crafted specialty cakes has grown dramatically. And understandably so—I mean, why settle for a standard grocery store cake when you can have something customized that reflects your hobbies, interests and personality with your favorite delectable flavor beyond the traditional lackluster options?
I’ve had the privilege of watching Ann Marie Hartley’s bakery Sifted Savannah grow from the ground up. As a fellow musician, we’ve performed together for many years, and have been connected for over a decade on social media. The years run together for me, so I can’t quite remember when I first saw one of the Savannah native’s beautiful culinary creations, but I certainly remember that it piqued my curiosity.
You see—although I hate to admit it, I’m not much of a fan of cakes. In the past I found them to be boring, often dry and not exciting enough to feel like a real indulgence, however, I do love a good dessert and Sifted Savannah’s creations are anything but dry and boring.
For Hartley, her cake business began in 2011 as a simple little hobby. While helping a friend create cakes she found a natural curiosity and began looking for photos of cakes and YouTube videos to experiment on her own. In the beginning, she wanted to make a birthday cake for her stepdaughter and try out a few techniques.
A few social media posts later, friends started asking her to create her magical cake art for them. Fast forward to now, Hartley’s business has blossomed into not just entering but winning National and International competitions. Her most recent competition is sponsored by England’s Cake Masters Magazine. When we spoke she planned to enter two cakes in the competition, with one being entered into two categories. The competition includes both amateurs and trained pastry chefs.
A brief scroll through her Instagram feed displays a creativity that goes well beyond the traditional wedding cake. Everything from whimsical cartoon-like characters in 3-D to meticulously crafted artistic sculptures to cakes adorned in favorite prints or designer logos showcase her expansive mouthwatering repertoire.
How much has her business grown? She tells us she regularly books cakes 6 or 7 months in advance. It’s not uncommon for her to be completely booked 4-6 weeks out.
Her creativity isn’t just limited to cakes or traditional flavors. If cakes are not your preference, she also creates many other sweet treats including but not limited to pate-a-choux, tarts, cookies and cupcakes and as you might expect, all of her creations are as delicious as they are beautiful. She is able to easily accommodate gluten-free or dairy free dietary requests, along with virtually every flavor that one can imagine—one of her most fanciful flavor creations is a lavender and white wine cake with goat cheese frosting.
Hartley finds it difficult to turn down a challenge. Her clients often approach her with an idea and her response is always “oh sure!”, and she hits the ground running, figuring out how to bring dreams to fruition. This willingness to always take on a challenge has landed her work in national trade publications and even on a label for local fondant supplier Fondarific.
In a typical month, she handcrafts about 2-3 cakes per weekend, while still reserving one weekend off to recharge and spend with her two daughters. Since the pandemic began she finds that as a full-time music teacher, she is able to squeeze in a bit of baking in between teaching virtual classes as well.
In Fall 2019 she won first place in the Ultimate Sugar Show competition, the very first competition that she entered, with a theme of Songs of the South. The requirement was that the cake had to be based on a song, artist or lyrics that were related to the South, and she appropriately chose the theme The Devil Went Down to Georgia. She admits that she was shocked when she found out that she won, as she was impressed with the artistry of many of the entries. Nonetheless, her victory gave her the confidence to believe that although she may not have professional culinary training, her cakes rank among the best in their class as determined by professional judges.
So, what does Hartley see going forward for Sifted Savannah? Nothing official yet, but she hinted at the possibility of a store front in the not-too-distant future. Clearly a sign that there may be sweeter things to come.
Sifted Savannah
Instagram: @siftedsavannah
Facebook: facebook.com/siftedsavannah
siftedsavannahbakery.com
