For Casey Kelly, baker and owner of Cravings By Casey, it all began with an Easy Bake Oven. She had this oven between the ages of four to seven, Casey explained. “It baked but it usually took a long time.”
Easy Bake Ovens, turquoise in color, were introduced to the market in 1963. This was America’s first working toy oven using light bulbs as heat. At a cost of $15.95, the first issue of 500,000 sold out over the holidays. By its fifth birthday it had become a household name.
A member of a well-known cooking family Casey was making pound cakes in her Easy Bake but says she learned about cooking from her mother, Charlotte Kelly, and godparents Vanessa and Andra Johnson. “I remember when I was in elementary school, I helped my godmother make cupcakes. I guess my love of baking took off from there.”
A Mathews native, Casey graduated from MHS in 2017, earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Savannah State University in 2020 and a master’s degree in public administration from Liberty University.
Casey is now a Substance Abuse Counselor and Facilitator in Richmond.
She began her baking business about a year ago, using trial and error to develop her pound cake recipe. She joined the Mathews Farmers’ Market in April and appeared almost every week, taking orders and selling at the market her pound cake, gooey butter cake, and strawberry crunch cake. She also went to a pop-up market in Newport News.
“I live in both Mathews and Richmond,” Casey explained. “My baking is done when I get home from work.” She works past midnight “getting ready for market and filling orders.” And she tastes as she goes along, making sure it is what she intended to create. Included in her schedule is baking for the family affairs such as birthdays. “I usually do all of that.” Somewhere during baking and working she gets to read “and I have a puppy which I love to spend time with.”
Now that the farmers’ ‘ market season is over, Casey will still be operating Cravings by Casey through Facebook. It shows many cravings Casey creates such as chocolate-covered strawberries.
“Just doing regular cooking is not my thing,” Casey confessed, “but I do love to bake.”
SNICKERDOODLES
3¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cream of tartar
11/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. unsalted butter (room temperature)
Cinnamon sugar: ½ c. granulated sugar with 1 Tbs. cinnamon
Cream wet ingredients. Sift dry ingredients in batches. Roll cookies in cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350°F. for 9-10 minutes.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BAR
1 c. unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1¼ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Mix all ingredients together, blending well. Line a 13×9-inch dish with foil and spray generously. Bake at 350°F. for 33 minutes.
ICED OATMEAL COOKIES
Wet Ingredients
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
2¼ c. rolled oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Icing
1 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbs. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Bake at 375°F. on a parchment paper-lined pan for 10-12 minutes.
VANILLA POUND CAKE LOAF
Wet Ingredients
1¾ c. softened butter
2/3 c. milk
2 eggs
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sugar
Dry Ingredients
1¾ c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Bake at 325°F. in a greased and parchment-lined loaf pan for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes.