Sundbakes

Sundbakes Sundbakes is a home bakery in Minot, ND. Elizabeth designs artistic hand-painted cakes & macarons. For ordering, please visit sundbakes.com

Congrats to all the 80s babies entering their 40s (like me!). I've been keeping it weird since 1985. Rad!A while ago I t...
09/03/2026

Congrats to all the 80s babies entering their 40s (like me!). I've been keeping it weird since 1985. Rad!

A while ago I told Felicity "Well, that's bogus." She did the wide-eyed, slow motion turn around that only a horrified teenager can do. Turns out, bogus is not a normal word people use anymore. FYI.

I've been 40 for almost a year, and so far so good, (other than bogus-gate).

I hope the recipient of these 1980s themed hand-painted macarons had a tubular birthday!

I want to take you along my creative process for designing a one-of-a-kind cake like this. I bet it's not what you expec...
09/01/2026

I want to take you along my creative process for designing a one-of-a-kind cake like this. I bet it's not what you expect!

My client requested "Light purple, pastel lime green. New York City" for her daughter's 16th birthday and her parents' 50th anniversary.

This is perfect for me! A cake like this needs to truly come from the imagination because there's probably never been a cake with this description made on the planet.

Here's the timeline>

The month beforehand: I spend the month leading up to the cake tossing ideas around my brain without committing to anything.

Friday at 9:00: Frost the cake (this one has lemon curd inside!)

Friday at 12:00: I tell Jeff what I'm thinking while we eat lunch. I let me him know I'm leaning toward a vintage postcard look.

Friday at 1:00: I mix the pastel lime green and light purple. I never bother with color matching, I just try to find shades that look nice together. I decide gray is a good paring with these colors so I use it as the third color to even things out.

Friday at 1:15: Stare at the cake.

Friday at 1:20: Start drawing a New York City landscape. I originally plan to fill the buildings in more, but I really like the look of the line drawings so I leave them.

Friday at 1:40: Decide to add the words New York because they give that vintage poster look.

Friday at 2:00: Decide what to do with the sides that will compliment the top. Try out a subway map inspired look knowing I could always cover it up if it doesn't work.

Friday at 2:30: Subway map works!!!! Adds flowers as final touch because it needs movement.

Friday at 2:45: Take picture of myself with the cake to prove I'm a real human, not AI. (I freaking hate AI.)

Saturday at 10:30: Cake is picked up by my client's mom, a good friend of mine who is celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary. I get to hear about her trip to New York with her granddaughter. They saw Hamilton!!

Saturday at 11:45: Eat soup and celebrate a job well done.

Stuff to know:
I) I design my cakes on the fly.
2) I know surprise cake designs aren't for everyone, but if it's for you, then we are a perfect fit!
3) I can't wait to make a surprise cake for you!

A post in which you will all get really jealous of Jeff!But first, cake! One of my cakes this week needed to represent a...
08/30/2026

A post in which you will all get really jealous of Jeff!

But first, cake! One of my cakes this week needed to represent a family helping each other through a difficult time. I created a design with the five family members helping each other climb a mountain at sunrise. I love how it conveys hope and strength.

We took our annual trip to the Minot Zoo this week. I have an introvert tip for you! If you go to the zoo in the evening in the last week of August, you'll have the whole place to yourself and the weather will be perfect. Just you and the tigers!

When Felicity was little, we would get the year pass to the zoo and visit almost every day. She liked to feed Noah the sheep. Sometimes while running errands, we would stop at the zoo for 10 minutes to run to the back, feed Noah, and then get back in the car. I hope this cute picture of Jeff and Felicity from 2014 brings back fun memories for you too. Noah was such a Minot celebrity!

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the reason you'll be jealous of Jeff:

I wanted to stay up to watch the lunar eclipse Thursday night, but my allergies were too awful and I had to stay inside. Jeff watched the eclipse, and a bunny came and sat right next to him!! The bunny stayed there eating clover while he watched the eclipse.

Is Jeff living my Practical Magic dreams? Yes. Am I actually a little bit jealous in a childish way? Also yes.

"Watch eclipse with a bunny" is at the top of my bucket list! UGH!!!!

But he made delicious burgers and I forgive him now. đŸ˜‰

If your partner needs to apologize to you for watching an eclipse with a bunny while you couldn't be there, they can get you cake and macarons. I'll make a special bunny & eclipse design just for the occasion.

With heart,
Elizabeth

Fall is way too short in North Dakota, but I never want to rush summer away. So I've solved that problem for myself by s...
08/28/2026

Fall is way too short in North Dakota, but I never want to rush summer away. So I've solved that problem for myself by squeezing an extra season with its own joys.

This is the season of eating ALL THE VEGETABLES! Golden sunsets, brisk mornings, and nights by the fire. I do everything that you are supposed to do in fall according to movies, but we can't do because our fall gets too windy and cold.

I made this cake for a local farmer who is my beet hookup. Beets are one of my favorite foods, which means I'm officially an elderly man now.

Enjoy your harvest everyone! May it be cozy and fruitful.

I've opened up dates for December cakes! Just a heads up though, I'll be taking winter break off to match with my kid's ...
08/26/2026

I've opened up dates for December cakes! Just a heads up though, I'll be taking winter break off to match with my kid's school vacation schedule.

Last year both Jeff and I took all of winter break off and it was magical. In January I wrote a note to myself promising to take every winter break off for the rest of time. Past me sounds like a smart lady, so I'm going to do what she says.

What will we do over winter break? Pretty much nothing. Last year we crafted, worked out, played board games, cooked, and rewatched the first two seasons of Fargo. We also spent a lot of time sitting by our fire drinking mulled wine.

