Fair warning to everyone, this week’s VOW will make your mouth water and may cause your sweet tooth to act up because we are talking cupcakes with Amy, from Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe! Our Trend Wedding winners, Matt and Kay are one lucky couple, because their wedding dessert will be provided by Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe, and when it comes to her sweet treats there is really no wrong choice!
Q: What does Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe Specialize in?
A: We specialize is gourmet cupcakes, French macarons and custom cakes of any shape and size.
Q: How did Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe start?
A: We started out of my home in 2011 watching cupcake wars and bringing cupcakes to my work at the U of M hospital. I later had my daughter and then decided to start again in 2014. We did our first wedding in February of that year and have been hooked ever since.
Q: When did you know you wanted to start your own business?
A: I never knew I would be the type of person to start my own business until it actually happened. Getting to be my own boss sounded pretty amazing and I got to make delicious and beautiful cupcakes while I was at it! In 2015 I finally went for it and stopped working the other two jobs I had at the time to pursue my career as a bakery owner full time.
Q: What makes Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe stand out in terms of wedding dessert options?
A: We make everything from scratch and have a personal professional touch to all our weddings. Every cupcake, cake, filling and frosting is made by us always from scratch with only the best ingredients!
Q: What do you like about serving cupcakes rather than traditional cake at weddings?
A: We also make traditional wedding cakes, but most brides and grooms are opting for a small cutting cake for pictures and various flavors of cupcakes for the guests. With multiple flavors, more guests can be accommodated at the same time, whether it’s flavor choices, or dietary restrictions. Everyone is able to have dessert no matter what!
Q: What is an average day in the cupcake shoppe like?
A: We typically bake for most of the morning into early afternoon and finish frosting and filling cupcakes, cakes and macarons throughout the day. Meanwhile Rick (also my dad) is out front helping customers and filling coffee, cupcake and macaron orders for take out and eat-in.
Q: What would you want couples to know about choosing their perfect wedding day dessert option?
A: I would love for them to know they are able to order desserts for everyone. We offer vegan and gluten free options along with dairy free options. So many people now have dietary restrictions of some kind and aren’t able to get desserts at traditional bakeries or restaurants. We love being able to provide desserts for those who seemingly never get to have good desserts.
Q: Do you have any memorable experiences working with couples that you could share with us?
A: Even though we meet couples during their tasting and then almost never get to see them on their actual wedding day, we have developed amazing relationships with my brides and grooms and have even become friends with them throughout the process. Now getting to have them come to the shoppe and enjoy treats on a regular basis is more rewarding than I could’ve even imagined.
Q: What is your favorite cupcake flavor?
A: My favorite cupcake flavor is Lemon Chiffon. It’s a lemon cupcake filled with tart lemon curd, topped with vanilla buttercream and a dollop of lemon curd. It’s sweet, tart and fresh all at the same time. And I love everything lemon, so it’s perfect!
Q: You offer macaron classes? How did this begin and what do you enjoy about these classes?
A: My husband and I went to New York and tried macarons for the first time and I was hooked! I wanted to learn to make them and realized after the 40th blog with the 40th different recipe and oven temperature, they are very tricky to make, and you really just have to figure it out for yourself. So, I came to realize, I bet a lot of people were in the same boat as me. Lost in the apparent macaron madness. So, I spent 8 months developing a recipe, and oven temperature that worked in my kitchen. My first class was friends and family and worked great! Then class after class I was able to teach others to make macarons and have a great evening while doing so. Whether people really want to make them at home, or just have a fun night out with friends, they are able to take home delicious treats they never imagined they could make. Share or not, we don’t judge! I love seeing people be surprised they can make them, even those that “don’t know how to bake”. We all surprise each other with what we can do!
Images Courtesy of Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe
