This month, we’re spotlighting entrepreneur, Blair Orgera, of Velvet Valley Cakes! Known for her breathtaking vintage-inspired cakes and French entremets, the talented artist is really making a name for herself in the NYC pastry world. Blair was the winner of The Great American Dish Off and has baked for celebs, like Betsy Johnson, SZA, and one other A-list star. Want to know who? Keep reading to find out!
* = Blair’s faves
What is your background?
Let’s get to know our guest a bit better!
Blair is a proud New Yorker born and raised in Queens, the heart of “the best food and flavors.” She’s always taken on artistic jobs and was working in the makeup industry when the pandemic hit, and she realized it was time to forge a new path. A good friend of hers started a business, and Blair used that inspiration as fuel to find her “own thing.”
“I always really liked baking, so I went to my local cake supply store and started experimenting at home.” When the Covid chaos began to subside, Blair was on the hunt for a pastry-chef role. “It was kind of hard because everyone wanted experience or a degree.” Despite these challenges (plus raising a pandemic baby), she landed a job as a head pastry chef! While it was a great learning experience, her calling was something bigger than pastries: cakes! Buttercream to be exact. It was then that Blair decided to leave her job and start her Instagram journey, all while taking orders and practicing her cake piping day and night. Even with all the prowess she has now, she still “learns something new every day!”
What inspired you to start baking during lockdown?
Well, for one, Blair grew up in an Italian household. Need we say more? “I just always loved dessert as a kid and am a huge foodie. We always had cannolis and St. Joseph’s Pastries.” Although she explores different cultures and flavors in her baking, excitement for dessert will forever be attributed to her heritage.
Where did your company name originate?
Like us, you may be wondering where the name Velvet Valley Cakes came from. “It just came from my brain, and I thought it sounded cute,” she laughed. A fitting name for such fashion-forward gateaux! At first, the business was called Blair’s Boards, when the entrepreneur thought she’d venture into charcuterie, but alas, it was cake that captured her heart. And we’re all here for it!
How did your business gain popularity?
Blair scaled her entire business on Instagram. “I just kept grinding and posting. People were resharing my work, and that’s how I became Velvet Valley.” You don’t attain 16K followers without effort, that’s for sure!
How did you get into vintage cakes?
“I’ve always loved antiques and old-looking things.” The woman of many talents used to work at an antique store and was super into mid-century modern furniture and 60s and 70s designers. So, she thought, why not combine two of her interests into one? Since there are other vintage cake bakers out there, she wondered how to differentiate herself. “I just practiced and somehow developed my own modern style.” We’d say the practice certainly paid off, but the process isn’t easy! When the baking, filling making, layer stacking, and decorating have all been done, five hours will have gone by. Naturally, the more intricate the piping, the more time-consuming the affair.
How about entremets?
While Velvet Valley has gained exposure from its vintage-inspired cakes, we’d be remiss not to include Blair’s striking entremet cakes. Entremets are beautifully glazed and decorated and consist of various textural layers of sponge cake and jelly enwrapped in a creamy mousse. Blair was drawn to them for their “shiny, marble-like” exterior and wasted no time giving them a try. “When I do something, I really have to do it, go full speed into it, and buy all the tools and ingredients.” How’s that for ambition?
Before you knew it, she’d made her first one and realized that not only are these French desserts delightful to look at but delicious to eat too! For all our chocolate lovers, Blair made an entremet with sponge cake, chocolate mousse and ganache, and a cocoa-licious crunchy layer. I know, we’re drooling too! As with all art, these masterpieces take a lot of time and effort to complete. Every layer must be made separately and then assembled into a mold before freezing overnight. The next day, you’re free to glaze and decorate as you please. It’s a long and tedious process, but as Blair said, “It’s a labor of love!”
What is the design process like?
If you’re looking to order a cake from Blair, it’s helpful to put together some color swatches or create a Pinterest board with inspiration. After discussing your criteria and coming up with the design together, leave it to Blair to materialize your vision. Whether she’s starting from scratch or working from an inspo photo, you can be sure that she’ll use her creative freedom to “make it [her] own!”
Click here to order online.
What is your favorite event to bake for?
Blair’s answer to this question was simple. “I love weddings because I love wedding cakes! They’re so elegant and beautiful.” A woman after our own hearts! One of Blair’s favorite cakes that she’s ever made is her own take on JFK’s and Jackie Kennedy’s wedding cake. The piping features the original swirl design minus the swags. That cake was all the rage in its time, and it’s no surprise that it still serves as inspiration today.
