Cakes de Fleur
Address: 235 West Plymouth Avenue, Suite 2
Telephone: 801-474-2253
Website: cakesdefleur.com
District: South Salt Lake
“I pour a lot of love into these cakes. It really matters to me that people are happy.” Laurlee Morrison never intended to open a bakery, certainly not one as beloved as Cakes de Fleur. Her career path had already taken shape; born and raised in Salt Lake City, she earned a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Math from Utah State University.
After graduating in the mid-1980s, Laurlee spent seventeen years at Evans & Sutherland in the University of Utah’s Research Park. She was passionate about the logic and precision of code, and even more passionate about problem solving. When she was briefly wooed away during the dot-com boom to work at MyFamily.com (now Ancestry), the role vanished within months. But Laurlee was not shaken. She returned to Evans & Sutherland in a new division, ready to take a risk on a high-stakes project. After coming back from her honeymoon in 2001, however, she was laid off and faced an unknown future.
Laurlee and her husband had both married later in life, a first marriage for each. His cousin, and her close friend Kathleen, followed a similar path. Kathleen and the cousin were introduced by Laurlee, and married a year later. One day, Kathleen remarked that both of their husbands had built successful businesses and asked, “How hard can it be?” Laurlee smiled. The two friends decided to test a simple idea: small, handmade cakes for a local farmers market. “I call this my hobby gone bad,” Laurlee laughed. Neither of them had commercial baking experience, but both had sharp minds for math and science. Laurlee had always loved baking; her mother made birthday cakes with care, and she had made cakes for her roommates at Utah State. Her first wedding cake had been made with her mom, for a family friend with little money and big dreams.
Laurlee and Kathleen had a list of more than 500 possible names for their cake business. But nothing felt quite right. They wanted something that nodded to flowers and flour, that could accommodate wedding cakes and everyday treats. With the help of a linguist friend, they landed on Cakes de Fleur - a play on “cake of flowers” and “cake of flour.” It felt just right. “We’re not a French bakery, but we love the name. We wanted something sophisticated enough for a wedding cake but warm enough for a birthday.”
They never made it to the farmers market, but they did secure month-to-month warehouse space. That was 2004. In 2006, Kathleen returned to her career as a high school math teacher but remains a loyal friend and occasional helper during the busy season. “When you get a computer scientist and a math teacher together, you end up with some pretty geeky cake charts. We figured out how much batter goes in a pan based on geometry.”
Laurlee and Kathleen built the commercial kitchen, learning the hard way what codes and standards applied. Slowly but steadily, they began selling through stores like The Store and Harmons and taking on more custom work. She found joy in creating one-of-a-kind designs for weddings, birthdays, and special celebrations. “I love turning someone’s vision into reality. That’s the big payoff, when someone sees their cake and they’re moved to tears because it’s exactly what they dreamed of.”
Today, Cakes de Fleur operates out of a spacious location on a quiet dead-end street. One customer joked that the location adds to “the mystique of the company.” The store’s retail case is open from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm and it has a growing DoorDash presence. The production cakes - single-layer 4-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch designs - are topped with a monthly flower and make up about half of the business. They are the “bread and butter” that keep the lights on. The rest comes from custom orders: weddings, birthdays, celebration-of-life cakes, and anything in between.
Everything is made from scratch using whole, recognizable ingredients. Carrots are peeled and grated by hand. Lemons are zested and juiced fresh. “If you turn the box around, you should recognize every ingredient listed,” Laurlee explained. “That’s important to me.” Signature flavors include chocolate, carrot, lemon, vanilla, coconut, and red velvet, plus seasonal offerings like almond raspberry, snickerdoodle, caramel apple spice, and chocolate peppermint.
In recent years, the bakery has also introduced a new hit: the “biscotini” - a cross between biscotti and shortbread, made from cake scraps and served as a treat to dip in frosting or pair with coffee. “I don’t like waste,” Laurlee said. “This lets us use everything, and it’s delicious.” They have also added cookies, cupcakes, and cake pops.
Laurlee has become close with florists, caterers, and venue staff across the region, including Have Party Will Travel and Alta Lodge. One of her favorite annual events is Art & Soup, hosted by Community Nursing Services. Laurlee attended it socially for years before she was invited to donate her cakes. She now participates annually, donates a percentage of her proceeds, and holds the event close to her heart, especially after they cared for her ailing mother. “I got to see their organization from the side where they actually help people. That brought it full circle.”
What Laurlee values most, though, is the trust of her customers. They once remade an entire wedding cake overnight when the shade of blue darkened too much under white lace. “The bride’s mother brought me paint chips to match the exact blue that she wanted. We nailed it, but once we added the lace, I knew she wouldn’t be happy. So, we started over. I didn’t sleep but we got it right.”
Laurlee never wanted to disappoint anyone. “The thing that keeps me motivated is knowing that what we’re doing makes a difference. We’ve raised a generation on our cakes. If somebody brings me their dream cake idea, I want to make it happen. That’s what drives me - turning sugar and flour into something that brings joy.”
