She Bakes Some of BHAM’s Most Iconic Wedding Cakes
If you’ve been dazzled by an exquisite wedding cake with exposed edges at a Magic City wedding recently, chances are it was a “Naked Cake” by Daughters Baking. Meet the baker behind the stunning cakes, Mallory Mason! Image: Daughters Baking
While studying sociology and religion at Samford University, Mallory Mason tried her hand at baking on a whim. She took her newfound interest to her barista job at Urban Standard, a beloved local coffee shop that closed in 2020. There, she honed her craft and began toying with making ‘naked cakes,’ which her bakery, Daughters Baking, is now known for around Birmingham. Get to know the woman behind the iconic cakes, Mallory Mason!
First things first, have you always been a baker?
I am from Indianapolis, Indiana, and moved to Birmingham when I was 19 to go to Samford University. My stepmom is French-Italian, so I grew up in a family that loves food and loves to eat! I definitely helped in the kitchen growing up, but baking did not become a passion until later in life.
I studied sociology and religion at Samford, but really didn’t know what I wanted to do in terms of career. I stumbled upon baking while I was in college, when I randomly promised a friend I would bake him blueberry muffins. I had no idea why I had said that! That weekend, I fell in love with baking and baked several different things.
From there, I ended up teaching myself more techniques through YouTube and cookbooks over the next year. I eventually took over the baking position at Urban Standard (a local cafe at the time) and was trained more intentionally by the previous baker. I baked at Urban Standard for four years, and learned so much while I was there — about the pastry world and how a kitchen and business run. It really laid the foundation for what I would embark on with Daughters.
How did Daughters Baking come to be?
During my time at Urban Standard, I was able to play around with different baking techniques and try new things creatively. I eventually decided I wanted to sell cakes on the side. Thankfully, so many friends and people at my church were supportive and became my first customers! I was really encouraged to see that people loved the cakes I was making.
I decided to make an Instagram page as a portfolio for my cakes [and chose] a name that I felt represented a deep part of me, and that also felt feminine and light: “daughters.” My relationship to God is extremely formative to who I am, and this felt like a word that represented that.
Daughters Cakes was taken, so I half-heartedly chose Daughters Baking. People eventually knew me for this Instagram name, so that became the name of the business! For a while, I worked at Urban Standard and sold cakes on the side from my home.
As the business continued to grow, and after hustling for months and months, I eventually got a clearer vision of where I wanted this cake endeavor to go and decided to jump headfirst into growing Daughters. I quit my job in 2018 to rent my own commissary kitchen and dove into selling cakes full-time.
The business grew from there as I got into the wedding cake industry, began wholesaling, and eventually hired a team. We opened our brick-and-mortar in 2021 in Mountain Brook Village!
Why “Naked Cakes”?
Someone had given me a cookbook that taught this specific technique of ‘naked cakes.’ I started playing around with those techniques, adding in my own spin, and I fell in love with it. It’s very fun and much more forgiving to make than the standard way of making cakes. I think this technique is also very beautiful — you can see all the colors and inside layers. Plus, people love the cakes!
What’s your favorite advice to share with brides about choosing their wedding cake?
We have a lot of really fun flavors available for weddings. I definitely encourage brides to go for those fun flavors and get the cake that they really enjoy. Based on feedback from weddings, guests seem to really love them all!
Can you tell us about your baking classes? And what’s your best advice for amateur bakers wanting to hone their craft?
Our baking classes go over our technique for building our five-inch, three-inch, and five-ounce cups. It is a really fun opportunity to meet new people and to learn how to build a cake just like Daughters. We prep all the layers for the cakes beforehand, so the class is focused on building.
My advice is practice, practice, practice. Your first time doing something may not be the prettiest, but after you learn more about the product and build that muscle memory, you will definitely get better and better at what you are trying to accomplish with baking!
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Chill! At this point, I like to just sit and read and not have anything to do. I also love going out to dinner with friends and enjoying fun meals and drinks.
Who or what is inspiring you right now?
Basically, any kind and confident female.
What is your best piece of life advice?
Humility! Stay humble before God and people.
Aside from faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without.
COFFEE. My dog Margot. Dancing.
Lightning Round!
Favorite cake flavor? Coffee Banana, or Coffee Irish Cream
Last delicious local meal? Makarios Salad and Falafel from Makarios — the best Lebanese restaurant in town!
Favorite place to vacation? Montana
Your go-to gift to give? Wine or a plant
Favorite recent TV show binge? Outlander
Book(s) on your bedside table? Garden City by John Mark Comer and Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
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Katie Leigh Matthews
A Birmingham native, Katie is a lifelong waterfall chaser and is passionate about the outdoors. She also loves connecting with remarkable women in the Birmingham community and bringing their stories to life. Katie has been writing professionally for over six years; you can find more of her work at Moms.com and Islands.com.