valentine's day Cupcake Baker(s) of the Week: Janelle Craft & Jennifer Bunkers

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Matching aprons, check. Catchy tagline ("History in the Baking!"), definite check. Dazzling smiles, double and triple check. These baking gals sure seem like they have their act together. Not to mention, their cupcakes made quite an impression at our last NYC Cupcake Business Class.

Sweet Vintage Baking Co.'s cupcakes are inspired by, and honorably named after,  the "sweet" women in their lives. Meet "Frances", a Vanilla Cupcake with Pink Vanilla Buttercream and White Non-pareils, or "Doris", an Orange Velvet Cupcake with Orange Buttercream (pictured below).

Read on for more about how Sweet Vintage Baking Co. came to be, seasonal cupcake flavors, and...gasp! A Cupcake Smugger!

Name: Janelle Craft & Jennifer Bunkers, Sweet Vintage Baking
Location: Sparta, New Jersey
Website: www.sweetvintagebakingco.com

1. How did you get into cupcake baking?

Both of us have a passion for baking, which is a result of growing up baking with our mothers, grandmothers and aunts and the passion for baking that these women possessed. As accomplished home bakers and moms to young children, it seemed most fitting to specialize in cakes and cookies, but most of all, cupcakes. We also felt we had a unique perspective to offer by paying homage to the women in our families who handed down their love for baking (and recipes!). That’s why each of our flavors has “her” own name.

2. Do you have a signature cupcake?

Yes! We took our old-fashioned vanilla cupcake (“Frances”) and our decadent chocolate cupcake (“Mabel”) and dressed them up with pink buttercream and white non pareils. You can see these “ladies” on the front page of our website.

3. What kind of cupcake do you plan to bake next? 
We are focused on our seasonal holiday flavors such as Gingerbread, Chocolate Peppermint, and Eggnog and our Cupcake of the Month for November is Caramel Macchiatto. We also are now taking orders for our beautiful cupcake wreaths!

4. Where do you find inspiration?
Since the foundation of Sweet Vintage Baking is built upon a strong family history of baking, our inspiration comes from the recipes of our grandmothers, mothers, aunts, great aunts, friends of the family and their arsenal of vintage cookbooks. Some of the recipes are original that date back to 1931 and some have been tweaked or altered slightly. Our tagline of “History in the Baking” best captures what we are all about.

5. Describe a memorable (funny/disastrous/life-changing) cupcake baking moment you've had. 
One of the funniest moments we’ve had so far would have to be the unsolved case of the “Cupcake Smuggler” at a recent event we did as vendors. We had over 400 sampler minis of 4 different flavors on stands in front of us. Each flavor of minis were placed in front of a full-sized cupcake that was for display purposes only. We were constantly reaching down under the table to get more minis. A couple of times when we were both bent down, we came up to find our full-sized display cupcakes had been snatched! This happened not once but a few times…..with the Cupcake Smuggler nowhere in sight! We had a great laugh over that.

6. Give one piece of cupcake advice for other bakers out there. 
If you’re just starting out, make sure you and your support team is on the same page. This may be your spouse, your family members, friends, it doesn’t matter. What matters most is that they stand behind you and support your goals, whatever they may be.

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"Doris"

Thanks, Janelle and Jennifer! Stay tuned for next week's Cupcake Baker of the Week. Leave us questions, feedback, and suggestions in the comments below. If you would like to nominate someone to be featured, e-mail us at cupcakestakethecake@gmail.com with "Hey Melissa! Check out this Cupcake Baker!" in the subject title.