Sweet Side: Harvell evolves MarQuette's Cake Studio - Odessa American

In 2011, Susan Harvell made a sculpted cake for her daughter’s birthday after she saw one of the cake shows on TV.

Harvell said she sculpted an iPhone, but she also admitted it wasn’t very good.

A cake made by MarQuette’s Cake Studio resembles an anatomy book during a welcoming party for third-year medical students entering Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Thursday, July 1, at the Odessa Chamber of Commerce. The reception welcomed twenty-two third-and fourth-year medical students from different backgrounds as well as different areas of the country.(Odessa American|Jacob Ford)

Nonetheless, Harvell wanted to continue to make sculpted cakes, so at the start of 2012 she asked her family members to write on index cards what they wanted and she would make it for their birthdays.

“In the family, I was always the one who took desserts for the holidays,” Harvell said. “I’ve always loved the sweet side of everything.”

As she continued to progress with sculpted cakes, Harvell made the decision in 2016 that she would retire from her full-time job at a doctor’s office to pursue a cake studio.

Harvell retired from the doctor’s office in February of 2016 and opened MarQuette’s Cake Studio in March of 2016. She might have completely switched professions, but she explained it wasn’t a hard transition.

“I’m not afraid of taking leaps,” Harvell said. “It just worked out where it was the right time to do this. I didn’t feel like it was a struggle. It was a fun new adventure.”

MarQuette’s Cake Studio’s Taylor Roberts makes a strawberry cake with strawberry filling and vanilla butter cream crumb coat Wednesday at MarQuette’s Cake Studio. MarQuette’s Cake Studio makes all their own flavors for all their creations. (Jacob Ford|Odessa American)

Harvell opened her studio five years ago at 3989 John Ben Shepperd Parkway and she has continued to add to her menu. Harvell credits her husband, family, friends and cake family for her success.

Instead of cupcakes, Harvell has branded her own caquettes which are cakes in a cup. She also serves cookies, brownies, peanut brittle, oreo popcorn and kolaches. Harvell is also qualified to make tipsy cakes, which are cakes infused with alcohol. All of her items are kosher, which includes down to the marshmallows.

In the midst of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, Harvell began practicing making gelato. She said her most popular flavors of gelato are pistachio and vanilla.

MarQuette’s Cake Studio offers a variety of gelato flavors Wednesday at MarQuette’s Cake Studio. Marquette Cake Studio makes their own gelato in house and makes all their own flavors for all their creations. (Jacob Ford|Odessa American)

“We are to the point where I think I have everything that I want to be able to put in for the people and for the clients in the Midland-Odessa area,” Harvell said.

Harvell averages between 8 to 12 cakes per week during the busy time of the year, which is typically from April to July. She said she is booked about two weeks in advance for sculpted cakes, but wedding cakes are usually booked six months in advance.

The success of her sculpted cakes have caught the attention of the Food Network. She said she has been asked on multiple occasions to take part in their programming. Harvell said the first time she was asked would have been for the 2018 Christmas special and the second time would have been for the 2019 Halloween special.

Harvell said it’s flattering to be asked, but she declined both offers.

Yet, Harvell admitted that she would keep the door open in the future.

“That’s a lot of stress, even though I do what they do on there,” she said about being on the Food Network. “I don’t think that’s for me. It would be cool, but the stress of doing that is something that I don’t feel like I would do.

“I would probably soften up to it, but just the idea of getting up on TV is stressful for me. I like being more behind the scenes than in front of the scenes.”

MarQuette Cake Studio

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