Bright Lights

A sweet treat

Clients want a piece of alumna’s cake business

BY BRITTANY BELL (’21)

Alexis Cosby’s (’18) passion for baking has made her a go-to source for specialty and wedding cakes in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland. Her business, A Sweet Confession LLC, is taking the capital region by storm with its tasty and professional-looking creations.

Cosby has always loved baking, but it wasn’t until she took a cake decorating class at a local Michael’s store in high school that she really delved into the craft. While at JMU, she practiced her baking and decorating skills, making cakes for her friends and even baking a few for her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and a fraternity for Founder’s Day.

Cosby continued to hone her confectionary skills after leaving JMU. “When I graduated, I just really took that time to perfect my craft and learn even more techniques,” she said.

In February 2019, after months of planning, researching and establishing her brand, Cosby launched A Sweet Confession in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. “I kind of turned my dining room space into my workstation,” she said.

After relocating to Rockville, Maryland, earlier this year, Cosby continues to operate the business out of her home. Her long-term goal is to have a studio space where she can bake her cakes and also meet with potential clients for consultations.

“When I make someone’s cake, I want to make sure that it’s quality and I’m not rushing,” she said, “or something that I have going on is going to be put on the backburner.”

Cosby makes all sorts of specialty cakes—for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baby showers, events and more. Her most popular flavors are vanilla and strawberry, though her personal favorites are chocolate and cinnamon swirl. Cosby also gets a lot of requests for Oreo and chocolate drip cakes, which are featured on her social media pages.

As popular as her event cakes are, Cosby has a different idea for where she wants to take her business. “I want to eventually get to the place where I am just focused on wedding cakes, because that’s the avenue that I really enjoy the most,” she said.

One of her favorite techniques involves arranging fresh florals on a wedding cake. On the day of the ceremony, the florist will hand over any extra flowers, which Cosby uses as decorations. She loves the creativity, uniqueness and personal touch that come from this technique.

Alexis Cosby (‘18) launched her business, A Sweet Confession, in 2019.

While she had to stop taking orders in the spring of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, business began to pick up soon after, and today the venture is doing quite well.

Most of Cosby’s business comes from people who see her work on social media and through referrals. Some of her clients have been to events where she provided a cake, and they follow up with their own events. She admits that her favorite part of the job is receiving positive reviews and referrals because it shows that her clients are satisfied with her creations.

“When you get that confirmation from the client that they were happy with the design and taste, it just makes it all worth it,” Cosby said. “It really gives me affirmation that I’m doing the right thing and I am capable of growing this business.”