I'm looking forward to baking for you in the first three weeks of December though! You can check my current availability any time on my website.

Did you all survive the first week of school? My kid is a freshman in high school now, which feels impossible. The teach...
08/23/2026

Did you all survive the first week of school? My kid is a freshman in high school now, which feels impossible. The teachers at Minot North are all so kind, so the first week was a big success.

Two of the cakes I made this week were special because they were iterations on designs I've created previously. My Eiffel Tower and Pixar Cars designs are two of my most popular requests. It's always fun to rework past designs because I can bring new ideas to them. My cakes never look the same twice.

The three of us went to Pride downtown this weekend. Jeff and I didn't want to cramp Felicity's style (by saying old-person things like "cramp your style"), so we broke away to browse Budget Music. I found the most delightful record from 1974 that was just a few bucks, so I bought it on a whim based solely on how much I wanted to go to the party pictured on the cover. I'm happy to report that the album sounds lovely, sort of like Joni Mitchell.

Felicity had a friend over for a sleepover, so that means Jeff and I got to watch TV and eat pizza in our bedroom! A few months ago we bought a cheap second TV that we can move around the house if we want it in a random room as a treat.

Twin Peaks is one of our favorite fall rewatches. It looks especially good in our bedroom because David Lynch and I both have a thing for warm orange-browns paired with bright green.

I hope you are soaking up the final moments of summer with your loved-ones. If you need a cake, I have my available dates for September through November listed on my website.

You could even eat the cake in bed while watching TV if you want!

With heart,
Elizabeth

This is a Nancy Meyers movie, but cake!I've been watching a lot of 80s and 90s romantic comedies lately, because I love ...
08/21/2026

This is a Nancy Meyers movie, but cake!

I've been watching a lot of 80s and 90s romantic comedies lately, because I love how they let the actors shine. My favorite comfort movies of this type are "Say Anything" and "While You Were Sleeping", but I thought I'd branch out a bit this year to some that I haven't seen.

"Mystic Pizza": What a gem! The setting is beautiful, and the soundtrack is delightful.

"Baby Boom": How have I never seen this before? I never realized it was a Nancy Meyers movie. The baby is so cute! Plus, I'm pretty sure the baby Elizabeth character and I are the exact same age.

"Fried Green Tomatoes": This one doesn't age quite as well, but I'm glad I finally had the chance to watch it.

"When Harry Met Sally": The sweaters!!!

I need to track down "You've Got Mail". The DVD is not at the library, and it isn't streaming on anything that I can find. NOOOOO!

What does this have to do with cakes?

Simplicity! Palette knife floral cakes are just buttercream and nothing else.

Just simple, beautiful, and timeless designs.

An Agatha Christie mystery birthday cake with a bonus: I made it a game!I got to run wild with this one! I painted the m...
08/18/2026

An Agatha Christie mystery birthday cake with a bonus: I made it a game!

I got to run wild with this one! I painted the macarons to resemble some of Christie's most famous mystery covers. I love how creepy they all were. An apple...but bloody! A pin cushion...but bloody!

(It turns out that it make a Christie cover, you just needed to take an object and make it bloody.)

To add to the fun, I filled one macaron with chocolate buttercream. There's a little clue if you zoom in.

What macaron do YOU think held the secret???

Sometimes I sit down to this post this weekend update thinking I did nothing, but then remember, I did EVERYTHING!Jeff w...
08/16/2026

Sometimes I sit down to this post this weekend update thinking I did nothing, but then remember, I did EVERYTHING!

Jeff was out of town for a bit, so Felicity and I watched Twilight for her first time. 14 is the ideal age to watch Twilight. Old enough to recognize that it's silly, young enough to value yearning above all else.

I had to pull a Twilight cake from my archives in honor of the occasion. The mom who ordered it told me her daughter loved twilight both ironically and sincerely at the same time. Same!

I read all four Twilight books when I was in grad school over a single winter break in 2008, and when I met with my adviser in January it turned out she did too! Ever wonder what the opposite of academic philosophy is? It's Twilight.

In non-Twilight news, I donated a cake to the Magic City Discovery Center and one of your won it! I need to be really careful not to overstretch myself with donations (businesses get asked A LOT), so I focus on causes that promote literacy and nerdom.

Apropos of nothing: Did you know you can check out magazines from the library? I wanted a cozy magazine to go with my cozy homemade sage & butternut squash soup, but I didn't want to spend the money. Thanks Minot Public Library!

Jeff took an awesome picture of Foggy supervising my window washing, in which I look supremely jacked. My hair is turning gray at a rapid rate, and my body is going nuts, but my weight training means I can lift things like a super hero. I entered middle age like the kool-aid man!

This is an extra exciting and wacky time for us because Felicity is starting high school at Minot North. She better not meet any yearning Edwards or Jacobs there. They should know that I can beat them up.

I hope your transition to the school year is smooth!

With heart,
Elizabeth

I have no idea if the internet will show this post to anyone, but I am SO PROUD of this cake! It's based on "Cliff Walk ...
08/12/2026

I have no idea if the internet will show this post to anyone, but I am SO PROUD of this cake! It's based on "Cliff Walk at Pourville" by Claude Monet.

A returning client reached out because she was having a party for a visiting academic friend from France. She was hoping for something unique with a French feel. I recommended Monet, and she gave me free rein.

I spent forever picking out the perfect painting. I was torn between this and some of his darker boat paintings, but I wanted a joyful feel for this particular cake.

(If you want a moodier boat painting based on Monet, please let me know!!! I am here for it!!!)

Thank you so much for helping to keep art alive in my heart. I cannot exaggerate you how fulfilling this is.

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Minot, ND
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