As many businesses are facing tough times because of the pandemic, a 15-year-old from Saratoga County is using the extra free time to start her own business.


What You Need To Know

  • 15-year-old Liz Allan open up her own business, Liz’s Cakes & Bakes, in early July

  • One of her best sellers is her signature peanut butter chocolate cake

  • Point 3 goes here

Liz Allan knows her way around a kitchen, and that’s because she’s been baking almost her entire life. She started helping out at just three-years-old alongside her mom, Marion Allan.

"Just one day I just decided to roll out the dough and taste test the butter cream, and ever since then it just kind of clicked with me," Liz said.

Now, the 15 year-old’s getting serious with her sweets. The pandemic has given the teen an unusual amount of free time.

"When quarantine started, I was all sulky. I thought what am I going to do?" she said. 

She began filling her days with perfecting cake recipes. She specializes in gluten-free and dairy-free desserts. She has nailed down a vegan buttercream, ingredients that can difficult to work with for even the most seasoned professional.

"My mom has a gluten sensitivity. We found that out about five years ago. And the secret to getting a moist gluten free cake is boiling water," said Allan. "I worked really hard on it, had a couple bad cakes and eventually found a recipe that works."

Once those cakes have cooled, it’s time for the fun part, Liz’s favorite part is decorating. The high school junior enjoys drawing and painting, so decorating cakes allows her to express her creativity.

Liz’s sugar coated sweets have quickly become the talk of the town in Hadley. She’s made more than 40 cakes since the pandemic started. One of her best sellers, a signature peanut butter chocolate cake, has enough chocolate that can satisfy even the strongest sweet tooth.

She decided to open up her own business, Liz’s Cakes & Bakes, in early July. Her license from New York State allows her to run her business right from same kitchen where she grew up baking with her mom. 

 

"It feels surreal to have my own business," said Allan. "It was nice I was able to do something like this on my own. I taught myself to do all of this. It’s great when a teacher teaches you, but when you really work hard and do it yourself it’s just a different sense of accomplishment."

And while she’s living out her dream of owning a business, she still has her eyes set on culinary school, the Culinary Institute of America, to be exact.

"It’s super hard to get into, but I’m definitely not going to let that stop me," she added.

Until then, she’ll be baking in her family’s kitchen, serving up her passion on a plate, or in a cake box.

For more information on Liz’s Cakes & Bakes, or place an order, visit her website or Facebook page.