Robin Martin started Gateaux Inc. in 1995 after leaving her job as a photographer. Photography involved working evenings and weekends, and as a newlywed, she wanted to actually see her husband from time to time. Being the “brilliant” 25 year old that she was, she decided to make that happen by opening her own wedding cake business (insert laugh track here).
With no formal training, she headed to the book store and quickly started to absorb as much about baking and decorating as she could. With a trade agreement with a local church, exchanging the use of their licensed kitchen for treats for their events, she built up her business, meeting potential clients at their homes and delivering boxes of cake samples to those clients on a monthly “sample day”. Three years later, she opened the doors at her own cake shop and hired her first employee.
Nineteen years later, she still rarely sees her husband, but has created the business of her dreams.
In 1997, Robin was invited to bring a cake to Modern Bride Magazine in New York where it was featured in an article alongside many of her cake idols. A year later, her work was featured in Bride’s Magazine. In 2012, she was honored to create Betty White’s 90th Birthday cake in a collaboration with Betty Crocker. She created a tiny frosting version of Betty’s beloved dog “Pontiac” to hide among the rosette cake topper. This created a long-standing tradition at Gateaux Inc. where clients include a sugar figurine of their pet and 100% of the cost of the frosting pooch is donated to the ASPCA. Betty White reacted as hoped, using the photo of her discovering little Pontiac on her cake as the only photo she shared the following night on the Jay Leno Show.
After turning down several opportunities to compete on The Food Network Challenge, Robin finally accepted and competed in The Doctor Seuss Challenge, where she won the Silver Medal. She was later cast in a reality show called “Amazing Wedding Cakes” which gave a behind the scenes look at her business. After hearing from other bakeries and decorators across the globe asking about the techniques she used on the show, she opened evilcakegenius.com to sell her cake stencils and decorating products.
Gateaux Inc. has been featured on the Food Network and in Brides Magazine, Modern Bride, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Town and Country Weddings, People Magazine and on the reality show “Amazing Wedding Cakes”.
MORE FROM ROBIN MARTIN:
Champagne Cake Shooters + Stenciled TopperOur contributor, Robin Martin of Gateaux Inc. is back with another DIY today! Join Robin as she shares a new Valentine's project with a step-by-step tutorial. Ah, Valentine's Day. When we can embrace a little romance, over-indulge in the bubbly, and shamelessly get down to Barry White all day, or all night, if you'd rather. Whether you’re hosting a grand soiree, or just cuddling up with your main squeeze, you’re going to love this quick, easy, and over-the-top impressive dessert.Read More
Stencil-Painted CookiesOur contributor, Robin Martin of Gateaux Inc. is sharing a new holiday cookie tutorial.... It’s the most wonderful time of the year…kids with rosy cheeks, snow-covered rooftops, presents under the tree, and cookies…aah, cookies…guilt-free, left out for Santa so someone has to eat them (for the sake of the kids) cookies. If you happen to live in 1952, the above is most likely true. We, however, live in 2014. Those rosy-cheeks are most likely attributed to a mild fever associated with the third head-cold about to make the rounds in your house. The snow-covered rooftops are accompanied by the ice-covered roads that landed you at the body shop after another fender bender, and those presents took you to three different shopping malls in search of the latest talking-bouncing-tweeting-electronic-must-have-toy of the year that no one can keep in stock. And cookies…aah, cookies. The six dozen glorious little potential works of art that turned into your worst nightmare after your cookie decorating party deteriorated into a free-for-all of sprinkles, royal icing, crying kids, and sticky, sticky adults. And if your nephew makes one more purple and orange snowman, you’re going to have to ban him from Christmas for the next few years. Read More
Stencil-Painted Rose CakeWe're so excited to welcome Robin Martin of Gateaux Inc. back to the blog today! We know that when Robin stops by, she's bringing us something new and innovative! And today is no exception. Not only does Robin create gorgeous cakes as the owner of Gateaux Inc., but she is the mastermind behind an entire line of cake stencils which are nothing less than brilliant and appropriately branded as the the Evil Cake Genius line. Over the last year, we've learned how to make gorgeous lace using a stencil and how to make amazing fondant butterflies with realistic (and yes, stenciled) details, thanks to Robin's techniques. And today's cake is a whole new world of fun! A skillfully hand-painted cake that is downright gorgeous and actually do-able. Even for those of us who are not natural painters (if you could see me, I'm raising my hand.... how about you?). If you love the idea of a painted cake but are intimated by the actual 'hand-painting' aspect, then today's post is definitely for you! So let's do a little swooning and then take an inside look at the creation of this amazing cake. We're learning how to make a Stencil-Painted Rose Cake!Read More
