Life & Work with Kira Rouse McNeill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kira Rouse McNeill 

Hi Kira, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up, I was always into drawing. On Christmas day of 1994, one of my gifts was a Easy Bake Oven and I tried to bake everything imaginable in it, lol. My favorite memory was baking a peanut butter cake, and it didn’t turn out as I planned it to, as it overflowed inside the oven. Fast-forward many years later, I would bring cupcakes and different treats to the team meetings at my job. One day, for one of my co-worker’s birthday, I was asked to bake a cake. Of course, I was going to do it for free, but she insisted on paying for it. My first order was a simple chocolate cake. I keep a picture of it as a constant reminder for me on where I started from.

I struggled in finding my talents, I loved playing softball, but I also knew I had something else I was good at, and that was baking. After having a serious meltdown because I was unsure of my talent, I enrolled in a cake decorating class at the local community college. I really wanted to learn how to decorate themed cakes. Instead, the class taught the basics such as baking a cake from scratch, making buttercream, and tracing images on icing. The class was very educational, but I found myself wanting to jump right in and do more of the challenging aspects of cake decorating. Completing the class inspired me to watch YouTube videos, cakes shows, studying inspiration pictures, and practice. Looking back from where I started until now, I thank God for allowing me to constantly and consistently perfect my craft utilizing the talents he has blessed me with.

In 2012 Cakes by Kira was established.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a one-woman show has been far from a smooth journey, but it has gotten a lot better. There have been many ups and downs, and I use each moment as a learning experience.

When I first started decorating cakes, I focused only on buttercream because I was terrified of working with fondant. I would turn down orders because I didn’t want to work with it, and I felt as if I had no idea on what I was doing. The fondant trend was very popular, and a lot of requests were coming in for cakes that required it, my first fondant cake that I used for practice was for my niece’s 1st birthday and with time I mastered the use of working with fondant covered cakes.

I used to sell custom cakes anywhere between $25.00 to $80.00. That changed over the years as my work was improving and learning more about how to operate a business. I realized I was losing a lot of money with the amount of supplies I had to buy and not making a profit.

As I had to increase my prices, I lost customers but my dedication to perfecting my craft allowed me to gain new customers. Although I was a little nervous about my price change, I’m happy that I stood firm on it and thankful that my business hasn’t slowed down.

My biggest challenge now is balancing two jobs as I love both and hold dear to my heart. I am a social worker during the day and a cake designer at night, along with making sure I make time for my family. There were many late nights and early mornings, but I was determined to deliver and get the job done. Over time, I have learned how to manage my schedule better, especially since the birth of my daughter. I have also learned that prioritizing my schedule played a major part in the presentation of my cakes and its outcome. I never want my cakes to look like I just put something together.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Cakes by Kira is truly a blend of cake and art. I specialize in creating custom celebration cakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes, and cake jars. I am known for my signature ultimate banana pudding cake that went viral on social media in 2020.

Furthermore, I am so proud of where I am today because I would have never imagined that my gift from God turned into where I have connected with so many people that believe in me when I didn’t believe in myself. My gift has played a part in my daughter’s life because she wants to bake as well, she loves creating pieces my fondant molds, so this is just the beginning for her.

What sets me apart from others is my personality. I care deeply about my customers and making sure they have a great experience with me. However, I don’t like to compare myself to other cake artists because we are all great at what we do. We all have our own level of creativity, no matter what level we are on.

Contact Info:

• Email: cakesbykira@gmail.com
• Phone: 910-703-7536
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cakesbykira/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cakesbykira12
• Other: Cakes By Kira, LLC

Image Credits
DARKRED Photography