For Goodness Bakes MN

For Goodness Bakes MN A St. Paul, MN home baker. No longer taking orders of any kind, but still sharing occasional treat photos just for fun. Paul, MN.

Formerly a home baking business located in St. I am no longer taking bakery orders of any kind, but will occasionally share treat photos just for fun.

A fun reminder of another one of my very favorite cakes! I was thrilled and honored when Sue asked if I’d make a custom ...
07/11/2025

A fun reminder of another one of my very favorite cakes!

I was thrilled and honored when Sue asked if I’d make a custom cake for her birthday a few years ago. She noted, “I love birds, flowers, reading, travel, photography, crafting and I trust you totally on design!”

So I surprised her with a:

🍫 Milk chocolate cake with the zest of two full oranges folded into the batter

🍊 Chocolate orange buttercream

🐦 Gorgeous bird and branch design inspired by a Jessica Long Embroidery pattern, to incorporate Sue’s love of birdwatching, nature, and crafting

🌱 Purple ombré branches, as a nod to Sue’s signature color

The message Sue sent me after she picked up the cake made my baker heart extra happy, too: “OMG…best cake I have ever had!!! In my life!!!”

I’m so glad! Happy birthday Sue 💜

Yesterday was my dear friend Josh's birthday, which made me reminisce on the cutest little toadstool cake that I made fo...
07/11/2025

Yesterday was my dear friend Josh's birthday, which made me reminisce on the cutest little toadstool cake that I made for his summer birthday gathering in the woods a few years ago.
🌱🍄

Chocolate cake with surprise rainbow sprinkles mixed into chocolate icing layers and vanilla buttercream coating and spots. A magical mushroom cake for a magical friend. Happy (belated) birthday, Josh!

Popping back on to share a special cake for a very special couple who are getting married today 💕One year ago today, my ...
06/21/2025

Popping back on to share a special cake for a very special couple who are getting married today 💕

One year ago today, my lifelong best friend Hannah and her partner Teddy got engaged (during the solar eclipse!) and I made them this cake as a surprise, trying to echo the photo of their engagement in melted chocolate on top.

Later today, I get to stand by her side as they celebrate their love and I couldn’t be more honored or excited.

Love you so much Hannah and Teddy!

This time-hop is too fun not to share!A few years ago my extraordinary friend Carmen made my husband and I this gorgeous...
05/18/2025

This time-hop is too fun not to share!

A few years ago my extraordinary friend Carmen made my husband and I this gorgeous, colorful picnic blanket that we love SO much because it reminds us of her: creative and whimsical, full of joy and excitement, one of a kind and very cherished.

Carmen is constantly designing + making + dreaming + gifting. She marches to the beat of her own drum, and she probably made that drum. Plus some tiny drums for us too.

So getting to see Carmen for the first time in months to celebrate her birthday (on this very weekend a few years ago) inspired me to try something new as well: hand-painted designs on fondant!

I mixed gel food colors with a few drops of high proof alcohol (vodka), which allowed me to blend and paint the colors directly onto the fondant surface with small paintbrushes. Then the alcohol evaporates off for extra bold colors. Cool, right?

I think it turned out pretty neat and Carmen unknowingly showed up in a shirt to match. We love her. Happy belated birthday Carmen!

CARMEN’S CAKE
- Poppyseed cake (three-layer 6”)
- Homemade passionfruit curd filling
- Elderflower Swiss meringue buttercream
- Hand-made marshmallow fondant
- Gel food coloring + vodka + paint brush

One of the best parts of running this bakery has been getting to make multiple years of special bday treats for the kidd...
04/23/2025

One of the best parts of running this bakery has been getting to make multiple years of special bday treats for the kiddos of clients and friends.

My little bestie Harriet turns 5 today, and this is the very first year that I won’t be able to make her custom bday cupcakes 😭💕

I’m absolutely gutted, but love looking back on her special treats from previous years.

Which is your favorite??
1. Sweet + simple funfetti
2. Unicorns with rainbow swirl batter
3. Pom poms and “monster fur” icing
4. Magical mermaid

Hoppy Easter! 🥕
04/20/2025

Hoppy Easter! 🥕

I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately as I’ve gone about closing down the bakery, and my therapist recommended making a lis...
04/18/2025

I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately as I’ve gone about closing down the bakery, and my therapist recommended making a list of things that I loved about this experience and what I’m really proud of.

