Good Neighbor Podcast: Sarasota

Baby Cakes, Big Difference

Virginia McConnell and Brittany Danley Episode 14

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A cupcake can be comfort food or it can be a problem when you’re watching sugar, dealing with dietary limits, or trying to find a bakery that actually gets it. We’re joined by Brittany Danley from Babycakes Cupcakes LLC to talk about building a local bakery that doesn’t treat those needs like an afterthought, from diabetic-friendly sweets to gluten-free options that still feel like a real treat.

We dig into Brittany’s path from childhood holiday baking with her dad to becoming a self-taught baker who develops her own recipes. She shares how Baby Cakes started as a home cottage bakery and grew into a shared commercial kitchen setup with two Sarasota locations plus pickup in Parrish. We also talk about one of the biggest myths in baking: that people who have to watch their sugar intake can’t enjoy desserts. Brittany explains how her cakes and signature cloud frosting are designed for moderation and for customers who want sweetness without the spike, plus why they avoid “typical American buttercream.”

You’ll also hear the simple marketing move that helped Baby Cakes take off: word of mouth powered by community, including giving away free cupcakes to get genuine feedback and build trust. Brittany even shares a fun personal detail about being Halloween gurus with her husband’s haunted attraction, because local businesses are always more interesting when you know the people behind them.

If you’ve been searching for a Sarasota bakery, cupcakes in Parrish, gluten-free cupcakes, or desserts for people watching sugar, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a neighbor who loves sweets, and leave a review telling us your favorite cupcake flavor.

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_01

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Virginia McConnell.

Meet Baby Cakes Cupcakes

SPEAKER_01

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you in need of a bakery? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Brittany Danley, with Baby Cakes Cupcakes LLC. How's it going?

SPEAKER_00

Great, thank you. And yourself?

SPEAKER_01

I'm good. Thank you. Thank you. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you tell us a little bit more?

From Home Kitchen To Sarasota

SPEAKER_00

Um, so we started out as a home uh cottage bakery. We are now out of a shared commercial kitchen in Sarasota. So I do have two locations um in Sarasota, and then still you can pick up here in my home and parish.

How Brittany Became Self-Taught

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. And how did you get into this business?

SPEAKER_00

So I have been baking since I was little with my dad for holidays. And then when high school came and you had to pick like an elective, I did culinary and then woodworking for my dad, but baker uh baking really stuck. Um, wanted to go to Johnson and Wales for college, but that just didn't pan out with money income and so on and so forth. Um, so I'm a self-taught baker. We make our own recipes and go from there.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's awesome.

The Big Myth About Sugar

SPEAKER_01

So, what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_00

That um people who have to watch their sugar intake can't have sweets. They can in certain moderations, and that's one thing that sets us aside from a lot of other bakers is our cakes and our cloud frosting um you diabetics or people who have to watch their sugar intake can um have. We've done it like a few times with a few different individuals, and numbers don't spike. So, pretty much you can have your cake and eat it too.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, I love that. Yes.

Word Of Mouth Marketing That Works

SPEAKER_01

Uh so we know marketing is the heart of every business. Who are your target customers and how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_00

Honestly, word of mouth has been my best friend. Um, I started out with my community here in Parish, started giving out away free cupcakes once or twice a week, and it just started going from there, to be quite honest.

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. Have you thought about having your own podcast?

SPEAKER_00

No.

SPEAKER_01

Um, and outside of work, what do you

Halloween Hobby And Haunted Attraction

SPEAKER_01

do for fun?

SPEAKER_00

Um, well, my husband also has a haunted attraction, so we're Halloween gurus. Um so we do that. And besides baking, that's about it.

Gluten-Free And Cloud Frosting Focus

SPEAKER_01

Uh okay, Brittany, tell our listeners one thing they should remember about baby cakes, cupcakes.

SPEAKER_00

That we do make like gluten-free. So we do try to go into more of the diabetic um or dietary um food issues, I would say. Um, so we do gluten-free. We do, like I said, all of our frostings and cakes are um perfect for individuals who have to watch their sugar intake. Um, and we don't make your typical American buttercream, we make our own signature cloud frosting. So it's our own recipe that we're working on patenting and trademarking.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's exciting.

Where To Find Baby Cakes Cupcakes

SPEAKER_01

Uh okay, so how can our listeners learn more about baby cakes cupcakes?

SPEAKER_00

So we are on almost all social media. We are on TikTok, we're on Facebook, Instagram. And then if you just type in Baby Cakes Parish, since that's originally where we started, uh, you can find us on Google, we're on Apple Maps, Google Maps. Literally, you type in bakery, we will be there.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, well, Brittany, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward. Thank you so much.