Cottonwood Bakes

I thought I only had pink cakes in the queue, but then this little emerald beauty snuck up on me 😍

Were just going for some pretty in pink cakes to share this week!

We just got back from Disney 😍 My kids are adjusting back to Iowa time and are sleeping in currently so here’s a sweet little cake who’s theme was “oh, twodles” for a sweet little Minnie lover. Peep the last photo to see her in the wild!

So much catching up to do. Being a stay at home parent to 3 tiny ones and running this business keep me so busy. So posting will likely never happen on time or in order.
The oldest of our trio turned 4 last month. He wanted a “construction vehicles” party. His one request for his cake was “constructions and dirt” 😆 He got to help lay dirt and place trucks.
made the cutest cookies to match our theme. I just saw her post the cookies and realized I should probably get this up. Happy 4th to our Ander ba**er.

Breaking all of the rules today. I’m posting out of order and before pickup 😂 But it’s for family so it’s ok.
Ask me what my favorite cake I’ve ever made is and I might just tell you this one. It’s. So. Freaking. Cute.
I also broke my no fondant rule because he needed the perfect little face.
I decided to get some new colors from and this green is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
This is a snickerdoodle cake with raspberry filling and Swiss merengue buttercream.
Cake design inspired by

Every year, I make a birthday cake for my dad. We sing happy birthday to papa with the kids and we blow out candles. It’s a bittersweet tradition we have. My dad would’ve been 53 today.
His favorite color was blue. He loved fishing. On more than one occasion in my early childhood, he put live fish in the bathtub. And he had brown eyes like mine.
Peep the last photo for a look at a pint sized me.

Happy thanksgiving! Feeling extra thankful today ❤️

Happy Halloween!
I’m feeling extra grateful today for the path our family has walked with foster care.
A couple years ago we were 10 weeks pregnant, recently recovering from a miscarriage, starting this business, and raising a 13 month old. But we got a call for a newborn from DCFS and we were crazy and said yes.
We now get to have relationships that little and their family. This cake and smash cake were for his little brother’s first birthday party. That my husband and kids got to go to.
So here’s your unsolicited PSA that foster care can be beautiful and can have happy endings and if your heart is curious, reach out with any questions!

This beauty was donated for the Cake Gala auction earlier this month. It was a snickerdoodle cake with fresh raspberry jam filling wrapped in Swiss merengue buttercream.

So many heart cakes lately! I really am such a fan of the fairytale feel of them.
I think I need to add some new butterfly colors to the collection soon. Give me a reason to snag some pink ones 😉

Just some adorable cookies I completely forgot to share. I’ve got a few of those.
Life with 3 under 3.5 never seems to slow down. I am so grateful I get to create edible art in this space. Thank you so much to all of my wonderful customers ❤️

Peep those little streaks of lemon zest in the yellow 😍
Just as an FYI, lambeth designs aren’t offered in all flavors. Unfortunately, flavors like lemon don’t cooperate well with all of that piping. It’s most often a vanilla but a few other flavors work too like cream cheese and chocolate.

Happy Friday! What are you doing for the weekend?

I am loving these heart cakes! I finally decided to try my hand at them and they make my heart so happy!
If you want a discount on a heart cake, I’ve got a design I’m wanting to try for my baker’s choice cake this month. Shoot me a message!

I’m just going to go ahead and post right on out of order because I’m absolutely obsessed with how this cake turned out.
Stenciling, pallet knife, gold leaf, the colors *chef’s kiss*

A sweet baby girl is set to make her debut this week. She’ll be met by two little girls who are going to be the best big sisters.
I’m so excited to see their girl gang grow.

We spent a week in California at my parents’ resort. I made cakes in my brother’s kitchen (thanks ) for 55 people.
Getting good lighting last minute at sunset without any kind of setup just wasn’t going to happen 😂
They were beautiful and delicious. Either way, we’re HOME finally ❤️
Both cakes inspired by the incredibly talented and topped with

Our Camilla girl turned TWO yesterday. She’s such a ray of sunshine and I love how her cake turned out.
Huge thank you to Jacqueline for making the most adorable llama and cactus cookies. Both of our toddlers were obsessed.
We partied hard with friends last Saturday and then sang happy birthday a million times yesterday. That last photo with the top forward cake was actually the leftover top tier from the big cake. Just as delicious as it was on Saturday too!

