Hi, I'm Mrs. Kelder.
I've been baking for families in Manlius and the surrounding area for more than 20 years. But in my previous life, I was an athletic trainer for the Fayetteville-Manlius School District.
While experimenting in the kitchen, I would bring sweets in for the student athletes and coaches to enjoy. Somewhere along the way, they started referring to those treats as "Mrs. Kelder's Cakes."
I started out baking for my own family's events, and before long, friends started requesting cakes, too. I created a Facebook page, began taking a few orders from strangers, and was officially baking as a little side hustle out of my home.
That little side hustle didn't stay little for long.
In October 2013, I made the decision to hang up my medical bag and hang out my shingle at 137 E. Seneca Street.
I was incredibly lucky to have met the most amazing and supportive landlord, Russ Brownback, who saw a vision for Manlius as a destination rather than a pass-through. With the help of his general contractor, Ed Chase, and an amazing group of friends and family, we created the original Mrs. Kelder's Cakes. The saying "It takes a village..." couldn't be more accurate.
Love and support from day one
From our very first day, we felt an incredible outpouring of love and support from this community. And over the years, something pretty special happened: my former "student athletes" became customers. I've since had the privilege of baking for their engagements, bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, first birthdays, and so many milestones beyond.
The big move.
In August 2025, we made the move directly across the street to 120 E. Seneca Street. With the help of some truly unbelievable family and friends (starting at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning!), we literally pushed everything across the street over the course of a week.
Our bright new space came with a parking lot in front, an even bigger one in the back (accessible from Mill Street), a much bigger kitchen, a designated party room, and LOTS of pink!
Thank you, Papa.
Neither location would have looked anything like they did without the countless hours of labor from Rich "Papa" Hardy, from painting and woodworking to laying every plank of flooring in the new space.
He has quite literally helped build Mrs. Kelder's Cakes from the ground up.
October 19, 2026 marks 13 years of Mrs. Kelder's Cakes.
In that time, my three kids have gone from preschool and grade school to high school and college. We've grown, changed, and adapted through it all, including navigating COVID, when we kept our doors open with curbside ordering and pickup, along with delivery options.
And now, after all these years, we finally have an actual website! (It's still evolving, just like the rest of us.)
That is thanks in large part to a chance email encounter with the incredibly talented web developer Thomas Tierney at Whitecap Data. His patience and dedication are unmatched. He somehow managed to work around my crazy home-and-work schedule and turn my ideas, ramblings, and probably way-too-many pink requests into a place where we can finally showcase our little shop to the world.
Thank you, Derek Kelder!!!
And last, but certainly not least, there is no Mrs. Kelder without the behind-the-scenes heroic efforts of Mr. Kelder.
On top of his own career, Derek has held down the home front, made countless deliveries, helped with all the things that nobody sees, and will even pinch hit in the dish room when necessary.
I could never have done this without him.
We're so excited to see what this next chapter has in store for Mrs. Kelder's Cakes.
And to every customer, friend, family member, former student athlete, neighbor, supporter, and person who has walked through our doors over the last 13 years: Thank you. Truly.
You have helped this little side hustle to become something I never could have imagined when I was baking cupcakes in my home kitchen.
We are so grateful to be a part of your celebrations, and we can't wait to see what's next!
With heartfelt thanks,
Mrs. Kelder & Family
