Conversations with Connor Mansberger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Connor Mansberger.

Hi Connor, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
In my previous career, I was an officer in the US Air Force… I know, far from the world of cake! However, I’ve had a lifelong passion for experimenting in the kitchen, and I’ve always enjoyed the art forms of painting, ceramics, and drawing. After honorably separating from the USAF in 2022, I was visiting family for a brief stop in San Diego and decided to make a couple of cakes for a family member’s going-away party who was also separating from the military. The guests raved about the cakes and even asked for my business card. I was flattered and chuckled at the notion of having a cake business, but after seriously contemplating the idea I realized that I would truly enjoy a craft that combines two of my favorite passions: baking and art! So I decided to put down my roots in San Diego and formally start my business, Connor’s Craft Cakes. After making a few small celebration cakes, I quickly realized I wanted to differentiate myself by creating unique flavor combinations, which I call “craft flavors”–in association with an upscale, high-quality, and locally sourced craft drink–which utilize complimentary savory components that are reminiscent of modern fine dining. I also quickly fell in love with creating hand-piped buttercream flowers which are as delicious to eat as they are easy to cut with the cake. Today, I have the pleasure of creating wedding cakes for couples who see the exciting opportunity to have an artistic cake that showcases their identity.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am simultaneously new to San Diego, the wedding industry, and professional cake artistry, which has necessitated a steep learning curve into all facets of launching a business! As a one-man operation, I am tasked with everything from designing, client communication, size/flavor development, accounting, and perfecting buttercream flower techniques, all of which have been a firehose of a learning experience. But it keeps me motivated to continue honing my craft by the overwhelming positive feedback from clients after tasting and seeing my cakes.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For wedding couples, I find it very important to provide a unique and personalized art piece that expresses their identity and style. It’s such a perfect opportunity to display who they are in an art form, in both design and cuisine. My ideal method to create a couple’s cake design is to receive their inspiration sources that are NOT cake-related. Couples who send me their favorite Pinterest cake idea limits the artful creativity their cake could receive. I want to see the bride’s wedding dress, table-scapes, color palettes, rings, floral arrangements, decor styling, favorite fashion brands, prized artwork in their homes, and any other inspiration that defines them as a couple. This allows me to develop an original design that is not based on any other cake artist. A cake is central to the entire wedding day, and in my view, it’s a grand art piece that describes their story. I will typically utilize buttercream florals to express this style, but there are an infinite number of ways to create variations in styles within a single blossom. For example, I can create a rose with smooth and broad petals to convey a clean, grand, and simplistic feel, or I can create a rose with many petite and ruffled petals to add a more organic, gardenly, and intimate sensation. The best way for me to grasp where my couple’s fall on the design spectrum is to have a clear and comprehensive understanding of their overall style.

Buttercream is such a rewarding and challenging art medium to work with; unlike paint used on a canvas, buttercream changes consistency and firmness with temperature, which means timing and technique are paramount in achieving the desired design outcome. Before creating cake art, I appreciated flowers, but now I pay very focused attention to every detail of a blossom in order to honor its detail–each petal is truly a work of art! A growing trend in cake art is to combine abstract and highly realistic blooms to create the illusion of depth and dimension on a flat surface–which is one of my favorite styles to utilize. To achieve this, I use a palette knife to “paint” buttercream foliage directly on a cake and then use piped buttercream flowers to add realism and volume. One of my favorite ways to arrange buttercream flowers on a cake is to orient the face of each blossom non-linearly; meaning, to honor nature, I like to balance symmetry with intentional disorganization to display a realistic but also playful floral placement.

In addition to buttercream artistry, I have experimented with numerous iterations of cake recipes in pursuit of developing my “craft” flavor menu. My inspiration for these flavors mainly originates from the savory side of food. Did you know that fresh herbs can add an incredibly bright and floral note to a cake? For example, I steep fresh basil leaves in milk before adding them to the cake batter to pair with a fresh blueberry compote and lemon-zested cream cheese. I find many wedding couples who inquire with me admit that they don’t actually like cake and they’re only ordering a cake for tradition’s sake. But the greatest compliment I receive after a couple has a tasting event is that they “thought” they didn’t like cake, but in fact, they actually just didn’t like “bad” cake–and I agree! My latest experiment that resulted in a few upgraded craft flavors was the addition of a shortbread crumble in between the layers of cake for a delightful and unexpected crunch. I’ve found that a superior cake includes a structured moist sponge, a smooth filling, a fresh component, as well as a crunch! These elements are a fundamental “rule” in traditional pastry, and cake shouldn’t be an exception. One of my favorite craft flavors, Amaretto Blackberry, uses a toasted almond flour to add a deep nuttiness, a fresh blackberry component for a fresh and tart fruitiness, a vanilla bean cream cheese for a smooth tang, and a toasted almond shortbread crumble. This crunchy component has opened my eyes to push the boundaries in what we think of as cake!

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
A passion for greatness! Art and cuisine have no limits or bounds, only my imagination. I’m continually trying to allow creative juices to flow to spark new ideas I can use in my art form. Anyone can insert some fresh flowers on a cake and call it a wedding cake, but a more challenging and rewarding task is to create an art piece that showcases a couple’s identity with an edible medium. As an artist, my greatest work is produced when I’m excited about creating something new, so I like to be continually re-inspired to pursue and achieve this greatness. Some of my favorite artists to derive inspiration from are sculptors, textured artists, and abstract painters–they all bring a sophisticated component that nods to realism while incorporating an interpretive story into their work. I’m overcome with gratitude that I am in a position to create a lasting memory for my couples in what is arguably one of life’s pinnacle moments, and I’m so excited to continue pushing the boundaries!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.connorscraftcakes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connorscraftcakes/
• Facebook: facebook.com/connorscraftcakes2022
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/connor-s-craft-cakes-encinitas
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@connors.craft.cakes

Image Credits
Nancy Easton