Walking into Smallcakes Cupcakery for the first time, the scent of fresh cupcakes and sugary icing coupled with the look of the shop’s Instagram-worthy creations and chic aesthetic leaves customers elated to dive into their various decadent treats.
Smallcakes owner Michelle Salim had a similar experience as she encountered the cupcakery for the first time in Rosemary Beach, Florida, last September. She and her family became hooked and kept returning for their newfound “heaven in a cup.” Salim decided to bring the chain to Baton Rouge after retiring from her 30-year career in IT.
“I want people to feel something different than what they’d experienced anywhere else,” Salim said. “I want[ed] to bring something like that here.”
Smallcakes has 12 signature flavors, including salted caramel, red velvet, lemon drop and wedding cake, along with a rotating variety of seasonal flavors and offers made-from-scratch ice cream.
The utmost care and dedication went into every detail of the customer experience in this up-and-coming cupcakery, Salim said. An avid traveler and foodie, Salim drew from her experiences abroad in designing the store, citing the look of European cafés she visited as a primary influence. White marble, antique gold accents and decorative Parisian chalk boards were all custom-made to bring Salim’s vision to life. Mirrors, stainless steel and high-top tables help round out the space.
Due to her extensive resume and professional training, Salim chose chef Anna Gill has her head baker. Gill studied with renowned Louisiana chef John Besh, and starts her day at 5 a.m. to begin baking the 1,000 cupcakes needed to meet daily demand. CEO of the Smallcakes national franchise, Jeff Martin, personally trained Gill and her associates to ensure quality and taste, Salim said.
Smallcakes also features cupcake-infused ice cream. One of the cafe’s biggest hits with customers, and the item that ultimately won her over, is the Smallcakes Smash, Salim said. The dessert features a cupcake split in half between two scoops of ice cream and is regularly the most-requested item from the menu, Salim said.
Salim strives to stay true to the signature flavors and items on the menu, but allows her creativity to flow through reinvention. Most recently she’s come up with the perfect carry-along cupcakes for long car rides and even tailgates that are now available in-store. By deconstructing the cupcakes and placing them in a push-pop container, customers now have a portable sweet treat.
One of the most unique aspects of this new hot spot is its accommodations for customers’ pets. Smallcakes’ pupcake is a pup-friendly carrot cake mix with cream cheese icing topped with a Milk-Bone. The pupcakes are the shop’s second most popular item, Salim said. Their creation was a family collaboration which included their namesake, their beloved dog Zoe. Their outdoor seating area and water bowls also help make the shop dog-friendly.
“We wanted people to feel they could bring their animals with them,” Salim said.
Smallcakes is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