So many of the treats that I’ve made hold my heart and represent special memories or growth in skills or creativity for me, but truly, what I’m the most proud of is this…

In the last four years, this little labor of love has:

🧁 Filled 238 custom orders for all types of treats celebrating babies, birthdays, anniversaries, and many other happy milestones

🧁 Made cakes + treats for 6 weddings

🧁 Hosted 16 pop-up bake sales with 511 individual orders

🧁 Given over $1,600 directly to local equity-focused nonprofit organizations, including (in alphabetical order):

Coalition of Asian American Leaders - CAAL
Family Tree Clinic
For Goodness Cakes
Gender Justice
International Institute of Minnesota
Jeremiah Program, Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
Minnesota Freedom Fund
Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition
Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute
Reach Out and Read Minnesota
Special Olympics Minnesota
Voices For Racial Justice
World Central Kitchen

Especially in this horrifying time where so many people are being stripped of their rights, safety, and humanity, it feels more important than ever that we all do what we can — wherever and however we can — to support diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and to bring our communities together.

The nonprofit organizations above all desperately need our support, and I’d encourage you to get involved, consider volunteering, or to make a donation if you can 💛

What comes next? As I say goodbye to the bakery, my husband Taylor just quit his job of 14 years, and we are taking big ...
04/16/2025

What comes next?

As I say goodbye to the bakery, my husband Taylor just quit his job of 14 years, and we are taking big leaps to start a new business together.

We’re not quite ready to share what it is yet, but it’s felt exhilarating to seriously ask ourselves what we want to do with this one wild and precious life…and then figure out how to make that happen, together.

In kicking off this major life transition we are also taking an opportunity to reconnect with some of the things that fill us up most: nature, travel, and time with one another.

To that end, we just moved out of our apartment, put everything we own into a storage unit, and we leave this weekend for a 2+ month overlanding road trip along the west coast. Our only concrete plan is to camp, explore, and dream about what comes next for us.

We’ll eventually land back in the midwest as we take the next steps towards our dream business. If you’d like to follow along on our overlanding trip or future business endeavor, check out our blog at https://livalska.substack.com/

🧁 🩷 🧁 🩷 🧁

Moving forward, I’m certain that I will continue to bake and share treats in some capacity, but I’m so glad that I was able to run this little home bakery for a few years and meet all of you.

My mission for the bakery has always been “baking small acts of sweetness and taking small steps towards social change.” When the world has felt (and very much currently feels) hard and broken and lonely, that has felt good and nourishing and joyful.

And that’s what I hope this Instagram account can continue to be. I’ll sporadically share old treat photos, because sometimes that can be a nice mental break from doomscrolling. I hope that you continue to enjoy the baked good pics.

What a treat it has been!

After four years of sweet treats, I have some bittersweet news to share: I am closing down the bakery and will no longer...
04/14/2025

After four years of sweet treats, I have some bittersweet news to share: I am closing down the bakery and will no longer be taking orders.

I started selling baked goods from my front yard during Covid as a way to build community, and I could never have envisioned all that this small business would grow into.

Getting to bake for friends, family, and new connections has been such a highlight and a joy for me and I have tremendous gratitude for your orders, referrals, trust, and support.

I’ll share more in the coming days about my next adventure — which involves moving, an extended camping roadtrip, and a new business — but for now, I just want to say thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Much love and gratitude,
Laura

Sunshine in a cake 🌼For my mom’s birthday yesterday, I made her a carrot cake with whipped cream cheese icing, and I wan...
04/05/2025

Sunshine in a cake 🌼

For my mom’s birthday yesterday, I made her a carrot cake with whipped cream cheese icing, and I wanted the cake to feel bright, colorful, and like a warm beacon of spring.

I think these sunny blooms and fresh florals did the trick. Happy birthday Mom!

One more throwback to a past birthday cake I made for my mom a few years ago.This one also holds up one of my all-time f...
04/05/2025

One more throwback to a past birthday cake I made for my mom a few years ago.

This one also holds up one of my all-time favorite cakes I’ve created, and I know it was one of hers, as well.

🍰 Poppyseed cake
🍊 Homemade grapefruit curd filling
💕 Cream cheese buttercream
👩🏼‍🎨 Paint-dab style decoration
🍊 Grapefruit + orange wheels dehydrated by my hubby and CTO (Chief Tasting Officer) Taylor

For as stunning as the outside of my stained glass cake was (see my last post for pics), I think the inside was pretty g...
04/04/2025

For as stunning as the outside of my stained glass cake was (see my last post for pics), I think the inside was pretty gorgeous, too.

I made a fresh blackberry + blueberry + raspberry compote to complement the vanilla cake that had fresh blackberries baked into the cake layers. And aren't these colors just swoon-worthy?

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Saint Paul, MN
55105

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