A Sweet Life

Baking has always been a passion in Rachel McDonald’s family. Now she’s using that gift to bless Walker County with her delicious homemade cakes. 

Words by Erin Shockey | Photos by Blakeney Clouse

“She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands.”- Proverbs 31:13

 For local baker Rachel McDonald, the only thing sweeter in life than homemade buttercream icing is spending time with family and building relationships in her community. Juggling her many roles—a mother of six children, a pastor’s wife, and a small business owner—is no piece of cake, but through the support of her family and trust in the Lord, she strives to work with willing hands in every area of life.  

When Rachel was a little girl, attending family dinners and church potlucks were ordinary occasions. Her father pastored a church in Carbon Hill and her mother was known among the congregation for her delicious food. 

“I remember at the church auctions, I would always be proud of how high my Granny’s coconut cake auctioned for,” she says fondly. 

Rachel’s family celebrated every occasion with delicious food. Her grandmother never let a birthday pass without baking a homemade cake, which inspired her own interest in baking at a young age.

“I remember being little and thinking, ‘I want to make a dessert that everyone’s going to brag about,’” she smiles.

Little did she know that one day, this small childhood wish would become something much greater.

Years later, Rachel graduated with a master’s degree in Christian education from a Bible college in Knoxville, Tennessee. She moved to Florida to teach and had aspirations of one day working as an educational administrator.

While living in Florida, Rachel met Russ McDonald, who was originally from Fayette, Alabama. The two were married in 2006 and had four children: Rusty, Ruby, Rosey, and Reese. While raising her children in Florida, Rachel decided to start baking again. 

“I sold pumpkin rolls around Christmas time, so I thought I’d try my hand in baking some cakes,” she says. “I started experimenting with my own recipes, especially buttercream.”

Rachel perfected her buttercream recipe just in time to bring it back home to the South. In 2016, after ten years of teaching in Florida, Rachel, Russ, and their four children prayerfully moved back to Alabama to be closer to family. 

Prior to their move, Rachel decided to start homeschooling her children. Even with all of the responsibilities that came with homeschooling, she was still determined to contribute to her family financially doing something she loved—baking. 

“I never thought I would be able to sell my own baked goods because there are a lot of great cooks in this area,” she laughs.

After sending cakes with her husband to work, Rachel began receiving inquiries about how to order her cakes and a new business venture began.

Since Rachel launched her business, Rachel Cakes, in 2017, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. In the beginning, she sold jar cakes, an item unique to her business, but her niche quickly became homestyle cakes with buttercream icing. 

While Rachel considers her style to be minimal, her flavor is far from it. She sells chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, and her best-seller to date, strawberry cake.

But in the midst of her small business’s success, her family suffered the loss of her father and cousin in 2017 after moving to Alabama. That season of life will forever be remembered as one of devastating loss and depression.

“Some days I felt like all I could do right was bake a cake,” Rachel says. “On those days it would feel good to have that accomplishment.”

Looking back, Rachel believes her family’s faith carried them through that difficult season and has carried them through life's changes ever since. One of life’s biggest changes was becoming a family of eight after welcoming twins, Raylee and Reagan, into the world June 2019.

“Life is busy as a family of eight,” Rachel says, “but I am thankful for the opportunity to serve my family and bless our community through this business.”

Reflecting over the past three years, Rachel Cakes has given Rachel the opportunity to make connections with people in her community and bless those around her through her love for baking. Because she bakes everything from her home kitchen, she has had the opportunity to invest in her children’s education through homeschooling, while also providing financially for her family. 

Rachel’s story proves that through hard work and the Lord’s blessing, you can have your cake and eat it too. 78

Visit Rachel Cakes on Facebook or call (205) 300-7722 for more information.