“My spatula is my paintbrush. Cake is my canvas,” says Mendez, who was raised in Sonora, Mexico, and arrived in Boston six years ago.

After she moved, I was left with a mini spatula-shaped hole in my kitchen drawer (and my heart). It wasn’t long before I sprung for a new one — at just $10, I had no reason not to.

This is an all-made-from-scratch cake; however, this is made with simple pantry ingredients and is perfect for beginners ...

Cake decorating was a hobby for Jaime Williams six years ago. Today, she's baking with the best of them and has a red Food Network apron badge to prove it.