A passion for the fashion of cupcakes: Amanda Cupcake
Amanda Cupcake is locally known as the pink-haired quirky baker who bedazzles her cupcake designs on local television shows. Although she started her career off as a fashion designer, she now dresses cupcakes instead of people. Get to know Amanda Cupcake and how she became a real life Rainbow Brite.
Can you start us off with a brief overview of who you are, what you do, and how you got started
I am currently known as the quirky and soothing baker who bedazzles my cupcake designs on local morning television shows. My big dream was to become a fashion designer, so I left Wisconsin for Los Angeles and worked in the fashion industry for eight years. When I was facing some adversity, I moved back home to Wisconsin to ground myself for a while. I started “baking my broken heart into cupcake art”. I needed a “Rainbow Brite” character in my life, and that's when this pink-haired alter ego — my brand as Amanda Cupcake — was created.
I started off by sharing my recipes on a baking blog. I also rented a kitchen where I baked my cupcakes out of a tiny restaurant in my hometown and sold my cupcakes there. A TV station found my blog and told me they loved my work; that's when I discovered that I have a gift, as well as a passion for sharing and teaching. I once thought my big dream was to sell my cupcakes at big retailers and have a huge retail store, and although these are things I've dabbled in through the years, I had to simplify my brand since I’ve had a baby — almost five years ago now. I no longer take custom orders or sell my product at retailers because that's not what Amanda Cupcake is. Amanda Cupcake is a special experience, not a cupcake factory.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Everything I create is inspired by the inner child, in both children and adults. And because I am in touch with my inner child, I have a pretty vivid imagination. What I've discovered is that if I have an idea for something, someone else out there has probably done something similar. I learned all of my baking skills by watching videos, reading blogs, books, and trying new techniques over and over again until I am confident enough to put my own spin on it and make my design a custom “Amanda Cupcake” piece of art.
Has it been a relatively smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles you’ve faced along the way?
I could write a book about how to build a brand and successfully run — or ruin — a bakery. I have a chronic illness, and I have to give myself boundaries or I exhaust myself physically and emotionally. I remember when I first started working as a baker, I thought I had to say yes to everything. I grew up in an environment that encouraged me to be the “girl boss” and to “hustle”. But being everything for everyone burned me out, especially as an artist. After years of experience, I have learned it is ok to say no. Self compassion is so important in order to make room for the things that can help me grow.
About a year into being Amanda Cupcake, I opened my own bakery. I called it the Cupcake Mansion. I thought it was a dream come true. I also sold my cupcakes at major retailers. But I failed. Not because it wasn't a financial success, but because it was too much for me to do on my own. I needed a partner that could fill the roles I wasn't as strong in. When I closed my bakery, it was heart wrenching. When I was done grieving the Cupcake Mansion dream, I discovered that it’s okay to give up on something when it isn't working. I keep trying different ways to make my ideas work by taking it apart and putting it back together again, kind of like a cupcake engineer. I've never given up on Amanda Cupcake — she is now a part of who I am. I've only given up on paths that weren't meant for me or my brand.
Please tell us more about your work and what you’re most proud of so far.
I am proud that I had a dream to become a fashion designer and I became that. I just never knew that the “fabric” would be frosting, candies, and edible sparkles; I dress cupcakes up instead of people. I look back at the past decade and I see that I created my own brand and it has a following. If I never would have become this alter ego of “Amanda Cupcake”, I would have never experienced the most quirky and unusual roles I have fit myself into. Like building myself an award winning cupcake shaped parade float that I hop out of during a popular community parade. Or having people travel to visit the Cupcake Mansion and asking me to throw glitter in their hair — there's a whole market of people who love glitter in their hair — and their beards. Or traveling to a food show to judge a cupcake competition. Or pose on the cover of Fox Cities magazine as a “cupcake superhero.” I never would have been able to help charities like the Make A Wish Foundation or work with children at dessert auctions to raise funds for a new playground. Through guest starring on morning shows more than 50 times, I now know that I light up when I am this pink-haired character who glitters cupcakes on your television screen.
What are you currently focused on?
Right now, I’m sharing my voice as Amanda Cupcake, appearing at events as a public speaker, and connecting art therapy when I share my recipes. My daughter has been like a little life coach to me. She is the one who has made me see that we all need to “play” more and I think I could incorporate that into my work, especially since I have a passion for teaching.
If you could define the word “success”, what does it look like to you?
After everything I've been through as Amanda Cupcake this past decade — through all the wins and the fails — I have truly discovered what I want. If I got there, I'd say that I was finally successful. If I could do anything, I'd have my own baking show where I could teach others how to tap into their inner child through different projects and play with food. With this, it’s like I’m starting all over again, because this is a different audience from the one who wants to order custom cakes and cupcakes from me.
Would you do anything differently if you could go back and start over?
There are many times I say that I'd do things differently. I've always wished that I would have found a balanced business partner to uplift me. I know all the things that didn't work, but if they would have, would I have the awareness and confidence in what I want to do now? I don't think so.
What’s next for Amanda Cupcake?
I have a children's recipe book. I wrote it, hired an illustrator, and the book is beautiful. It's just been sitting here waiting to be printed, sold, or published. The Amanda Cupcake Baking Show is also on my list. While I love being a guest on morning shows, I'd love to wake up every day and have the opportunity to share my creations as my career, on my own social media/television show starring Amanda Cupcake and friends.
You can watch Amanda Cupcake create her cupcake creations on her You42 Channel. And follow her on Instagram for more.