For those looking for a petite, artistic cure for their sweet tooth, a new tenant at the Horsefeathers building has the answer.
Buffalo Cake Pops, a small local bakery run by Buffalo native Rosalie Caruso, has recently opened up shop at 346 Connecticut Street. Rosalie has been cultivating her business for several years through her website, custom wedding orders, pop-up events and farmers markets. Working out of commercial kitchens since 2012, she now has a space to call her own.
While her full-time day job is working as a research tech at Roswell Park, Rosalie discovered a while back that baking was her passion. What began as a creative outlet evolved into a small business, filling online orders for cakes and cookies, and creating beautiful wedding cakes for local couples.
“I started baking as an outlet, mainly baking for friends weddings,” she said. “I took a semester of pastry and baking classes at ECC, where I picked up a few things. I also taught myself along the way. Everything has been baby steps, and Horsefeathers is a great building to really get my feet wet.”
One day, Rosalie came across cake pops – delicious balls of cake and frosting molded into various shapes and dipped in icing. She realized that this was a product that would be unique from what was offered at Buffalo’s conventional bakeries, and an opportunity to employ more of her creative, crafty side in her baking. Building upon her already thriving wedding cake business, Rosalie also found that wedding pop cake tiers were a huge hit locally.
Buffalo Cake Pops currently offers over 20 flavors of cake pops. There’s something for everyone – from more conventional flavors like chocolate and vanilla, to more creative options like pink champagne and German chocolate stout. Rosalie fills custom orders for any event and can make cake pops in almost any shape or theme – from elegant wedding cake pops, to familiar local characters like Buffaloes and Sabretooth.
“I get inspiration from a lot of stuff I see around the city,” Rosalie said. “I’ve started to see the world as a cake pop now.”
Buffalo Cake Pops will host a Grand Opening event at the shop at Horsefeathers on Saturday, October 28, 2017. The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the event, which will feature Halloween themed products and a raffle for a cake pop bouquet. The shop will continue to be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Buffalo Cake Pops will also be open during the Horsefeathers Winter Market, which begins on November 4.
Those interested in learning how to make their own cake pops can check out Rosalie’s cake pop classes, which she hosts at various locations, including her shop space and Resurgence Brewing Company. Class prices typically range from $20-35 per person, depending on the number of cake pops and the level of detail. The next class will be “Sip & Pop: Halloween Cake Pop Decorating” at Resurgence on October 18 from 6-8 p.m. More information can be found on the Facebook event page or the Buffalo Cake Pops website. Rosalie will also have Thanksgiving and Christmas themed classes coming up later this year.
“The classes are similar to paint nights or plant nights, but this time they’re coming home with something delicious that isn’t their sixth painting on the wall,” she said. “You get to roll the cake into the shape, dip and decorate it. You can veer off the path and have fun with it. People like the interactive aspect, because it’s their creative outlet, too.”
Rosalie is also looking forward to hosting Buffalo’s Largest Christmas Cookie Exchange on Thursday, December 7 at The Barrel Factory, featuring a cookie exchange, cookie decorating, food, cash bar, and basket raffles. “We want the exchange to be manageable for people, so we’ll have table captains and a guide on how to set everything up. So you can come to the venue, enjoy a night out, and no one has to host or clean up!” she said.
For more updates on ordering from Buffalo Cake Pops and their upcoming events, keep an eye on the Facebook page and website.