Who Is Kristina Lavallee? The Story Behind The Cake Girl

Kristina Lavallee is the founder, owner and celebrity cake artist behind The Cake Girl®, an award-winning custom cake and dessert company based in Tampa, Florida.

Known for her creative custom cakes, larger-than-life edible creations and approachable baking expertise, Kristina and her work have been featured on national television and in major media outlets, including the TODAY show, Food Network, Fox & Friends, Telemundo's Hoy Día, Southern Living, PEOPLE, PARADE and other national and regional publications.

But long before national television appearances, elaborate celebrity cakes, a dessert truck or a brick-and-mortar bakery, The Cake Girl started with something much simpler: Kristina's love of baking and creating memorable desserts for the people around her.

What began from home in 2008 has grown into a nationally recognized brand known for custom cakes, over-the-top creations and desserts that have been featured on national television and in major publications.

Along the way, Kristina has evolved from passionate home baker to professional cake artist, entrepreneur, business owner and the creative force behind a growing family of brands — including Crave’n Cups, The Cake Girl's ready-to-eat cake-in-a-jar concept built for nationwide shipping and future retail expansion.

And the story is still being written.

From a Love of Baking to The Cake Girl

For Kristina, baking has always been about more than dessert.

Some of her earliest influences came from family, tradition and time spent in the kitchen. Those experiences helped shape not only her love of baking but also the way she thinks about food today: desserts are connected to celebrations, memories, family and culture.

That passion eventually started getting noticed.

What began with cakes for family and friends grew through word of mouth as more people began asking Kristina to create cakes for their own celebrations.

In 2008, the earliest version of what would become The Cake Girl began taking shape from home.

At the time, there was no storefront and no national expansion plan.

There was simply talent, determination and an increasing number of people asking, "Who made the cake?"

How Did The Cake Girl Get Its Name?

The name itself has a personal story.

Kristina met her future husband and business partner, Kirby Lavallee, while attending the University of Central Florida.

As Kristina became increasingly known for her cakes, Kirby began referring to her as "The Cake Girl." The nickname stuck. Eventually, it became the name of the company.

Years later, Kristina and Kirby would find themselves building that company together — combining Kristina's culinary creativity and artistic vision with Kirby's strengths in operations, leadership, marketing and business development.

Taking The Cake Girl on the Road

As demand for Kristina's desserts grew, The Cake Girl began appearing at farmers markets, festivals and community events throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Then came one of the biggest turning points in the company's history.

In 2016, Kristina and Kirby launched The Cake Girl Dessert Truck. The truck gave customers a new way to discover the brand and gave Kristina an opportunity to take her desserts directly into the community.

It also provided something every entrepreneur eventually needs: real-world feedback.

They learned what customers loved, what sold, what didn't, how to operate at scale and how powerful the connection between the brand and its customers could become.

The Cake Girl was no longer simply a home-based baking business. It was becoming a brand.

From Dessert Truck to Tampa Bakery

In 2019, The Cake Girl reached another major milestone with the opening of its brick-and-mortar bakery in Tampa, Florida.

For Kristina, the bakery created a permanent home for everything she had been building.

Customers could walk in for desserts while the team continued creating the elaborate custom cakes that had become synonymous with The Cake Girl.

Under Kristina's creative direction, the bakery became known for custom celebration cakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes, mini cupcakes, specialty desserts and highly detailed 3D sculpted cakes.

Her philosophy has remained centered around creating something that tastes just as memorable as it looks.

Because for Kristina, a beautiful cake still has to be a great cake.

Becoming a Nationally Recognized Cake Artist

As The Cake Girl grew, so did the scale of Kristina's creations.

Her work has included everything from highly detailed sculpted cakes to massive corporate and event pieces requiring extensive planning, engineering and teamwork.

Those creations have helped bring Kristina and The Cake Girl attention far beyond Tampa.

Kristina's work and expertise have been featured through national television, media and publications, giving audiences across the country a look at both her creativity and the personality behind The Cake Girl.

But national recognition hasn't changed the foundation of the company. Whether the team is creating an enormous showpiece cake or a birthday cake for a local family, Kristina's goal remains the same: make the celebration feel special.

A Latina Entrepreneur Building a Brand in Tampa

Kristina's heritage is also part of The Cake Girl story. As a Latina entrepreneur with Puerto Rican roots, family, food and culture have influenced both Kristina and the company she has built.

One of the clearest examples can be found right inside The Cake Girl's bakery case.The company's Puerto Rican Cake traces its roots to a family recipe that Kristina grew up enjoying. Over time, she made the recipe her own, eventually bringing that piece of her family's culinary tradition into The Cake Girl. Today, it has become one of the bakery's signature flavors.

For Kristina, that's one of the special things about food. A recipe can begin as part of one family's story and eventually become part of thousands of other families' celebrations.

