{"id":76466,"date":"2026-09-08T20:31:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T00:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=76466"},"modified":"2026-09-09T14:53:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T18:53:46","slug":"woolenberg-baker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/woolenberg-baker\/","title":{"rendered":"How Sweet It Is: Sophomore Hotelie Bakes Her Way to Internet Acclaim"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

She boasts 145,000 Instagram followers\u2014and we have the Big Red \u2018dot cake\u2019 recipe she made just for her fellow Cornellians!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ivy Woolenberg \u201929 was eight years old when she asked her grandmother to teach her how to bake French macarons. Not chocolate chip cookies or brownies\u2014though Woolenberg casts no shade on them\u2014but a highly technical, multi-step dessert that can stymie even the most seasoned home bakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A decade later, the sophomore Hotelie is still making tempting treats\u2014now for her 145,000 followers on Instagram<\/a> (plus nearly 30,000 more on TikTok<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the brand Baked with Love by Ivy, Woolenberg creates a variety of delectable concoctions, from matcha latte tiramis\u00f9 to M&M cookie ice cream sandwiches to a moist loaf that evokes the best part of a blueberry muffin (the top, of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Chocolate<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n
Woolenberg creates mouth-watering desserts for her social followers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019re in such a digital world, and there aren\u2019t so many things you can just get your hands into\u2014touch the flour and the butter and rub them between your fingers, or pipe a cake,\u201d Woolenberg says. \u201cTo me, having something that\u2019s really physical is very relaxing. But it also exercises my creative side, which I enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolenberg is perhaps best known for her upside-down cakes, in which she arranges a layer of fruit\u2014rhubarb stalks, say, or lemon slices\u2014followed by batter, forming desserts that, when flipped, display a pleasing decorative pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I feel like we\u2019re in such a digital world, and there aren\u2019t so many things you can just get your hands into\u2014touch the flour and the butter and rub them between your fingers, or pipe a cake.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first one I almost didn\u2019t post, because when I slid the cake toward the camera, it split down the middle,\u201d she recalls of a peach creation. \u201cIt was basically a fail, but I thought I\u2019d post it anyway\u2014and it got over 40 million views. So I have a special relationship with upside-down cakes, because of how that failure led to a great success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An L.A. native, Woolenberg kept baking after that first session with her grandma\u2014a pastry chef who spent part of her childhood in France\u2014and at age 11 the future Hotelie launched her own business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Ivy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ivy<\/figure>\n
Some of her youthful baking exploits.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI decided I\u2019d sell mini cupcakes and mini cookies to my friends at school; it quickly spread by word of mouth, and I began doing birthday cakes and custom orders for my community,\u201d she recalls. \u201cWhen COVID hit I had a lot more time on my hands and all the bakeries were closed, so I was doing a lot of orders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolenberg also documented those bakes on social media\u2014and after returning to school following the pandemic, she shifted from filling orders to producing content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, she even appeared on a kids\u2019 TV baking competition, winning an episode of the \u201cDisney Magic Bake Off\u201d with a teammate for a whimsical, multi-tiered, pink-and-green cake<\/a> themed to the iconic Mad Tea Party ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Green
Strawberry matcha cookies, inspired by an offering from Crumbl.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, Woolenberg balances her career as a content creator with her studies in the Nolan School\u2014baking out of friends\u2019 off-campus kitchens, with the \u201crent\u201d paid in desserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has had partnerships with major food brands including Nutella, Eagle condensed milk, and Lindt chocolate, as well as cosmetics companies like Sephora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolenberg has had partnerships with major food brands including Nutella, Eagle condensed milk, and Lindt chocolate, as well as cosmetics companies like Sephora.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re at a time where people of my generation are more excited about cooking and baking than ever,\u201d Woolenberg observes, citing among the motivators the current crop of \u201ctrad wife\u201d influencers: \u201cThey go viral for dressing up and making homemaking look almost effortless, so a lot of people are inspired to get into the kitchen and try these things themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As students were returning to campus in fall 2026, Woolenberg collaborated with the Johnson College on a Cornell-themed version of the viral \u201cdot cake,\u201d a treat\u2014pioneered several years ago by a Long Island bakery<\/a>\u2014that had become all the rage in the NYC area and on social media the previous summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s essentially a single-serving cake in a cup, with a flat top coated in icing and dipped in tiny, spherical sprinkles, forming a dense shell that fans can spoon into with a satisfying crunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolenberg\u2019s Big Red version<\/a> has a red velvet base that\u2019s not baked in the cup, but rather cut into circles and alternated with cream cheese frosting in a glass jar, creating an attractive, layered presentation akin to a trifle.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Ivy
In the family kitchen back home.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom a baking perspective, I feel like it\u2019s really accessible for my audience, because if you\u2019re not comfortable with piping or frosting a stand-up cake, it\u2019s really easy to dip a cake into sprinkles,\u201d says Woolenberg. \u201cYou could even do it with a boxed cake mix and a can of frosting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cornell Dot Cakes<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Adapted from a recipe by Ivy Woolenberg \u201929<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Makes four 7\u20138 oz. jars)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the cake:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

1 stick (\u00bd c.) unsalted butter, softened<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 c. white granulated sugar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 eggs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 \u00bc c. all-purpose flour<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 \u00be tsp. baking powder<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bd tsp. salt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2153 c. milk<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bc c. Greek yogurt or sour cream<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 tsp. white vinegar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red gel food coloring (~1 tsp. depending on strength)<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Three<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For the frosting:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 stick (\u00bd c.) unsalted butter, softened<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 oz. cream cheese<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bc tsp. salt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 c. powdered sugar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 tbsp. milk (as needed to reach a smooth consistency)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bd c. red and white nonpareil sprinkles<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preheat oven to 350 \u00b0F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the cake:<\/em> Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate container, whisk milk, yogurt, vinegar, vanilla, and gel color. Add half of dry mixture to butter mixture and mix to combine. Add milk mixture and mix to combine. Finish on rest of dry mixture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grease a quarter-sheet pan and line it with parchment paper. Transfer batter to pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake for 18\u201322 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n <\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For the frosting:<\/em> Whip together butter, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, adding milk as needed to help frosting reach a smooth consistency. Transfer half of frosting to a piping bag (if you choose to use one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assembly:<\/em> Once cake is fully cooled, cut into circles that are the same circumference as your serving jars. Insert a cake circle into each jar, pipe or spoon in a layer of frosting, and top with another cake circle. Top with a scoop of frosting, smooth it into an even layer with an offset spatula, and dip into sprinkles. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top: Woolenberg in a Nolan School teaching kitchen (Sreang Hok \/ Cornell University).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published September 8, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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