Epic Kids, January 2022

Sweet Treats

Ella Rutherford whips up tasty desserts.

The kitchen is where 12-year-old Ella Rutherford shines. The ASU Prep Digital sixth grader enjoys creating inventive desserts for Ella’s Sweet Treats, a persona she created on Instagram with the help of her mom.

“Ella has always loved being in the kitchen with me since she was able to stand on a chair and help me,” says her mom Megan Rutherford. “I picked up my love of baking from my grandma, so baking was always something happening in our house.”

Although she doesn’t have an official website to sell her tasty creations yet, you can reach out to place an order via Ella’s Instagram page @ellas_sweettreats, which Megan monitors. Epic Kids recently chatted with the young baking whiz to learn more about what this chef in training has cooking.

How old were you when you first picked up a spoon to start baking?

I don't remember an exact age, but I know I was little, because I had to stand on chairs to help my mom at the counter. The reason I started was because my mom really likes to bake, and I also picked up the love for baking. It's something that brings me a lot of joy!

What was the first thing you baked?

I think the first thing I baked all by myself was a chocolate chip cookie cake. It actually turned out really good, but it was pretty simple.

What are your favorite sweet treats to make and what has been your favorite creation so far?

My favorite sweet treats to make are definitely my macarons! It's fun to come up with different flavors. My favorite creation that I've made is my mint Oreo striped cake. It was a new flavor and it turned out amazing. The striped cake was also my best one yet, so I was very pleased with how it looked as well.

What do you enjoy about baking?

I love being able to be creative and decorate, especially the decorating part!

What’s the key to making a successful sweet treat?

For the baking part, it would definitely be making sure you're following the directions, baking is a science! The other key would be to take your time, and not be too hard on yourself if you mess up. It normally turns out great in the end.

What are some of the challenges you encounter baking?

One challenge would be that not everything turns out, and you have to redo recipes––especially with macarons. They are very temperamental, and they have so many parts that can go wrong and ruin the whole batch.

Another challenge would be sometimes you have to improvise when it comes to decorating.

The idea you have in your head may not work on the actual cake, so you just have to play around with things.

Where did the idea for Ella’s Sweet Treats come from?

The idea for Ella's Sweet Treats is just a name I came up with when I was wanting a name for a future bakery, and it just stuck. I have done a few orders, but a lot of what I do right now is baking for family and friends.

What do you hope to accomplish with Ella’s Sweet Treats?

I hope to accomplish taking on more orders and creating a small business!

What are your future goals?

My future goals are making it on The Kids Baking Challenge, then graduating high school, going to pastry school (hopefully in France!), and opening my own bakery!

What advice would you give to a kid who wants to start baking?

My advice would be to just start baking. Start small and work your way up. Watch a lot of videos that teach different techniques and let your creativity flow.