Member Spotlight: Meet Allison Gogarty
Meet Ali Gogarty, aka The Morristown Cake Lady. Her specialty? Creating custom cakes for special occasions. Her business model also has a social mission - with each order, a percentage of the sale is a donation to the charity of the customer’s choosing.
Q. Where are you from originally and what do you love about Morristown?
A. I grew up in Bucks County, PA and have lived in Morristown since 2011. One of my favorite things about Morristown is the history - I’m a total history nerd. I’ve done all the walking tours and been to all the historical sights. I also love the community we’ve found and the diversity in the schools.
The Morristown Cake Lady creates custom cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, college acceptances, or anytime you want to celebrate…
Q. What inspired you to start The Morristown Cake Lady? Was there a specific moment or person that influenced you?
A. My whole life, I’ve always loved to bake. However, I didn’t necessarily set out to start a baking business. It was a pandemic induced venture. When everything shut down, people couldn’t get things we would take for granted, like a birthday cake. I recognized that making a cake was something I could do for people. It snowballed from there through word of mouth.
What is your favorite ingredient to work with and why is it special to you?
A. Buttercream! I use an American buttercream. I have no artistic ability except in buttercream. With buttercream, I can sculpt, mold and make beautiful creations. Only with buttercream can a vision in my head become a reality.
“Only with buttercream can a vision in my head become a reality.”
Q. How do you come up with new recipes or unique twists on classic cakes?
A. For me, the quote “necessity is the mother of invention” resonates. A lot of innovation happens when I need to make a substitution for a dietary restriction or if I don’t have enough of an ingredient, or by happy accidents. For example, one time I was making a triple batch of a recipe and needed to split it up because of limited room in my oven. By accident, I put all the butter in one batch. The cake turned out amazing - so buttery and delicious. Now, when I make that cake, I always add 50% more butter.
Q. What’s been the most rewarding aspect of becoming The Morristown Cake Lady? Is it the creativity, the community, or something else?
A. It’s how happy I see it makes people. To some people cake is just cake. To others, it’s a lot more. It’s meaningful and special and represents care and effort going into a special occasion. I love being a part of others’ special occasions and helping to make these occasions be everything they want them to be. I can tell you the story of every one of my cakes. It means a lot to me to do that for other people.
“Don’t shy away from something just because you’re not sure how to do it in the moment. It’s important to have faith and confidence in yourself to figure it out.”
Q. What is your favorite quote?
A. Tina Fey was quoted once, “say yes, and figure it out later”. I loved this. To me, it means, don’t shy away from something just because you’re not sure how to do it in the moment. It’s important to have faith and confidence in yourself to figure it out. I add new things to my repertoire by saying “yes” and figuring it out.