Some creatives simply make beautiful things. Others build community, inspire curiosity, and quietly raise the bar for what artistry can look like. Elaine Li of Sweet & Shiny, a sought after wedding cake designer in Columbus Ohio, does all of the above—and then turns it into cake.
Known for sculptural designs that blur the line between art and dessert, Elaine creates custom wedding cakes that feel intentional, imaginative, and deeply personal for couples celebrating in Columbus and beyond.
Columbus Wedding Cake Baker and Creative Educator
A Columbus-based cake artist, educator, and all-around creative force, Elaine is known for cakes that make you do a double take. Yes, that really is cake.
Beyond her custom designs, she’s deeply involved in the local creative community, regularly teaching classes at the Franklin Park Conservatory and mentoring the next generation of bakers and makers, making her a respected name in both the wedding and arts spaces in Columbus, Ohio. 
A Creative in Constant Motion
Elaine’s work lives at the intersection of imagination and craftsmanship. In addition to designing custom wedding cakes in Columbus Ohio, she teaches both cake decorating and glassblowing—two mediums that may seem worlds apart, but are united by her love for hands-on creativity and design.
I recently had the opportunity to shadow Elaine during one of her glassblowing classes at the Franklin Park Conservatory, and it was incredible to see how naturally she guides students through the process. Her teaching style is approachable, encouraging, and rooted in helping people feel capable, whether they’re working with molten glass or buttercream.
How Sweet & Shiny Began
Elaine founded Sweet & Shiny in Brooklyn in 2011, where she began refining her artistic voice and building her business. After relocating to Ohio, she grew Sweet & Shiny organically, eventually transitioning into a licensed home bakery focused on custom wedding cakes for Columbus couples.
From the beginning, her work has been driven by curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to take on ambitious ideas, qualities that continue to define her business today.
Teaching, Sustainability & Giving Back
Teaching has become a meaningful extension of Elaine’s creative work. When asked how it influences her own process, she shared that guiding students to achieve results using tools they already have pushed her to be more resourceful in her own designs.
Instead of buying something new for every project, she looks for inventive ways to create using what’s on hand—a mindset that has deepened her commitment to sustainability and eco-conscious practices. Teaching at the conservatory has opened up a new outlet for creativity, one rooted not just in making, but in sharing knowledge.
One of her most rewarding moments came when a student told her they became a conservatory member specifically so they could take Elaine’s cake class, after enjoying another class there. Knowing her teaching helped foster a deeper connection to the creative community was both affirming and meaningful.
Cakes That Push the Limits
When it comes to memorable projects, one cake stands out as a true creative challenge: a highly detailed, sculpted birthday cake that spans half of an eight-foot table.
The design included a UPS truck crossing a bridge (a nod to the client’s gated community), Amazon packages spilling open to reveal favorite things like Starbucks coffee, a Chanel handbag, and Christmas decorations. The other half of the display recreated the family’s home in winter, complete with holiday lights, snow, children building a snowman, and parents standing nearby with coffee in hand.
Elaine admits she initially quoted the project hoping the client might scale it back—but instead, they eagerly moved forward. The result was a technically demanding, deeply personal cake that pushed her creatively and left her proud to have taken on such a bold vision.
The Cake Design Process, Explained
One thing couples are often surprised to learn during the cake design process is just how collaborative and intuitive it can be. Elaine encourages couples to share textures, colors, moods, and inspiration and then translates those elements into a cohesive design, often sketching the cake in real time.
Watching their ideas come together so seamlessly is usually an exciting moment, and it sets the tone for a design process that feels personal, creative, and surprisingly fun.
One question Elaine asks couples that they don’t always expect? She looks beyond flavors and aesthetics to understand how they want their wedding to feel, using emotion and atmosphere as design cues just as much as visuals.
What Makes Sweet & Shiny Special
Today, Sweet & Shiny is one of Columbus, Ohio’s most distinctive wedding cake studios, reflecting Elaine Li’s thoughtful, imaginative, and community-driven approach. Whether she’s designing a wedding cake, teaching a class, or tackling a project that feels just a little impossible, Elaine brings artistry and intention into everything she creates.
Learn more about Sweet and Shiny & book a class at the Franklin Park Conservatory today!
