Worthy Cakes sweetens Ocoee

Asha Worthy-Robinson loves cake so much that she began baking them at age 9 so she could have it whenever she wanted. Now, the 29-year-old cake creator is operating her own cake shop and bakery-supply business in Ocoee.

“I was the one in middle school bringing cupcakes to class all the time,” she said with a laugh. “I was that girl.”

Worthy-Robinson co-owns Worthy Cakes, located at 424 Story Road, with her mother, Grace Worthy. The shop has operated under a soft opening since late December and officially opened mid-January. Prior to opening the brick-and-mortar location, Worthy Cakes set up shop at local farmers markets. Products are also sold at local Tijuana Flats and Wahlburgers locations, Worthy said.

“We started working out there in the farmers market, the Winter Garden one, and we (also) do the Lake Eola one in downtown (Orlando),” Worthy-Robinson said. “That’s how Tijuana Flats found out about us. They were so interested in the push-up cakes that we do that they wanted to carry them in their stores.”

The shop offers custom cake creations, as well as a wide variety of baking supplies for other confectionery connoisseurs. From cookie cutters and fondant to cake boards and cake boxes, Worthy Cakes is sure to meet the needs of any baker. The shop also offers Worthy Cakes’ farmers market staples — cakes in a jar and push-up cake pops — for those looking for a quick cake fix on the go. The shop even offers vegan, gluten-free and keto options. Customers who want to order a custom cake can place orders on site, online or by phone.

“I wanted to make sure we carried things for people that do (chocolate-dipped) strawberries, people that do candy apples (or) people that do cookies,” Worthy-Robinson said. “It’s so hard to find professional, quality (baking) products without having to order it online.

“We’ve had bakers stop by, and they’re just excited because they can get their supplies on the west side (of the county),” Worthy said.

Although Worthy-Robinson has been baking cakes for 20 years, she never went to culinary school. Instead, she was a student of the TV baking shows and YouTube. Worthy helped along the way with some of the cake recipes. She didn’t go to culinary school, however, she did get a degree in health science.

“She would go on YouTube channels to get different ideas,” Worthy said. “She self-taught herself, which I’m really proud of her (for that). She didn’t ask me for anything. All I did was have recipes, but as far as this other fancy stuff that she does, she’s totally self-taught.

“My favorite TV shows to watch were ‘Ace of Cakes,’ and, of course, Carlo’s Bakery, and now he’s in the Florida Mall,” Worthy-Robinson said. “I picked up a lot of things from watching them faithfully, whenever it was on.”

Worthy-Robinson and her mother both live in Ocoee. They used to bake the cakes for their business at a commercial kitchen in Oviedo. In addition, they also traveled to various shops around Orange County — many on the east side — to get the supplies they needed to run their business. With their brick-and-mortar location close to home and because they now sell bakery supplies, the mother-daughter duo behind Worthy Cakes can look forward to a lot less driving to operate their business.

“We needed our own, personal space,” Worthy-Robinson said. “Before we had this location, it was just always me having to go to the east side of town if I needed stuff for decorating. So I was like, ‘Well let’s just put the two (businesses) together. Let’s do both (cakes and supplies).’”