Community Corner
Weekend Sweet Treat: Cakey Pops
This week's La Jolla Open Aire Market pick of the week is a bite sized dessert treat.
Move over, cupcakes. Cakey Pops are the next craze when it comes to sweet treats. In case you were wondering, they’re just what they sound like – bite-size cake lollipops.
We first caught a glimpse of these sugary delights when they made their debut at the in February. Cakey Pops come in a vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet and can be molded into shapes to fit any style, taking personalized desserts to a whole new level. And although Cakey Pops have great potential to make it big in the dessert market, their beginnings were actually an accident.
After a failed attempt at making a Thomas the Train cake, Cakey Pops owner Maria Roldan had to create a new dessert and fast. It was then that her creativity kicked in. After checking online for quick fixes, Roldan came across the work of POP Cakes and “Bakerella” and decided to give them a shot. Roldan molded her own crumpled cake into several new shapes, much to the liking of her friends and family.
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Later that year, Roldan had time off from her job as a QA software engineer. She decided to turn her baking hobby into a thriving business.
“I told my coworkers that making and selling Cakey Pops will be my new job between interviews,” she said. “They took me seriously and started ordering. Through word of mouth it took a life of its own.”
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Today, Roldan and her team are testing out new flavors such as Green Tea and Meyer Lemon, as well as new shapes. Some popular Cakey Pops include Mickey Mouse ears, martini glasses, and of course the simple lollipop shape. They are a great way to indulge without going overboard. As one loyal customer claimed, “they’re like little drops from heaven.”
Roldan and her husband, both from the Philippines, are now fully invested in the Cakey Pops business. The couple hopes to leave a thriving business to their three daughters.
According to Roldan, “our girls are first generation Americans, so starting and owning a business would be the ultimate American dream, and an opportunity to leave a legacy.”
Roldan sells her sugary treats at the Open Aire Market in La Jolla and at the Point Loma market. She was recently tapped by the Hotel Del to carry Cakey Pops.
