Nature is the muse that drives Kelly Gray of Kelly Gray Cakes, who recently expanded her business to Los Angeles. She began baking in Telluride, Colorado, more than 10 years ago and has quietly amassed a devoted following, including celebrity clients such as Kelly Clarkson and Lily Collins. Gray’s artistic confections appear to have been adorned with freshly cut blooms, a testament to her skill with sugar and attention to detail. “I try to bring in as many organic elements as possible while using flora as my main focal point,” explains Gray. “Lately, I’ve been inspired by delicate details on dresses, architecture and design elements of buildings.”
The beauty of Gray’s work comes from her deep investment in designing a centerpiece that blends with the overall aesthetic—and tastes as delicious as it looks. Gray explains, “Reviewing design boards from wedding planners and florists is an integral part of my process, as it influences the floral varieties I’ll replicate for the cake and overall color scheme or mood.” The most important part of her approach is getting to know the clients. “The design process is intimate,” says Kelly. “I take everything into consideration such as the clothes they wear, their favorite music and the flavors they enjoy.
For this confection, layers of pistachio cake are filled with apricot coulis, sprinkled with crushed pistachio praline and wrapped in a cardamom vanilla bean buttercream. Fondant and wafer paper create a delicate ruffle effect on the top two tiers and cascade down the sides like wisteria. All the blooms are created from sugar, from the pressed flowers on the bottom tiers to the bouquet atop the cake—which features an arrangement of open peonies, tangerine parrot tulips with hints of pink, dark plum ranunculus and soft sugar apricots.
