As a member of the Sprinkle Squad, Rachel Max bakes cakes for children facing adversity through the For Goodness Cakes nonprofit. Photos: Chris Emeott
Rachel Max uses her baking skills to uplift others.
If ever there’s an occasion that calls for a sweet celebration, Rachel Max stands at the ready. The Lakeville resident has parlayed her lifelong affinity for baking into a business. She now spends her days baking beautiful cakes and sweets designed to delight. “I have always loved to bake,” Max says. “Christmas cookies, cakes, cupcakes, you name it.”
When the COVID-19 lockdown began, Max, like many, reconnected with her love of baking. But it wasn’t until she had kids that Max kicked things up a notch. “When I had kids, I started doing special cakes for their birthdays,” she says. Their reactions to her fanciful creations made her hunger for more. “I started looking for volunteer opportunities,” Max says. She wanted something she could do on a regular basis, rather than a one-time event.
Through her search, Max came across an organization called For Goodness Cakes. With 27 chapters sprinkled across the country, including one in the Twin Cities Metro, For Goodness Cakes is a nonprofit organization that enlists volunteers to bake cakes for children in foster care and youth overcoming adversity. The idea is simple: Children should be celebrated on their special day. Max read about its mission and knew she had just the skill set to help. “I liked that it was driven towards kids,” she says. “These kids don’t get those kinds of cakes.”
Rachel Max, who lives in Lakeville, also sells her stunning creations through her home bakery, Rachel Bakes Cakes.
But thanks to volunteers like Max, now they do. In the nearly three years since joining the Sprinkle Squad—the term for the organization’s volunteer bakers—Max has produced close to 50 cakes. “Giving to others brings me joy,” she says. “That doesn’t really go away.”
Volunteers get some direction from the request for flavors and design. Then it’s up to them to make the magic happen. “I get to unleash my creativity and come up with something totally cool,” Max says. Among her favorite For Goodness Cakes bakes are a Cocomelon-themed cake and a truck-themed cake, complete with chocolate rocks.
Max loved baking cakes for For Goodness Cakes so much that, six months after joining the Sprinkle Squad, she got her cottage baking license and, in late 2023, she started her own cake business, Rachel Bakes Cakes. “It makes me happy to see people happy,” she says.
Max loves the challenge of creating compelling designs for her cakes. She’s made cakes based on a long list of inspirations, including beverages, like Coors Light and the Starbucks Pink Drink, fantastical creatures, popular movies and sports. “My most memorable were a Taco Bell theme, a fishing theme and a cake dedicated to one couple’s dog,” Max says. Cakes start at $50 and can run up to $300, depending on the size and design.
Rachel Max, owner of Rachel Bakes Cakes and a volunteer with For Goodness Cakes, creates themed cakes for birthdays, weddings and other celebrations. “It’s like art,” she says.
The most requested cake flavor is vanilla, followed by her personal favorite, almond with raspberry. It’s perfect for wedding cakes, which Max also offers. “I’m hoping to do more weddings this year,” she says.
Via her website, Max offers custom cakes in addition to a host of other baked goodies, like biscotti, cinnamon rolls, cookies and cupcakes. She documents her creations and offerings on her website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram, giving followers a chance to see how much she has improved her skills over time. “I’m still learning what I can do,” she says. “It’s like art.”
As she looks to the future, Max can’t help but keep an eye out for the perfect storefront for her tasty creations. “I’m always scoping out places,” she says. “But we’re still quite a ways away from that.” Until then, Max dreams of a second dishwasher, scours the internet for cake inspiration and keeps adding to her repertoire of baked goods. “Late last year, I branched out into breads and sweet rolls,” she says. Max also makes vintage heart cakes and cookie decorating kits.
Max can’t predict what the future holds for her baking business, but as long as she’s making people smile with her bakes, she’s content. “It was the right opportunity for me at this time,” she says. “I’m excited to see where this takes me.”
For Goodness Cakes
Instagram: @forgoodnesscakeshq
Rachel Bakes Cakes
Facebook: Rachel Bakes Cakes