DIY: Vintage Butterfly Cake, Part IIToday is the second half of a fabulous tutorial we brought to you a few weeks ago. Remember this gorgeous Vintage Butterfly Cake, with its amazing 3-d butterflies, in shades of pale blue and black, fluttering about? And its antiqued ecru-colored fondant, accented with black and white striped ribbons? We were beyond thrilled to learn how to make these incredible butterflies, in just a few easy steps, with the help of a custom mesh stencil. Now we can move on to part two of this Vintage Butterfly Cake Tutorial. Today we're learning how to create the fabulous fondant appliques seen on the middle hexagon tier. These beautifully detailed panels resemble the pages of an old Entomology book, filled with inticate drawings of insects, paired with their Latin names. And while they may look time-intensive, they could not be simpler to create. Robin Martin of Gateaux Inc. is back again to show us how it's done!Read More
DIY: Vintage Butterfly CakePlain and simple, today's cake is an absolute stunner. It captures the beauty of spring with a elegant vintage vibe. An antiqued ecru-colored fondant is accented with black and white striped ribbons. While fondant appliques resemble the pages of an old Entomology book, filled with beautiful drawings of insects, paired with their Latin names. Only to be outdone by the amazing 3-d butterflies, in shades of pale blue and black, fluttering about. It's one of those cakes that you just have to see for yourself, because my words simply cannot do it justice. It comes to us from Robin Martin, owner of Gateaux Inc. in Plymouth, Minnesota. We're always thrilled to have Robin stop by the blog! After falling in love with her Alencon lace cake back in August, we about died when she shared her step-by-step tutorial teaching us how to make it. Robin has such a knack for combining classic style with modern techniques. Just like her fabulous lace cake, her vintage butterfly cake comes to life with the help of her very own line of custom mesh stencils. And I'm thrilled to say that Robin is teaching us the secrets behind her gorgeous butterflies. But before we jump right into the step-by-step tutorial, I want us to get a few good looks at this cake. Because it is phenomenal! Read More
Delicate Lace CakeToday’s feature is one of those cakes that just simply makes you smile and let out a small little sigh of cake love. It’s ridiculously beautiful, from top to bottom and everywhere in between. Creamy ivory fondant is accented with a soft grey bands and blush pink flowers. While a scalloped topper showcases the couple’s […]Read More
The 3rd Cake of ChristmasIt's our third annual holiday series.... The 12 Cakes of Christmas!! We're oohing and aahing over twelve marvelous cake designs, created especially for this series! All brand new, never seen before, and created by some of your favorite bakers! For our theme this year, we're taking a moment to reflect on our favorite Christmas memories and traditions. It's a feel good month, celebrating the little things that make this season shine bright. Each of our featured bakers was asked to create a cake based on a classic Christmas tradition. And now it's time to for cake number three! Our third cake celebrates the sounds of the holidays and the act of spreading Christmas cheer through song. There's nothing like a festive round of fa-la-la-la-la-ing to get you in the spirit. Especially when it's sung by a group of merry people outside your door! The Third Cake of Christmas was inspired by.... caroling!Read More
DIY: Stenciled Lace TutorialIt's Friday and we have a fabulous new tutorial for you! It's a follow up to yesterday's Alencon Lace Cake and let's just say that it's more than a little dreamy. Robin Martin, owner of Gateaux Inc., is sharing the secrets behind her incredible lace in a full step-by-step tutorial. Her approach (and line of cake stencils and silk screens) is pure genius and will have you creating gorgeous lace detailing with less time and headache. No more hand tracing lace patterns on to a cake! It starts with her custom clear acrylic stencil of the lace pattern, a bowl of royal icing, and breezes on from there. Add some overpiping to accentuate the edges and you have spectacular lace! If you don't believe it can be that easy, take a look for yourself! Create stunning lace with this Stenciled Lace Tutorial!Read More
Alencon Lace CakeAhhhh, lace. Spectacular. Intricate. Lace. A classic wedding detail that has withstood the test of time and is still as hot as ever. It's the star of today's feature and I have a feeling that you're going to love it. Inspired by the intricate Alencon lace on the bride's gown, today's cake is just drop dead gorgeous. Royal icing mimics this ornate needle lace with elegance and grace that is simply timeless. Talk about incredible details on this lacy pattern fit for a queen. All hand-piped to add that extra pop of wow! Not to mention the silver beading individually placed with a steady hand, tweezers and ultimate precision. Throw in a soft geometric pattern dotted with pearls and you have five tiers of fabulous! It comes to us from Robin Martin, owner of Gateaux Inc. in Plymouth, Minnesota. Let's take a look at this amazing Alencon Lace Cake!Read More