This cake felt so whimsical to me. I wanted it to feel like a little piece of a fairytale and I absolutely love how it turned out.
A perfect little white chocolate cake with vanilla Swiss merengue buttercream.

Ok. Animal cupcakes take so much time. But they are always so cute.
These went out for a 4 year old who is obsessed with cats. The rainbow cupcakes were coordinated with the cute little noses and ears.
Finally got to use my gold glimmer shimmer. Also .sdetailsshop had the most perfect triangle sprinkles to tie this set together 😍

I’m a big fan of little butterflies on a pretty pink cake. Also, funfetti has been super popular lately! What’s your favorite flavor?

Fathers Day Pre-Sale
Doing 2 treat box options this year. Option 1: Peanut Butter. This box will include 2 chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream, 6 peanut butter cookies, and 2 peanut butter rice crispy treats. Option 2: Chocolate Chip. This option will include 2 chocolate cupcakes with brown sugar buttercream, 6 chocolate chip cookies, and 2 original rice crispy treats.
Pickup window will be Saturday 6/17 7-9 am.
Treat boxes are $15 and Venmo, PayPal, and cashapp are accepted.
Shoot me a message to order!

I love getting to do floral orders. I love finding perfect colors to create beautiful little blooms.
So here’s part of a floral set to brighten up your feed today.
Also. Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebrations. It never gets old.

We had a very busy weekend over here! My toddlers were completely obsessed with this adorable dino cake. Big brother kept telling his sisters “it’s for the customer.” 😂
I cut a stencil for that dino by hand and man am I excited to use the cricut next time. 😅

The first order I accepted on this journey was the same day our second pregnancy ended in miscarriage. I needed something to keep me busy so I said yes.
In honor of our little Lavender, we celebrate what would’ve been her birthday as a family. With a cake and candles.
I’m grateful for fun and beautiful things I get to create for my clients, but even more grateful I get to make memories with my family like this one.
Happy birthday tiny one 💜

New tips and color in from recently. They taste even better than they look.
Let me know if you need Mother’s Day cupcakes!

Happy May Day!
Mother’s Day is quickly approaching. We’re offering adorable floral cupcakes to celebrate. Please order soon because I’m only accepting a very limited number and they will sell out quickly.
4 spring time floral cupcakes for $16 (similar to those photographed). You can choose either lemon or white chocolate cake. All florals are created using vanilla buttercream.
Pickup will be Saturday, 5/13 in the morning (7-9 am) in DSM near the airport.
Payment is accepted via Venmo, cashapp, and PayPal.
DM to order

We are very strictly a “not from Iowa” family. I moved out here from California nearly 6 years ago for law school. My husband moved here from Colorado after graduating from college and starting a job at a local company. We met out here and have made it home.
However, I could NOT tell you which school was Iowa State and which was University of Iowa. I know the cyclones are in Ames and the Hawkeyes are in Iowa City but that’s all I got.
After double checking the order a dozen times, I think I’ll now remember that ISU is the one in Ames 😅
A big thank you to Katie for inspo on how yo tie together these colors in an elegant design.

A golf theme was requested for a woman turning 94…who golfed until she was 92. Isn’t that incredible?!
Full disclosure, I know nothing about golf 😅 But I do know thing or two about adorable cakes. Thankfully, that was sufficient.

I’m posting all out of order because I’m just SO OBSESSED with this cake. It was inspired by a cute little dress for our tiniest baker, Lydia.
We hosted a gathering yesterday celebrating our sweet girl and this was the cake. It was gluten free vanilla filled with chocolate buttercream and decorated with Swiss merengue buttercream.
I desperately wanted daffodils on this cake but they just didn’t cooperate so we settled on anemones and it turned out perfect.