It goes without saying that Velvet Valley Cakes is the place to go if your wedding is vintage-themed. In fact, that’s exactly what Real NK Bride, Jemma, did! She chose a design she loved from Blair’s Instagram page and asked her to transform it into a wedding cake for her swingin’ sixties wedding. It also happened to be Blair’s favorite cake design, as you can see from the company’s logo!
Come back in two weeks for our full feature of Jemma’s wedding!
Tell us about The Great American Dish Off!
If you’re a baking show fanatic, you may have seen Blair on The Great American Dish Off! She saw an Instagram Story looking for contestants and decided to reach out. After submitting an audition video, Blair was selected for the show! The episode’s challenge? Cheesecake. She only had two weeks to prepare but only needed two days to come up with the recipe!
Several nights of practicing (and taste-testing from her family) later, Blair had perfected what would soon become the winning dish: the beloved Coconut Mojito Cheesecake, consisting of lime cream cheese mousse, coconut rum jelly, and fresh mint cream with white chocolate. One bite, and you’ll be transported to tropical paradise!
The best part of all this? You can order Blair’s award-winning cheesecake and see for yourself what earned it the first-place prize. Better yet, it can be custom-decorated any way you like!
Who are your celebrity clients?
Within only one year in business, Blair has already baked for three super celeb clients! Cake and couture collided when she collaborated with fashion influencer, Caroline Vazzana, to make this heart-stopping dazzler for Betsy Johnson. The glitter-covered cherries just scream Betsy!
Next, her new album, SOS, made history, spending nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Yup, Blair made a cake for SZA! After creating a birthday cake for Hannah, event coordinator at Madison Square Garden, Blair became the top choice for the gig. How perfectly does it match the album cover? It was the best way to celebrate the artist’s March 4th performance.
Last but not least, the celeb you’ve all been waiting for. Album of the Year winner and heartthrob to many…Harry Styles!! The border of this first cake included the stylings of Joseph Lambeth, a famous cake decorator of the 60s. Blair made it for Harry’s “Love On Tour” at Madison Square Garden (shoutout to Hannah!). If that wasn’t mind-blowing enough, the Watermelon-Sugar singer loved the cake so much that he requested another! “So, of course, I made one!” Because who’s going to turn down Harry Styles?
As for the requirements Blair received for decorating all of these cakes? None! “They gave me the [concert] flyers and said, ‘These are the colors, so have fun with it!’” Looks like Blair took those instructions very seriously!
Is There a most popular cake design?
Since all of her cakes are custom and uniquely made, there technically isn’t a most popular design, but there does seem to be a fan favorite: the brilliantly bold black beauty, like the one pictured below. Blair has made quite a few zodiac cakes, so if you’re an astrology queen, you know where to find her!
What is your favorite cake you’ve ever made?
There’s one cake that holds a special place in Blair’s heart. “It's the cake I made for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. Obviously, she loved it, so I loved it!” For little kids or kids at heart, a “Baby Shark” entremet is sure to put a smile on anyone's face. Plus, it was filled with chocolate hazelnut and raspberry goodness. Think Nutella with jam. Yum! Any chance of a new fave anytime soon? “That’s my favorite cake until maybe her next birthday,” she laughed.
As for flavors, the matcha strawberry and almond pistachio take the cake! With eccentric flavors like these, who could pick just one? Some other great ones are the Rosemary Mediterranean with lemon and olive oil mousse and Dulce de Leche Banana Chocolate Crunch. Our mouths are watering just thinking about them!
Why do you do what you do?
With all of the different crafts Blair has tried over the years, we wanted to know what makes baking so special. “I just love it. The best part is probably when a customer tells me how happy they are with the cake.” We can definitely relate to that feeling!
And though she may work solo, it doesn’t mean she’s alone. “The other bakers I connected with in the community are also the best part.” The support and encouragement they give is very meaningful. “It’s just so nice to be a part of this little family.”
Finally, she values expressing her creativity and individuality. “Vintage cakes can be similar, but I love making mine stand out.” So that when people see her cakes, there’s no mistaking that they’re Velvet Valley. “I’m working toward making it more of a thing, but I feel like I have that.” Well, Blair, we think all of your happy customers would agree!
Thank you to Blair for sharing her story with us! We wish you much continued success.
<3 NK Bride
