Aliyaah Baylor is carrying on the business that her mom, Joann, started out of their Harlem home.
And, Joann started it thanks to her mother.
JoAnn Baylor explained, "I needed some extra money, and she said 'why don't you bake the cakes for the holidays' and I did, and I stopped and people didn't stop calling me." That's how "Make My Cake" was born. There now are two Harlem locations, one on 139th street and a larger one on 116th street.
Aliyaah Baylor says, "We bake everything on the premises at both locations, so you get that essence that everything is coming right out of the oven."
Customers there have rave reviews saying that their cakes are "the best".
There are pies, cookies, muffins, and lots and lots of cakes.
This year for Thanksgiving the shops are offering something new this year, sweet potato cupcakes.
To make them, she creams butter and sugar for about 10 minutes.
Then she adds 4 eggs, and begins to alternate a little sweet potato puree mixed with vanilla, with a little flour that's been mixed with baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon.
The creamy batter then gets scooped into a muffin tin and baked. On top, cream cheese frosting with nuts or sugar decorations.
A slight break from tradition, but one that may pay off! Baylor says, "You get the seal of approval from the client who's hard to please and you know you got a winner."
Sweet Potato Cupcakes recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups mashed sweet potato (from can or roast your own and then puree or mash)
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
3 cups flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Directions:
preheat oven to 350 line cupcake trays with paper or lightly grease
In mixer add butter and sugar and cream on low for about 10 minutes To that add each egg, one at a time.
Then add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder. And now alternate one scoop sweet potato and one scoop of flour to the mixer until it's all been blended in.
Using ice cream scooper, scoop batter into cupcake pan filling about 3/4 the way up. Bake 20-30 minutes, test with a toothpick (insert into cupcake and if toothpick comes out clean, cupcakes are ready).
Cool and frost or slice open and serve with caramel sauce and ice cream.
Yields 1 to 2 dozen, depending on the size of your cupcake trays.
