Little Cakes, Big Tastes

After a long day of working (or shopping), it’s always good to come home to a little bit of the sweet stuff. And you can’t get much sweeter than cupcakes.

With luscious flavors and custom designs, Babycakes owner Kirsten Busam’s delectable little cakes satisfy your sweet tooth without breaking the bank. Prices range from $2.50 to $4.50 each.

“I think it’s a great recession dessert,” says Busam, a trained gourmet pastry chef. “It’s small, affordable and indulgent.”

For now, Busam runs Babycakes out of her Covington home, but she is looking to rent an area church where she’ll eventually house the business. Busam is a student of the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State and has more than a decade of experience. She’s worked most recently as the assistant pastry chef at Jean-Robert at Pigall’s downtown.

The seeds of Babycakes grew from Busam’s love of making the tiny treats for friends and family. She decided to sell them to the public after seeing the growing popularity of cupcake makers in large cities, like Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, which has been featured on national news and television shows.

“There are a lot of interesting small cupcake shops out there. It’s time for Cincinnati to catch up,” she says, with a laugh.

Busam has an interesting and yummy mix of flavors, most named after luscious Hollywood icons. There’s the “Marilyn” (vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting), the “Scarlet” (Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting), the “Foxy Brown” (chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream), the “Nutcracker” (gingerbread cake with chocolate buttercream and a gumdrop) and the list goes on and on.

Then there’s the crème de la crème, Busam’s signature “Babycake,” a cherry-lemonade cake with cherry buttercream dipped in pink chocolate.

Some cupcakes, like the “Sally Brown” pumpkin cake with spiced buttercream, are seasonal, so you’ll have to call ahead to see what’s available.

Busam has plenty of stock flavors and designs, but if you’re looking for something special, she can probably accommodate it. Many of her treats can be made for vegan or sugar-free diets. For special occasions, like birthdays or even baby showers, you can make an appointment with her to work on a design.

“I specialize in custom designs and work one-on-one with clients,” she says. She asks clients to provide at least a week’s notice for custom cupcake orders for groups of up to 48. For larger orders she requests at least a two-week notice.

Busam’s Web site is scheduled to launch in 2009, so keep checking back. In the meantime, give her a call at (859) 445-6026 or e-mail her to place an order.

PHOTO CREDITS
Photos: Neysa Ruhl Photography
Location: The McAlpin

Makeup Artistry: Rebecca Long

Hairstyling: Shay Mendenhall, of Posh Salon, (513) 821-8999