PRINTThe mini-guide to cupcakes in Columbia
Local cupcake bakeries are sprinkled around town
Stock Photo
November 3, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Columbians can now satisfy their sugar cravings without having to bake. Columbia is getting its first cupcake storefront this month with the opening of The Velvet Cupcake. The new bakery, located next to the Tiger Hotel, joins a local club and two specialty bakers in the town’s up-and-coming cupcake scene.
The Velvet Cupcake
Where: 23 S. Eighth St.
Contact: 875-8888
Online: facebook.com/pages/The-Velvet-Cupcake
The Velvet Cupcake is set to open soon, right next door to the Tiger Hotel. “We were looking for something that would service the catering events we have,” Tiger Hotel’s CEO Glyn Laverick says. “We do so many weddings and have a big need for bakers. It’s a business that works with the hotel.”
The Velvet Cupcake will provide baked goods for events at the hotel so that wedding planners can save a step when looking for a baker. Once The Velvet Cupcake opens its doors, look for innovative flavors such as coconut lime, coffee cocoa, pineapple upside-down cake and a low-carb option, too.
MU’s Cupcake Club
Where: Middlebush Hall, MU
Cost: $10 in dues
Contact: Mizzou Cupcake Club on Facebook
Last fall, Ashley Crockett, an MU senior, was running late for class and was trying to find her classmate Brynden Gibbens.
“I basically caught her red-handed with a cupcake in her mouth,” Crockett says. On their way to class, they talked about their affinity for cupcakes. “We decided, ‘Hey, why not make a cupcake club?’” she says. That day, Crockett made a logo for the club.
In its second academic year on campus, the Cupcake Club has more than 70 members who meet about once a month. Crockett brings pre-baked cupcakes and members try out new techniques and designs such as MU icons, snowmen and Cookie Monster-inspired cakes that incorporated chocolate chip cookies. They held their first bake sale Oct. 19 and raised almost $200 for the Central Missouri Humane Society. “We’re suckers for our furry friends at the Humane Society,” Crockett says. “It’s fun to make cupcakes, but it’s even better to make them for a cause.”
Bijoux Cupcakes & Sweets
Cost: $18 per dozen for basic cupcakes; $24 per dozen for custom designs
Contact: 239-2408
Online: bijouxcustomcupcakes.com
Sarah Devoto, an MU graduate with an emphasis in Textile and Apparel Management, used to work as a merchandiser for Dillard’s. But she found that she longed for a more creative role. “I like working with my hands and creating things,” Devoto says.
Devoto gave birth to her daughter in May 2009 and decided that a cupcake and sweets business would be a good career that would let her work from home and take care of her daughter. For Devoto, the idea of her own storefront is “so appealing, but the logistical side is also very scary.”
Right now, Devoto works out of her kitchen and makes anywhere from 250-400 cupcakes a week. Click here to see how Devoto makes her signature carrot cake cupcakes.
Naturally Cupcakes
Cost: $1.75 per cupcake; $21 per dozen
Contact: 673-6684
Online: naturallycupcakes.blogspot.com
Like Devoto, April Rodeghero had a baby in 2010 and decided she’d like a job where she could work from home and not have to put her daughter, Lucy, in daycare. But her cupcakes are different from other companies’ sweet treats: They’re 100 percent vegan. “Vegan baked goods are really light,” she says. “Because there are no eggs or milk or anything heavy, you can taste more flavors.”
With little spare time, Rodeghero has found that getting her name out has been one of her biggest difficulties. She mostly relies on Facebook and word of mouth. Although she also makes cakes and smaller cake pops, Rodeghero says cupcakes are definitely her best seller. And though she is technically the only employee, Rodeghero’s friends and family, including her one-year-old daughter, constantly help out with her baking and decorating processes.
