Lakeland offers many hidden treasures such as cute coffee shops, specialty boutiques, and weekly farmers markets, but one thing it has been missing is an actual bakery.
I consider myself to be a healthy eater. I try to eat mostly organic, I don’t drink soda, and fast food repulses me, but I do have one weakness, a definite, hardcore sweet tooth. I am especially weak for bakeries.
After visiting bakeries in various cities and falling even more deeply in love with baked goods while visiting France, I have always hoped that one day Lakeland would acquire one.
Well, to fellow sweets lovers in the Lakeland area, we have a savior. Buttercup Cakes offers a sugary array of decorated delights.
This charming little bakery is located in a shopping plaza at 4122 South Florida Ave. As I walked in I was greeted by the owner and pastry chef Daniela Borow, who was perfectly outfitted in a chef’s hat and matching apron.
Borow explained that she used to own a shop in Kissimmee, but recently moved to Lakeland and opened up the shop here on Feb. 9 of this year.
“I had been a pastry chef for a number of years,” Borow said. “I wanted to do something special with a lot of quality.”
Borow does bring the quality to her customers by using only the best ingredients, such as European butter and Belgium chocolate.
When asked why Borow brought her business to Lakeland, she replied:
“I think there was a need for specialty gourmet products that you can’t get anywhere else because it’s made here from scratch.”
A display case at the front of the store features dozens of whimsically decorated cupcakes and carefully crafted macaroons.
Cupcake flavors range from your expected, but always worth it, vanilla to more adventurous flavors such as toffee crunch and coconut key lime.
Borow specializes in cakes. On the display is an ornately decorated Disney-themed cake, which showcases some of Borow’s exquisite talent.
She offers specialized cakes for occasions such as weddings, birthdays, baby showers, and more. Borow couldn’t have said it any better when she said:
“Cakes make people really happy, and it brightens their day.”
Of course, bakeries are expected to have cupcakes and cakes, but what surprised me the most was the presence of French delicacies such as macaroons and my personal favorite, pain au chocolat, also known as a chocolate croissant.
As a lover, and somewhat of a scholar on French foods, I know that making macaroons are no easy task.
These macaroons were perfectly sculpted to bite size perfection with interesting flavors such as Nutella, crème Brule and cassis, which is a French black currant.
For loyal customers Buttercup Cakes offers rewards cards where after a certain amount of points you can earn anywhere from a cake pop to a cupcake decorating class.
Special deals and the day’s selected flavors are updated on Buttercup Cakes’ Facebook page.
Buttercup Cakes is reasonably priced for college students who are looking for a fun, new place to try.
The bakery would be a great place to try out on a Saturday evening or to go for a new breakfast experience.
Before leaving the lovely little store, I had to do it: I had to order a pan au chocolate. I graciously thanked Borow for her time and her addition of a bakery to Lakeland, and scurried off to enjoy my coffee and pastry.
I was a bit hesitant at first since I have searched high and low for pain au chocolat that would compare to what I had in France. After one bite, I could already tell that Daniela Borow had given me a little bit of France in Lakeland.
Bon appetite!
