Hi there, nice to meet you!
I’m Liz Marek, welcome to my digital kitchen — a place where sugar, salt, and creativity all live happily together.
I’m the voice, baker, and chef behind Sugar Geek Show. I create recipes, teach techniques, film tutorials, and spend countless hours testing every recipe to make sure it turns out exactly the way it should.
I live in beautiful Oregon with my kids, Avalon and Ezra, my partner Gage, and far too many plants. I’m an artist at heart, a little bit of a perfectionist, and completely obsessed with all things flavor.
From Cakes to Carnivores
I started my career as a cake artist, building realistic sculpted cakes and teaching others how to do the same through classes, tutorials, and my online school. Over the years, Sugar Geek Show grew into a trusted resource for bakers who wanted creative recipes that actually work.
But somewhere between batches of buttercream, I fell in love with the savory side of cooking. The same attention to detail that makes a perfect cake also makes a perfect sauce or roast chicken. These days, my kitchen is split between pastry and dinner prep — one side smells like chocolate, the other like garlic and butter — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Now I share both sides of flavor: comforting sweet recipes and savory meals made with a baker’s precision and a home cook’s heart.
My Food Philosophy
I believe great food should taste amazing and make sense. If I don't GENIUNELY believe I've nailed the best version of a recipe, I won't publish it.
That means:
- Reliable recipes that work every time.
- Big, balanced flavor in every bite.
- Everyday ingredients used in creative ways.
- A little science and a lot of fun.
My goal is to help you understand why things work in the kitchen — whether it’s how gluten builds structure in bread or why mushrooms brown better when you don’t crowd the pan. I want to make cooking feel approachable, a little geeky, and totally delicious.
A Bit About Me
I started baking in my tiny Oregon kitchen over a decade ago. What began as a one-woman cake business called Artisan Cake Company turned into Sugar Geek Show, a community of millions of bakers and food lovers from around the world.
My work has been featured on Good Morning America, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, The View, and Watch What Happens Live.
After years of focusing on sugar and structure, I started experimenting with savory recipes — braised beef, homemade sauces, sourdough everything — and realized my love of food was bigger than baking alone.
When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m traveling with Soul Sisters Travel. A lot of my cooking is inspired by places I have visited and my desire to re-create dishes as authentically as possible.
What You’ll Find Here
- Tried-and-true baking recipes with clear instructions and real results.
- Savory meals that are comforting, flavorful, and made from scratch.
- Sourdough projects for every skill level (and every discard jar).
- Tips and tricks that teach you the why behind great cooking.
- A mix of science, creativity, and a lot of butter.
What you won’t find: trendy gimmicks, flavorless “health food,” or shortcuts that sacrifice taste.
Let’s Cook Together
Whether you’re here to bake a gravity-defying cake or master the perfect creamy mushroom sauce, I’m so glad you found your way here. I hope my recipes inspire you to play, experiment, and fall in love with every part of cooking — from the first whisk to the last bite.
“Great food isn’t about perfection — it’s about curiosity, creativity, and always a little bit of butter.”
~ Liz
For teaching inquiries please contact liz at liz@sugargeekshow.com
Follow Liz online:
TV Appearances
- Is It Cake? – Netflix
- Super Mega Cakes – Food Network
- Halloween Wars – Food Network
- Duff Till Dawn – Food Network
- Ridiculous Cakes – Food Network
- Foodtastic – Disney+
- AM Northwest – KATU
- Fox 12 Portland Morning Show
- From Sugar Geek to Online Influencer – Podcast Interview
- KATU Lifestyle Feature
Publications/Press
- “Liz Marek – Artisan Cake Company” — Cake Masters Magazine
- “Ask The Expert: Liz Marek” — Cake Masters Magazine
- “Cake Masters – March 2017” — includes a feature on Liz Marek / Sugar Geek Show (Scribd)
- “Liz Marek’s Mermaid 2.0” — SugarWorks blog; mentions that her work has been featured in BRIDES, Oregon Bride, Portland Bride & Groom, Cake Masters, American Cake Decorating Magazine (Innovative Sugarworks)
- “‘Your cake is on Reddit!’: how one small-town baker’s creations went viral” — The Guardian (feature on her viral cake work) (The Guardian)
- “3 Gravity Defying Wedding Cakes That Will Blow You Away” — SugarGeekShow’s blog, referencing that one of her cakes was featured on Outrageous Wedding Cakes (Sugar Geek Show)
Awards & Honors
- 2022 - Inducted into the I.C.E.S Hall of Fame
- 2017 — Named one of the Top 10 Cake Artists, USA by Cake Masters Magazine (Wikipedia)
- 2018 — Nominated to represent the U.S. in the 2019 World Cake Designers Championship (Wikipedia)
- Cake Hero Award — Awarded by American Cake Awards (CookIt Media)
- DMAS 2022 — Cake Artist of the Year (winner) (Wikipedia)
- EAGA (Hong Kong / international) — “Most Inspiring Sculpted Cake” award (Wikipedia)
- Grand Prize — Threadcakes online cake competition (2012, 2013) (CakeMade Blog)
- First Place — Capital Confectioners’ That Takes the Cake! competition (2014) (CakeMade Blog)
- First Prize — Steampunk cake winner in the 2010 CakeCentral competition (CakeMade Blog)