Madison Wiest

From tie-dyed hands to a project that lasted long after midnight, University of Houston-Victoria junior Madison Wiest offers the online world a glimpse at baking adventures through her blog, Miss MadiCakes.

Wiest always harbored a love for cooking and baking, inspired in part by her grandmother who was a great baker. When she got the urge to delve into cake decorating, she said it just made sense to document her attempts with a blog.

“One day, I just kind of decided I was going to do it,” the Victoria resident said of the project, which began in mid-March. “I thought, ‘If it’s a failure, it will be funny. If it’s great, I can impress people.’ So I just jumped in.”

Wiest’s initial projects included work with fondant, rolled-out icing that gives cakes a smooth appearance, and quickly escalated into constructing a wedding cake.

And, so far, so good.

She’s not only honed her skills, but also has gotten positive feedback from friends and family who double as taste testers, she said.

“They ask when I’m going to bring my next cake,” she said with a laugh. “I think that’s a good sign.”

Wiest, a UHV double major in English and education, said she plans to eventually become a high school English teacher. Her inspiration came from a high school teacher who taught outside the box and encouraged discussion.

“I want to make it so my students have fun but learn at the same time,” she explained. “I want at least one student to walk out and say, ‘I’m glad she had us read that. I really enjoyed it.’”

The 21-year-old maintains other interests outside of school and baking, however.

She enjoys reading – “Frankenstein” and works by Shakespeare are her favorites – and recently began training to run a 5K race with a friend.

“One day I just said, ‘I want to do something drastic. I want to train for a race,’” she said. “My friend said she was in, and we’ve been training for about a month.”

The duo’s training sessions are incremental, meaning the friends increase the amount of time they run each day.

“We’re slowly building up,” she said. “And we’re definitely improving.”

Looking ahead, Wiest said she plans to continue with her hobbies and also looks forward to beginning her career in education.

“I think everybody’s excited to graduate and get life started,” she said. “And, once I’m done, I’ll be doing something I love and helping others at the same time.”

Wiest’s blog can be found at http://missmadicakes.blogspot.com.

The UHV Outstanding Student is an online feature highlighting the exceptional students who attend the University of Houston-Victoria. To nominate a student, contact UHV Communications Manager Paula Cobler or call 361-570-4350.