Mia Marshall’s surprise journey from gingerbread houses to wedding cakes

WHEN Mia Marshall started baking gingerbread houses for her prep class, it was simply a festive end-of-year treat.

Within a few years, it had quietly grown into a thriving cake business.

“I didn’t know that I loved cake decorating, and I fell into it in the most perfectly timed way,” Marshall said. “I had no idea that I loved baking so much.”

Encouraged by her mum – who also came up with the business name Ginger & Spice Baking Creations – Marshall began taking on orders almost five years ago, focusing on gingerbread before gradually expanding into elaborate cakes for all occasions.

For Marshall, every cake must taste as good as it looks – a philosophy she has proudly upheld from day one.

 

“My first wedding cake was such a success,” she said. “People commented about how nice it tasted.”

It is a question she still hears often.

“They say, ‘Yeah, it looks really cool, but does it taste good?'” Marshall said. “I’d be like, ‘What do you mean, does it taste good?’ It’s cake!'”

While she enjoys creating cakes for all occasions, there’s something particularly special about creating wedding cakes.

“I find a lot of joy in wedding cakes … knowing that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing for most people,” she said.

“If somebody’s going to pay that little bit more for me to make their wedding cake, I’ll do absolutely everything I can to make sure that they are thrilled.”

The process, she said, is not just about artistry, it is about responsibility.

“With wedding cakes, it’s about the bride and groom who are relying on us to do a good job for their wedding,” Marshall said.

 

Rather than a competitive industry, she said the cake community has proven to be unexpectedly supportive.

“You don’t want to compete [with other bakers] so someone else fails and a bride misses out,” Marshall said. “We’re all in it together.

“Everyone is so open and willing to help – you can jump online and say, ‘I’ve just made ganache and it’s split’, and you’ll have 20 people helping.”

Largely self-taught, Marshall has leaned on online resources and networks such as the Australian Cake Decorators Network, which also hosts a “cake camp” weekend of hands-on classes for professional and aspiring bakers.

“It is so fun just being surrounded by people who also love doing the same thing,” she said.

 

As her style has evolved, Marshall has increasingly drawn inspiration from the natural world.

“Nature is really inspiring,” she said. “The continuous flow of things and that gentle kind of movement – I like to incorporate that.”

These days, Marshall splits her time between the classroom and the kitchen, continuing her work as a primary school teacher while growing her baking business.

“I make baking days baking days and teaching days teaching days,” she said. “When I’m at school, I’m at school; when I’m at home, I’m baking.”

Balancing both roles takes discipline, but it also allows her to stay connected to two parts of her life that matter most.

Her faith, she said, underpins the quieter moments of her work.

 

“When I’m cake decorating, I know that I can’t do it all on my own,” she said. “I’m praying so much more, and I get this comfort or reassurance.”

Marshall’s dedication has not gone unnoticed. In 2025, she was named a Top 5 National Finalist for Wedding Cake Designer at the Australian Wedding Awards – an achievement that reflects both her artistry and the joy she brings to others through her craft.

From teaching in the classroom to crafting edible masterpieces in her home kitchen, Marshall continues to pour her creativity, care, and flavour into every project.

“It wasn’t something that I was looking for,” she said. “But it’s something that has found me.”