What comes to mind when you think of Ridgefield resident Katie Diamond? Broadway performer? Busy mom? ACT of Connecticut co-founder? Community leader? Wait, there's more...
About six months ago, when the country was locked down due to the pandemic, Katie Diamond found another creative outlet. With Broadway’s lights off, Diamond turned her kitchen lights on, rolled up her sleeves and started baking. She hasn’t stopped since. She's tallied 53 cakes (and counting).
No, not ordinary baking. No Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker boxes.
Diamond admits, “I had never baked a cake from scratch until quarantine happened!” Holy moly frosting! Browse through our photos. This girl has unleashed her kitchen creativity!
Diamond, who is currently starring in The Last Five Years alongside ACT’s Artistic Director Daniel C. Levine and Music Director, Bryan Perri, has managed, nearly daily, to display a sweet masterpiece on social media. And, curious (and envious) minds want to know… How does she do it? When? (I mean, there’s the current production and the challenge of homeschooling three young children).
Here, Katie Diamond shares her secret recipe.
When do you find the time? And during the production of The Last Five Years?
We started rehearsals at noon, so most days you could find me baking in the mornings! And once the show opened, I was baking most days. It's a nice way to be silent and rest my voice, while still being creative.
Where does your whimsical cake inspiration come from?
I'm not sure, actually! My sister is an amazing cake artist, and honestly, I always thought it wasn't for me! But somehow during quarantine, it became such a fun and creative outlet for me! It's been really fun learning different techniques and bringing my ideas to life. I can get lost looking at ideas on Pinterest, and once I have a theme in mind... forget it!! I will be on a mission until it's completed!
What's your favorite creation thus far?
Oh gosh, I don't know! My partner at ACT, Daniel Levine, laughs at me because every time I make a cake I tell him "Ok THIS one is my favorite!" I really loved my succulent cake...but I also loved my unicorn cake... and my shattered glass cake...and my puppy cake... and my brunch cake...
What does your family think?
They used to be pretty impressed, but I think now they're just so used to having cake in the house that they don't even notice!!
Do you eat the cakes? (That's a lot of cake)
I hardly eat any of the cakes, actually! I give most of my creations away. I'm not really interested in eating them...just creating them! And it makes me SO happy when people enjoy my cakes!!
Are you going to take the cake-making show on the road?
We actually started a series at ACT called Broadway Bakes; What's Cookin' at ACT where I create a cake that reflects the theme of the upcoming show. We did a super fun one for The Last Five Years (check it out here) and we'll do another one for our virtual holiday show on December 12th!
Katie, along with Dan and Bryan is currently starring in The Last Five Years and the live stream production has been extended through November 22. Purchase tickets HERE.