A glance at Emily Dreissigacker’s bio shows a slew of career highlights, including a 10th place finish in the sprint, a 9th place in the pursuit, and a 15th place in the mixed team relay at the 2019 Open European Championships in Minsk-Raubichi, Belarus. There is also a bit of Dreissigacker’s backstory — how both of her parents were Olympic rowers and how she also had outstanding results as a junior in rowing before shifting her focus to biathlon after college. There is also a line that reads, “If I were not an athlete, I would…..have a cake bakery!”
However, the two pursuits are not mutually exclusive, and Dreissigacker does in fact have a hobby bakery, Kingdom Cakery, where she makes stunning and decadent occasion cakes in her spare time. FasterSkier connected with Dreissigacker via email to learn more.
FasterSkier: How did you get started as a baker and how did that transition into Kingdom Cakery?
Emily Dreissigacker: I’ve always loved to bake but I got really into cake specifically when I decided I was going to make my own wedding cake. (Dreissigacker married her CGRP and US Biathlon teammate Alex Howe in August 2016.) I did a lot of practice cakes leading up to the wedding and then afterward I had so many other flavor and decorating ideas that I wanted to sort of just kept making cakes.
FS: On your website, it says that you use seasonal and local ingredients – what are some examples of flavor combinations? What are some of your favorite flavors/ingredients to use?
ED: I love baking with fresh ingredients, everything from local eggs and milk to fresh berries and fruit when it’s in season. I think it makes such a huge difference in the flavor of the cake and that’s what I’m all about. A few of my personal flavor/ingredient obsessions are super dark cocoa powder, browned butter, homemade salted caramel, and chocolate cream cheese frosting.
FS: As you are training full time for biathlon, how much time are you able to put into baking and selling cakes?
ED: Not that much. It’s really still a hobby and every once in a while I get to make cakes for people. At this point, I have to turn down as many requests as I accept because of my crazy biathlon schedule and inability to plan too far in advance.
FS: What are your favorite types of cakes to bake/decorate? What creations are you most proud of?
ED: I love doing super tall single tier cakes. I’ve done a few weddings that have been a couple of cakes of different flavors and I love that. Thinking about the different flavors and different looks but still creating a cohesive display is a really fun challenge.
FS: Is this something you will continue doing after you retire from biathlon? Will you try to grow the business?
ED: I hope so!
For more drool-worthy cake photos, check out the Kingdom Cakery Gallery or Instagram.
