Maike's Bakery
This is Maike from Maike's Bakery
In Amersfoort, Maike (20) runs her own company: Maike's Bakery . What started as a loving tradition with her mother, grew into a thriving business full of fondant, sprinkles and hearts. "Every cake that goes out the door feels like an achievement. No order is the same," she says enthusiastically.
How it all started
From a young age, Maike stood in the kitchen with her mother to make her own birthday cakes. "It was through her that the love for baking really developed," says Maike. In May 2024, she took the step to professionalize and registered with the Chamber of Commerce. Before that, she regularly made cakes for family and friends.
Her cakes stand out because of their attention to detail and love for personal designs. She also regularly attends markets: “Those days are always a super fun presentation of my work!”
A look behind the scenes
A typical day at Maike's Bakery starts in the morning with baking cakes and cupcakes. While these are in the oven, Maike is already working on the fondant decorations - often in the form of texts or figures. After lunch, the cakes are carefully finished and are usually ready to be picked up after 4:00 PM.
“It took me a while to get a good plan for myself,” she says. “But now that I have it, I know exactly what to do. Good planning is really half the battle.”
What is indispensable in her kitchen? “My two KitchenAid beauties and... a dishwasher!”
Hearts, vintage & gender reveals
Maike's signature? Heart cakes! That's what makes her the happiest. Gender reveal cakes also have a special place: "Because I'm often the only one who knows what gender it will be - that remains special."
She prefers to leave children's themes to others. "To be honest? I'd rather skip those." Trends that appeal to her? "Vintage cakes! Those can stay forever as far as I'm concerned."
She gets her inspiration mainly from Pinterest and from foreign bakers such as Bakesbyher, Amysbakehouse and Brookibakehouse. “I look outside the Netherlands, so that I don't accidentally copy colleagues here.”
Tips from Maike + dreams for the future
Top 3 tips for beginning bakers:
1) Provide a clear price list – this will prevent negotiations.
2) Take and share photos of everything you create – your portfolio is your calling card.
3) Invest in promotion – think business cards and stickers!
Favorite trick:
“For each new baking week I make a weekly schedule with tasks per day. Really ideal – that way I don’t forget anything.”
Mistakes in the beginning?
“Oh so many… forgetting to order something, meeting with customers late at night, forgetting sprinkles when they were requested. Small things, but I learned a lot from them.”
Biggest challenges:
The balance between work and private life. “I sometimes respond 'quickly' to a customer while I'm sitting on a terrace.”
Importance of social media:
“Social media is really everything for Maike's Bakery. Almost all orders come via Instagram or Facebook. Email too, but less. My entire portfolio is online - without that I would have far fewer customers.”
New skills:
“I think it would be great to be able to do more with fondant! You can do so much with it.”
Dream for the future:
“Opening my own bakery in Utrecht, with a space to prepare orders and a coffee shop – that seems great to me!”
Best compliment ever:
“The daily sweet messages from customers about how delicious the cake was, or how personal the service feels – that really means everything to me. That’s the reason why I do this.”
About packaging:
“Super important! The mini cupcake boxes are my favorite – sturdy and they look so good. And I use a cake board with every cake.”
