Marin resident opens cake studio in San Rafael
A casual cake-decorating class with friends in her home state of Iowa in her 20s revealed that Lindsay Holdorf had both a knack for baking and an eye for design. By 2013, she had opened Live Love Bake, a full-service cupcake and custom cake shop in Des Moines.
When her family relocated to Marin a year later for her husband’s job, it meant the opportunity to return her focus more exclusively to the baking while leaving the operational elements of a retail business behind.
But great bakers get noticed, so word spread, orders increased and after several years working out of her home and shared commissary kitchens, Holdorf opened Marin Cake Studio in downtown San Rafael last November. The San Rafael resident shares a kitchen with Bella Luxe Catering and has a storefront space for preorder pickups.
Holdorf’s cakes, cookies and cupcakes for birthdays, weddings and other special events are known for their elaborate designs, often featuring edible images and hand-piped details.
Cakes come in more than 20 flavors — from vanilla, chocolate, marble and red velvet to champagne, orange, snickerdoodle and strawberry swirl — and are built in four layers with American buttercream frosting. Filling options range from Bavarian cream, coconut pecan, lemon curd and honey drizzle to cinnamon sugar crunch, espresso, mixed berry cream cheese and peanut butter.
Cookies are individually packaged and heat-sealed for freshness, and cupcakes are available in both standard and mini sizes.
Holdorf also teaches sugar cookie-decorating classes at the studio, covering everything from dough basics to royal icing techniques. Open to ages 8 and up, each session includes pre-prepped supplies — six cookies, four icing colors, sprinkles and a take-home box. The next workshops are “Oh Honey” on July 26 and “Totally Groovy” on Aug. 24. Both run from noon to 2 p.m. Admission is $55.20 to $65.87 for general admission or $92.55 for VIP. She also offers private classes by request.
Marin Cake Studio is a preorder-only business located at 1545 Fourth St. in San Rafael. Specialty cakes typically require two to six weeks’ notice depending on the season, and cookies require a minimum two-week lead time. Delivery is available for wedding cakes that meet a pricing threshold.
To view recent work, visit @marincakestudio on Instagram. Place orders via the online contact form or sign up for classes at marincakestudio.com.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with comments and find more local food news at therealdealmarin.com.