Baked by Melissa, take two

Next time I blog for someone to call me, I should probably provide some contact info, huh? How embarrassing. But, intrepid baker Melissa Bushell of Baked by Melissa found a way. Rachel and I met (separately) with Melissa today, at Cafe Bari on Broadway. (You can read Rachel's review here.)

Baked by Melissa


Baked by Melissa

Melissa, a 25-year-old entrepreneur, is bubbly and cupcake-happy. You can't help but like her. And, we share a common love for the Grateful Dead and tie-dyes! (My secret is safe with you guys, right?) Her business card has a tie-dyed backing! Love it.


Baked by Melissa


These are gemstone cupcakes, only slightly bigger than a quarter (she calls them silver-dollar-size cupcakes, but I think that's pushing it slightly), sort of mini-minis, and are beautiful. Each one a tiny work of art -- and a sweet one at that.

My personal opinion is that the cupcakes do have a flour-y, baking soda taste, suggesting to me that the cake recipe needs some work, but the perfectly proportioned frosting is yummy, and the visuals are terrific. When I tried to pry baking secrets from Melissa she did admit that she used Google to search for "easy cupcake recipes" when she began. I'd love to see what some tinkering could do to the cake recipe she developed.

Melissa has a "family and friends" partnership with her web-developer 29-year-old brother, Brian Bushell, and another web-dev friend, Matt Baer (28), as well as Ben Zion, caterer. It's through Ben Zion that Baked by Melissa has been able to bring her cupcakes to events for Pepsi, AmEx, and Patron. I was charmed that Melissa spent time talking about how much as she adores her big brother and how lucky she is to have friends like Ben and Matt.


And now for the cupcakes:

Baked by Melissa


Baked by Melissa


Baked by Melissa


Baked by Melissa


Baked by Melissa


Baked by Melissa


And a special cupcake for Valentine's Day:

Baked by Melissa


While these cupcakes may not be for foodies, they'd be fantastic for events. I can pretty much guarantee the Oooohhh! factor. Adorable, tasty, pop-in-your-mouth easy, and some excellent flavor combos to choose from. Welcome to the wonderful world of cupcakes, Melissa, we're glad you are here.


More Baked by Melissa cupcake photos here; all photos by Stacie Joy.

Comments

veggievixen said…
so cute! i love the valentine's ones.
Anonymous said…
haha. this is a great story. a star personality in the making
Anonymous said…
I have tasted "Baked by Melissa" mini cupcakes and they taste even better than than look!!!!!