Be it a five-tier wedding cake weighing 150 pounds or a small cupcake looking like a piece of art, Simone makes them all. The cakes come in different flavors: chocolate, lemon- or champagne raspberry or strawberry and cream, just to name a few.
“I was bitten by a cake bug!” said Simone Stanton smiling, resting for a moment in front of her cakery in Key Colony Beach, Batter Up! Cupcakery.
Before moving to the Keys eight years ago Stanton, who has a background as a legal secretary and her husband Carl, who’s a chef, had a catering business in Maryland. While catering weddings and other events, she outsourced the cakes. That’s when she decided to learn how to make those delicious deserts herself. She started taking decorating classes. In fact, she was so good at it, that the instructor asked her to teach the course. “It was so much fun!” recalled Simone.
Stanton is originally from Maryland but Carl was born in Texas. The Stantons and their three daughters came down to the Keys on a spring break and fell in love with the area. When Carl was offered a position at the Marathon High School, they decided to make the move.
Stanton wanted to use a word connected to the process of making the cake in the name of her business. “’Batter up’ popped into my head because we don’t just do cupcakes. We also make big cakes for any occasion. People love our Sin Buns – big cinnamon rolls,” explained Stanton.
They also bake cookies – white chocolate macadamia nut, chocolate chunk, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter and sugar. As far as muffins go, cappuccino chocolate chip is the favorite, followed closely by blueberry, cinnamon apple, banana nut and orange cranberry with huge fresh berries.
And then those fun cupcakes. They come in exotic flavors like chicken and waffle or some with a touch of a special flavor — Bloody Mary, mimosa, grasshopper, brandy alexander or Fireball.
Their children, now 21, 16 and 14, help with the business. On Saturdays, her football coach husband pitches in as well. On Sundays the bakery is closed but that’s when the chicken pot pies and quiches are baked and new soup recipes are worked out for the next week. “Everybody seems to love our Cuban sandwich,” said Stanton and added that they had tried to open the business a couple of years ago but it just didn’t happen. “Here I am now, having my own cakery and loving every minute of it. I was meant to bake cakes. Doing what you love – who can say that? It’s the best thing ever!”
Batter Up! Cupcakery
305 Sadowski Causeway, Key Colony Beach
Open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Sunday.
305-692-0250
www.batterupcupcakery.nt
The shop is hosting a special “mommy and me” cake-decorating class on Sunday, May 5. Call for more information.
