Teacher's Gingerbread Hobby Becomes Top 5 Wedding Cake Biz

Mia Marshall never planned to become one of Australia's top wedding cake designers. She was just trying to give her prep students a fun end-of-year treat with homemade gingerbread houses.

"I had no idea that I loved baking so much," Marshall said. But when her mum suggested turning the hobby into a business and even named it Ginger & Spice Baking Creations, something clicked.

Nearly five years later, Marshall has earned national recognition. In 2025, she was named a Top 5 National Finalist for Wedding Cake Designer at the Australian Wedding Awards, competing against bakers from across the country.

For Marshall, gorgeous cakes mean nothing if they don't taste amazing. "They say, 'Yeah, it looks really cool, but does it taste good?'" she said. "I'd be like, 'What do you mean, does it taste good?' It's cake!"

That philosophy paid off immediately. Her first wedding cake drew raves not for its appearance, but for its flavor.

Creating wedding cakes holds special meaning for Marshall beyond the artistry. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing for most people," she said. "If somebody's going to pay that little bit more for me to make their wedding cake, I'll do absolutely everything I can to make sure that they are thrilled."

Largely self-taught, Marshall leaned on online communities like the Australian Cake Decorators Network. The network even hosts "cake camp" weekends where professional and aspiring bakers take hands-on classes together.

The cake community surprised her with its generosity. "You don't want to compete so someone else fails and a bride misses out," Marshall said. "We're all in it together."

Sunny's Take

Marshall still teaches primary school full-time, carefully separating her two passions. "When I'm at school, I'm at school; when I'm at home, I'm baking," she said.

Her faith sustains her through the challenging moments. "When I'm cake decorating, I know that I can't do it all on my own," she said. "I'm praying so much more, and I get this comfort or reassurance."

Nature inspires her evolving style these days. She loves incorporating gentle, flowing movements into her designs, drawing from the continuous rhythms of the natural world.

Marshall's journey proves that passion often finds us when we're simply doing what we love.