The Queen of Cakes

Gone are the mud and Kool Aid pies. Now it's butter, eggs, and fruit.

As a little girl, Liz Wiehe Vitti of Georgetown made imaginary desserts from dirt. Now, the owner of the Georgetown Cake Shoppe helps customers across Fairfield County celebrate special occasions one frosted slice at a time.

"My Mom used to do weddings and birthdays, Grandma too," Viiti, 40, said. "I always loved looking through my mother's cake decorating books, and making up my own recipes. As a kid I always looked at it as something wanted to do."

For nearly 17 years the mother of three teenagers has designed, baked, and decorated cakes for every event from birthdays to Bar Mitzvahs. It wasn't always so.

Vitti trained as a hairdresser. But after she married and started having children, she realized snipping and styling wasn't her calling. She retired her scissors.

When her oldest was two-years-old she apprenticed under Weston baker Bari-Lynn Cardiff of "Creative Cakes by Bari-Lynn." Vitti did that for nine years.

Vitti sees cakes all around her, finding inspiration everywhere. From her popular celebrations cake –brightly hued buttercream swirls and whirls decorate the top and sides – to a springtime cake with little ladybugs amid flowers.

A lighthouse cake has a working light, complete with blue waves at the base. Everything, but the light, is edible. And buttercream reigns supreme.

"Using fondant is almost cheating," said Vitti's cousin Cary Muha, who helps when needed.

The bakery is a family affair. Vitti's husband does deliveries and shopping.

"I would not be doing this without him," Vitti said.

Wedding cakes are still Vitti's favorite. She said she likes building them and decorating them. Over the past few years she has had requests for all kinds of wedding cakes.

It's not just white cake and white frosting anymore. Anything goes, said Vitti. One year, lime and pink were the colors; now its black accents.

Her Most challenging requests included copying a painting and an Indian wedding cake decorated in paisleys and gold paint.

"It was really pretty and took hours of trial and error," Vitti said. "I don't like to re-do things. Once in a while I'll have to scrap a cake and start over."

If she's not happy with it, she won't do it, especially if she doesn't think the flavors are particularly pleasing. A word of caution to the customer considering an orange cake with mint buttercream: don't even think about it.

"I'd try to talk them out of it," Vitti said. "It has to taste good."

That means many recipes are tried at home first. Last weekend it was strawberry cake – lots of it. When working out a recipe for sugar cookies, she tried nine recipes, and had her family do a blind taste test.

Viiti bakes one day and decorates the next because cakes are too soft to decorate the day of baking. Cake flavors range from pound cake to chocolate to butter cream, from raspberry to vanilla. She can make a wedding cake to feed 200 or a small birthday cake for eight.

Vitti chose her Route 7 spot at the Keogh Plaza in Georgetown because it's conveniently located for both cars and it's across from the Branchville Train Station.

On Sunday, March 28, Vitti will hold an open house.  People can try cakes, cookies and desserts from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. While most of Vitti's business is custom order, walk-ins can find cupcakes and cookies for sale.