Have Cake, Will Travel

One of the many skill sets crucial to owning your own businesses is problem-solving. And in the gourmet-cupcake business, as delicious as the product might be, these sweet, frosting-piled treats present an inherent problem: They don’t ship well.

Necessity being the mother of invention, this cupcake conundrum was the motivation behind Heavenly Cupcakes’ latest edible creation. Becky Schultes, owner of the Gulf Gate-based bakery, says in the four years that she’s owned the shop, both she and her customers wished there were a better way to enjoy her baked goods from afar.

Her solution? Cupcakes in a jar.

“I’ve tried shipping,” she says. “They tip over; they get damaged. They just don’t ship well, and keeping them fresh is always an issue. I came up with the idea to put them in jars. They’re sealed, so they stay fresh, and they don’t need to be frozen. The best kind of cupcake is a fresh cupcake.”

The end result is something like a deconstructed version of the classic dessert. Or as Schultes likes to call them, cupcakes on steroids.

Each 8-ounce cake jar is filled with layers of the traditional ingredients — cake, icing and a range of specialty toppings — and will last up to 10 days unrefrigerated.

The jars, which run about $6.50 each, are available in her traditional flavors, as well as in 12 specialty varieties, created just for the jars. Each option comes with a spoon, a rubber bracelet and a witty title that only adds to the fun.

“I Just Got Dumped” is fittingly filled with all the indulgent toppings required to mend a broken heart, including chocolate cake, buttercream frosting, brownie bites, cookie dough, cheesecake bites and chocolate chips. Other clever flavors include “Mint to Be,” “Lime in the Coconut” and “Tiers of Joy.”

Schultes says she’s finalizing the shipping details, but that by summer her cake jars will be available in Wyoming, New York and California. As a small business owner, she hopes to reach more clients through online orders and share her cupcakes with customers around the country.

“I want to give my customers what they want,” she says. “Hearing from people who tell me how much they enjoy my cupcakes is such nice praise. To me, that’s worth more than anything.”