Julia Child once said, “A party without cake is just a meeting.” I love me some good cake, and thankfully, my friends and family feel the same way. We’re pretty lucky in mid-Michigan to have a variety of delicious bakeries around the area.
My friends and I were getting together yesterday for our friend Tessa’s birthday, and this celebration seemed like a great opportunity to give a bakery that just opened a try: Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery in Okemos.
Smallcakes is part of a national chain, and its Okemos location is the first one to open in Michigan. According to the LSJ, the Okemos Smallcakes franchise owner is Nathan Wycihowski, who was most recently the executive chef of the Creole.
They opened their doors at the end of March, in the small strip of businesses that includes Subway, Biggby, and Mathnasium; the timing seems somewhat unfortunate, considering the massive construction project currently taking over the already-hectic Okemos and Jolly intersection.
Fortunately, their location along Okemos Road is just north enough of the project that it isn’t too difficult to get over there. And boy, it is WORTH IT.
I stopped in yesterday afternoon and immediately loved the colors and design of the store.
I picked out a half dozen of cupcakes for my friends to try:
The cupcakes are beautifully decorated, and the boxes are bright and cheery.
But we all know it’s not about how something looks — it’s what’s on the inside that really counts.
What better than a group of five women to give these cupcakes a taste test?
After a yummy dinner on the patio at Crunchy’s, we dug into these heavenly little baked goods, and boy are they GOOD.
Tessa and I both tried slices of the Red Velvet and Wedding Cake flavors. Both cakes were moist and the frosting was delicious. I love almond flavoring, so the Wedding Cake’s almond frosting and almond cake were a double whammy of delish.
My friends Linda and Kate are big citrus fans, and according to them, the Lemon Drop cake delivered in a big way. Kate and our friend Erin also endorsed the Peanut Butter Cup flavor.
When I asked the staff member at Smallcakes about how business has been with the construction, she told me things are still going well and that in some ways it has helped. She said there are cars cutting through their lot often, so if anything, more people are noticing the Cupcakery.
These cupcakes are some of the best I’ve ever had, and I can’t recommend this cute place enough. It is totally worth whatever crazy detour you might need to take to get over there. I would hate a new business to have trouble because of a little (or big) Michigan construction project. We should all be used to those by now.
Check out Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery at 3520 Okemos Road in Okemos.