The story behind these cakes is heartbreaking, but the makers love to make them
For some children, birthdays are very valuable to celebrate.
Jessica Gowers can’t tell you whether her son Riley will make it to the age of 13, 18, or 21.
He didn’t think they would see his seventh birthday in March.
But, they did.
Riley was born with CHARGE syndrome, a complex set of medical problems.
Apart from heart problems, he was deaf, mute, and partially blind.
With all the time in the hospital, it’s no wonder Miss Gowers doesn’t have time to bake. Or many other things for that matter.
So he called Cake Angels, a team of 2,100 professional decorators across the country who donate incredible custom cakes to children with lifelong or life-limiting conditions.
This is not your average banana cake with cream cheese icing.
Cakes worth up to $600
The Australian Cake Angels Network was started in 2011 by a baking instructor who wanted to see the leftover cakes decorated from her class put to good use.
The nonprofit has grown from there, connecting children with volunteer decorators through referral agencies over the past 10 years.
Prior to COVID, president Kellie Arney said they made up to 600 cakes a year.
The kind of cake that most families wouldn’t be able to access otherwise.
‘When you have a sick child, you often end up being a single-income family. [Someone] have to give up their jobs to be able to commute to the hospital, to appointments,” Ms Arney said.
Cake brings everyone together
The agency will contact Cake Angels with a request, which will then notify the nearest volunteer.
“Maybe 10 people, maybe 40 people. And always the same people come back first,” said Ms Arney.
One of them is Jo Jeffers, a pastry chef turned home decorator from Toolamba in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley.
In five years she made 33 cakes for Cake Angels.
“This is the essence of the birthday party, everyone gathers around … it brings everyone together.”
Like all volunteers, Jo will be in touch with the child’s family and plan the designs.
“Kids have certain things they admire. If they are verbal and capable, they will choose design,” Ms Jeffers said.
The volunteers then, in most cases, delivered the cake themselves.
“I’m excited to be able to personally deliver the cakes,” said Ms Jeffers.
“Many times I meet the kids too and see the look on their faces.”
Sweet, the last hope for the family
Cakes are not often delivered on a child’s actual birthday.
“We try and wait until the child is not in the hospital,” Ms Arney said.
“Often, while in the hospital, they’re not well enough to really enjoy their cake or party, or have friends and family around them.”
Sometimes the cake is delivered before their birthday.
Then there’s the mourning cake.
Ms Jeffers made it too.
When he started with Cake Angels five years ago, he got in touch with another farming family not far from him.
Their twin girls Zoe and Monique were six months older than their daughter at the time.
One of the girls was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died.
She baked one cake for the little girl, and then one for her twin brother and sister in later years.
“It was going to be his last birthday, so I really wanted to make sure I got it right,” Jeffers said.
“He likes Scooby Doo so it’s a Scooby Doo themed cake.”
Best cake to make
Despite spending time and money on volunteers, most Cake Angels consider this cake to be their favorite task.
“They just took it on their backs,” Ms Arney said.
“The cake is at the discretion of the volunteers. At least for 30 people, but most of them would make a bigger cake if they knew it was for a bigger birthday. Or add cupcakes.
It’s all a decent fee for Ms Jeffers.
Sprinkling of mercy
Ms Gowers is already planning Riley’s next cake in March.
He vacillates between dinosaurs or Heroes of Goo.
“I’m really excited,” Gowers said.
“Yeah, we don’t know how long we’ve been living with our kids. All we’re asking for is mercy.”
To sign up to be a cake angel, visit her website.
While many of the volunteers are professional bakers, you don’t need to have a kitchen or registered business.
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