More Than a Cake Artist

As The Cake Girl has grown, Kristina's role has evolved with it.

She remains deeply connected to the culinary and creative side of the company, but she is also an entrepreneur responsible for helping lead a growing team and brand. That means thinking beyond the next cake. It means developing people, protecting quality, creating new products, building partnerships and constantly asking where the company can go next.

That entrepreneurial mindset helped lead to another major evolution of The Cake Girl story.

Crave’n Cups.

Crave’n Cups: Taking The Cake Girl Beyond Tampa

Crave’n Cups began with a simple idea: what if customers could experience the flavors of The Cake Girl even if they lived hundreds or thousands of miles away?

The result was a ready-to-eat layered cake-in-a-jar designed to make The Cake Girl experience more portable and accessible. Crave’n Cups opened the door to nationwide shipping, allowing the company to reach customers well beyond its Tampa bakery.

But Kristina and Kirby see shipping as only the beginning. The long-term vision for Crave’n Cups includes retail distribution, hospitality, hotels, travel destinations, entertainment venues and other places where consumers are looking for a convenient premium dessert.

Automated vending is another part of that vision.

The company is exploring opportunities to use Crave’n Cups vending machines in high-traffic locations and to develop vending into a franchise model — creating another way for entrepreneurs to bring the brand into markets without operating a traditional bakery.

For Kristina, it's an opportunity to take something created inside The Cake Girl kitchen and introduce it to people across the country.

The Future of The Cake Girl

Kristina's journey has already taken The Cake Girl from a home kitchen to local events, a dessert truck, a Tampa bakery and customers across the country. But she doesn't view the bakery as the end of the story. The future is about continuing to grow without losing what made people fall in love with The Cake Girl in the first place.

That includes developing the next generation of The Cake Girl team, expanding the company's reach, growing Crave’n Cups, pursuing retail and hospitality opportunities and exploring new franchise models.

The challenge is scaling something deeply personal without making it feel less personal. For Kristina, that means keeping creativity, quality, relationships and memorable customer experiences at the center of whatever comes next.

Building Something Bigger Than Cake

It's easy to look at The Cake Girl today and see the finished cakes, television appearances, bakery and growing brands. But those are the visible parts of a much longer story. Behind them are years of early mornings, late nights, risks, mistakes, lessons, celebrations and countless cakes.

Kristina didn't begin with a national brand. She began by doing something she loved and doing it well enough that people kept coming back. One customer became another.

Home baking led to local events. Local events led to a dessert truck. The truck led to a bakery. The bakery created opportunities for a team. And now The Cake Girl and Crave’n Cups are creating opportunities to take that original dream far beyond Tampa.

Through all of that growth, Kristina remains what Kirby first called her years ago:

The Cake Girl. Only now, a lot more people know her name.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kristina Lavallee

Who is Kristina Lavallee?

Kristina Lavallee is a Tampa entrepreneur, professional cake artist and founder and owner of The Cake Girl, an award-winning custom cake and dessert company based in Tampa, Florida. She is the culinary and creative force behind The Cake Girl and is also involved in the development and growth of Crave’n Cups.

Who founded The Cake Girl?

Kristina Lavallee founded The Cake Girl after her passion for baking grew from creating cakes for family and friends into a business. Her husband, Kirby Lavallee, later joined her in building and growing the company and today serves as its Chief Operating Officer.

When did Kristina Lavallee start The Cake Girl?

The Cake Girl's story began in 2008 when Kristina started building her baking business from home. The company later expanded into local events, launched The Cake Girl Dessert Truck in 2016 and opened its Tampa brick-and-mortar bakery in 2019.

Is Kristina Lavallee a professional cake artist?

Yes. Kristina Lavallee is a professional cake artist known for custom celebration cakes, wedding cakes, elaborate specialty designs and highly detailed 3D sculpted cakes. Her work and baking expertise have received local and national media attention.

Where did Kristina Lavallee go to college?

Kristina attended the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management, where she met her future husband and business partner, Kirby Lavallee.

Is The Cake Girl Latina-owned?

Yes. The Cake Girl was founded and is owned by Kristina Lavallee, a Latina entrepreneur with Puerto Rican roots. Her heritage and family traditions have influenced parts of the company's story and menu, including The Cake Girl's signature Puerto Rican Cake.

What is Crave’n Cups?

Crave’n Cups is a ready-to-eat layered cake-in-a-jar brand developed by The Cake Girl. The product is designed for nationwide shipping and future expansion through channels that may include retail, hospitality, hotels, vending and other high-traffic locations.

What is next for Kristina Lavallee and The Cake Girl?

Kristina and The Cake Girl team are focused on continuing to grow the core bakery while expanding the reach of their brands. Future opportunities include growing Crave’n Cups through nationwide distribution, retail, hospitality and vending, as well as exploring franchise opportunities and new ways to bring The Cake Girl experience to customers in additional markets.