This Valentine's Day, impress your sweetie with some sweet surprises. CupCake Sweetie is a new bakery in downtown Auburndale that specializes in cupcakes and other tasty confections.
For Valentine's Day, the shop will feature chocolate roses, candy and cupcake bouquets, heart-embellished cakes and other sweet treats.
Owner Fanny Farmer, who has a master's of business administration degree in accounting, says she opened the shop in September 2009 as a way to be surrounded by happiness.
"I worked for years as an accountant in the building and developing field," she says. "I was tired of the stress, the lawsuits and the poor business from the economy. I wanted to do something where I'd be surrounded by what makes me happy."
She also says she opened her shop as a tribute to her late grandmother.
"I grew up watching and learning from her in the kitchen," says Farmer, who had little formal training aside from a few classes 15 to 20 years ago. "Everything I know, I learned from her, from doing it myself and from books."
CupCake Sweetie started as an online business venture by Farmer and her husband.
"We got so many orders, I had something for every weekend," she says. "After seeing how many people wanted to order from the Internet, I decided it was time to open a shop."
The shop has become a family affair, Farmer says. "My husband helps a lot," she says. "When he gets off work, he'll come by and help me clean up. I love the baking, but I hate washing dishes. And, in the afternoons, my daughter comes and helps me when she's finished with preschool."
Aside from offering a variety of treats, CupCake Sweetie also offers a good time.
"We host cupcake decorating parties, birthday parties, and even offer parties in a box, where all the supplies come packaged so people can decorate at home or for school parties," she says. "People have a lot of fun decorating cakes."
Farmer says she also finds joy in the creative outlet baking provides.
"Sometimes when people come in, they say, 'I'm having a baby shower or a birthday, and I don't have any ideas for what I want. Do whatever you want,' " Farmer says. "That's a lot of fun because I get to be creative."
In addition to selling cupcakes, Farmer says her shop offers "anything you bake in the oven," including cakes, pies, cookies, "ca-pops" (mini cupcakes on a stick) and molded chocolates.
Farmer says she can put together orders placed two days in advance of an event, but it's always good to make orders early.
"We're already getting a lot of Valentine's Day orders," she says. "So, people need to go ahead and get them in."
CupCake Sweetie is open Tuesday through Saturday. The shop is at 106A Main St., Auburndale. For details, call 863-956-2040 or visit online at www.cupcakesweetie.com.
