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Teen revamps cafe into her own bakery
By Kalea Hall
CANFIELD
ALEXA DIANA of Austintown used to help her mom bake when she was a little girl.
Now, the 19-year-old never leaves the kitchen because of her baking business.
Soon, she will have not only a kitchen to call her own, but her own complete bakery called “Lil Baby Cakes” in Canfield.
“You are never to young to do what you love,” Diana said.
Diana’s bakery on Lisbon Street is in the process of transforming from a cafe to her dream bakery and will open in January.
When her friends or family ask why she started baking, she honestly tells them there is no specific reason for her making cupcakes or cakes, but she loves it and sees herself doing it for the rest of her life. She does give the “Cake Boss” television show credit for encouraging her to try something new. That something blossomed from hobby to business in just a few years.
Now, the professional baker takes orders, has secret ingredients, fan-favorite cupcakes and even her own personalized apron. Diana appears ready to take on the baking world, especially with multiple awards for her cupcakes from a local contest.
“I never expected it to be a business,” Diana said.
Then her dad, Pat, called her with the news that he found the perfect space for her bakery. She cried from happiness.
“He knew I would love it. He is so into it,” Diana said. “He will call me every day [about it].”
Her dad found out Caffe Dars on Lisbon Street was closing, and he thought he might be able to find a mixer for his daughter.
“I walked in there looking for a mixer and ended up buying a bakery,” Pat said.
Each cupcake, cake, cake pop or cookie Diana constructs is her own design, unless a customer chooses to have a specific design. Her gingerbread cupcakes, for example, come with spiced cream-cheese icing and a homemade gingerbread cookie on top. Drizzled white frosting and snowflake sprinkles were also added to top off the cupcake.
“I drive my mom crazy,” Diana said. “She says, ‘How long are you going to spend on that one thing?’”
Decorations are not her only favorite part of baking; she also enjoys trying new recipes such as caramel corn cupcakes or Nutter Butter cupcakes. The favorite, though, is the Reese Cup cupcake, which includes her signature chocolate cupcake with a light peanut-butter frosting.
“I love to see the final product,” she said.
She even has made a two-tiered cake. Her goal is to complete a multitier wedding cake.
She hopes her pink, black and white Lil Baby Cakes Bakery will lead to that goal. She plans on studying business at Youngstown State University, where she is a dietitian major. She will take next semester off to devote her time to the bakery.
For now, she is busy prepping orders for the holiday season and planning. She finally received a key to her bakery, which she made sure to have personalized with a cupcake.
“Her passion is in baking. She somewhat lights up when she is doing it,” Pat said. “She seems to add that little artistic touch.”
To reach Diana for orders, email her at lilbabycakes01@yahoo.com.