This morning, Kensington Palace announced that California-raised pastry chef Claire Ptak had been chosen to create a lemon and elderflower wedding cake for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding on 19 May.
In 2010, Ptak opened her East London cafe, Violet Bakery, after selling pastries made of seasonal and organic ingredients at a market stall on Broadway market.
In the years since, the West Coast chef has won over Hackney with people queuing up outside her bakery to sample her dark ginger molasses cake, mini cupcakes iced with Valrhona chocolate, and butterscotch blondies.
So, how did a former film theory and video art student go on to be bestowed the honour of creating Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding cake?
Here's everything you need to know about the pastry expert:
1. She started out as a catering assistant
In an interview with British chef Anna Jones, Ptak admitted she had her first job as a catering assistant at the age of 12. Yes, that's right, 12.
'I lied and said I was a teenager to get the job. When I showed up she took one look at me and said, how old are you? I said, "I'm 12 but I can do a lot and I work hard,"' she revealed.
2. She grew up with a love of food
Growing up in Marin County, California, Ptak says she and her elder brother would regularly come home from school to be greeted by their mother with brownies, chocolate cake, lemon bars or chocolate-chip cookies at home.
In 2015 she told the Telegraph that her mother would make elaborate cakes which one year saw her create a Boy George-themed cake. 'She iced him and his braids – she went all out,' she laughed.
3. She once made cupcakes with washing powder
Hoping to avoid the mistake again come the royal wedding, Ptak once revealed she made 500 cupcakes with icing that tasted of washing powder.
'We had bought the icing sugar from a cash and carry in the first year of the market stall. It turned out it was stored in the same aisle as the laundry detergent. It absorbed the flavour. I learned to always taste everything earlier,' she told Jones.
4. She didn't intend to become a pastry chef
The American baker first studied film theory and video art at Mills College in Oakland, California. However, after a year working as a personal assistant in Hollywood, she made the decision to give it up and worked in a clothes shop in San Francisco while baking cakes for events on the side.
After attending a talk by Chez Panisse pastry chef Alice Waters, she took on an internship two days a week, doing freelance baking on her days off. In 2003, she was given a job making desserts for Chez Panisse's cafe and well as patisserie for the downstairs restaurant.
Years later, she moved to Hackney to be with her now-husband, and began working as a freelance food stylist, working with he likes of Jamie Oliver for television adverts.
5. She'd love to bake for Hillary Clinton
'And all the hard-working, over-qualified women who don't get the job,' she told Jones.
Erm, could we love this woman more?
6. She has several cook books
In 2015, Ptak published her first cookbook, The Violet Bakery Cookbook, featuring recipes including nourishing breakfasts, midday snacks, teatime treats, puddings to share, pantry preserves, and stylish celebration cakes.
Amazon describes the book as 'about making baking worth it: simple to cook and satisfying to eat'. She's since gone onto writer several other cookbooks which you can check out here.
Buy a copy of The Violet Bakery Cookbook here.
7. She's all about the organic life
All of Ptak's cakes are baked with organic flour, sugar, milk and eggs and many of the other ingredients are organic as well, like their Madagascan vanilla pods and pure cane molasses.
She also created limited edition buttercream icings that top cupcakes and fill her famous whoopie pies and seasonal ingredients are a must.
'Elderflowers, gooseberries and Alphonso Mango in springtime; Kentish cherries and Dorset blueberries in the summer; figs or Fragola grapes from Italy in autumn, along with local apples and quinces; and blood oranges, clementines and grapefruit in winter,' writes The Independentof her bakes.
8. She loves British chef Nigel Slater
'He's such a great home cook. Being from a restaurant background, it's good to remember that people do cook at home and they don't always have these restaurant skills,' she previously told the Independent.
9. She's a mum
Following a three-year long distance relationship with her English-born beau, she moved to England and married Damien Thomas before welcoming a daughter called Frances in 2016.
10. She's our new bakery inspiration
In the lead up to Easter next weekend, we've tracked down some of Ptak's most delicious springtime recipes to see you creating your own 'Mouthwatering Markle moments'.
- Pistachio palmiers
- Apricot and almond polenta muffins
- Honey chocolate cake and almond macaroons
- Grandma Ptak's red velvet cake recipe
- Cinnamon buns recipe
- Ginger molasses cake recipe
Congratulations, Claire and the Violet Bakery!
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
