Mmmelia Cakes

The metro rides to Georgetown Cupcakes and days of wishing the treats on Cake Boss or Cupcake Wars would come out of your TV are now over, thanks to freshman general business major Melia Stuppy.

Stuppy is the founder, owner, designer and baker of Mmmelia Cakes (http://www.mmmeliacakes.blogspot.com/), a small business dedicated to making cakes and cupcakes of numerous shapes and sizes for every occasion. This one-woman business is run from Stuppy’s own kitchen in Columbia, Md. and will soon expand to our very own campus.

Stuppy first became interested in baking when she was 12. She found a Ninja Turtle-shaped cake pan and decided to bake a cake. This led to her experimenting with different cake pans and recipes. During her freshman year of high school, she got creative with the icing, and she started using the sugar covering on cakes, known as cake fondant, her sophomore year. This was also the year Stuppy began selling her cakes and cupcakes.
 
Aside from being a great de-stressor for Stuppy, baking is something she has grown to love to do. “I found something I enjoyed doing. There’s always more flavors you can make and you never get bored of it,” said Stuppy.

She first received publicity and recognition from an online site known as Cake Wrecks (http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/). The site usually shows pictures and descriptions of cakes gone wrong, but in May 2009, Stuppy’s Taboo game box cake was featured in the Sunday Sweets section. It received outstanding comments and the website seemed extremely impressed, considering Stuppy was 16 at the time. With growing recognition and hard work, Mmmelia Cakes grew.

Mmmelia Cakes produces 30 flavors of cupcakes, including bacon, Oreo, pink lemonade and pop tart. She takes suggestions from friends and family and tries to make flavors new and exciting.

When it comes to baking, Stuppy can usually base the cake off a picture or design given or described by the client. Because of her limited resources, her cakes are usually one to two inches tall. “Because I’m making these cakes for other people, I really want to make them perfect. I can usually make and work around pictures people send me of what they want,” Stuppy said.

Cakes generally start at $30 and increase with size and design. Cupcakes are less costly, but vary according to quantity and how long the baking takes. People come to Stuppy for all sorts of occasions, including birthdays and graduations. For graduations, she usually makes a themed cake based on the school or college the client will be attending next.

In November 2009, Stuppy was even asked to make a $400 wedding cake that consisted of 200 cupcakes in four different flavors. The theme was fall, so Stuppy made the cupcakes a variation of red, yellow and orange, and she added candy leaves for a decorative touch. “I started at 7 a.m. and worked on it all day until 2 a.m. My mom even took off work to help me, and we drove five hours down to Virginia to deliver the cake and set it up,” Stuppy said. “I was surprised that someone trusted a 17-year-old with their wedding cake.” Though she may have been surprised, this was just one of Stuppy’s many proud moments.

“I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I started from cake mix, and now I’m making my own flavors. The idea of being able to improve and the positive comments I get from friends helps me progress. Also, delivering the cakes and cupcakes is really rewarding. I really enjoy meeting the people and making them happy,” Stuppy said.

She has high hopes for her business, hoping to open a bakery after she graduates or to even go to cake decorating school to improve her skills. She would love to have the materials and resources in order to make her cakes and cupcakes more upscale and decorative.

Stuppy is also advancing her business as soon as next semester. Mmmelia Cakes will open a division on campus called College Park Cupcakes, or CP Cupcakes. Because she is in the Honors program, Stuppy has access to the ovens in one of the Honor residence halls, and is also hoping to lease commercial kitchens at bakeries that offer their resources when they’re closed. With the help of some friends, she will start an online order and delivery service that allows students to enjoy Mmmelia Cakes from their dorms. A CP Cupcakes Facebook page will also provide updates, coupons and special offers.

If you can’t wait until next semester to try one of Stuppy’s delicious cakes, stop by Van Munching Hall during Terp Marketplace this Wednesday, November 17 from 12-4 p.m. where Stuppy will be selling over 200 of her cupcakes. Students can enjoy creative flavors such as Oreo, pumpkin, Fear the Turtle vanilla and chocolate peppermint for only $1 while supporting her growing business.