WCCO Viewers' Choice For MN's Best Cupcakes
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. (WCCO) -- No matter how old you are, a cupcake is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
In our search for the best in the state, more of you voted for this week's pick than any other "Best of Minnesota" winner.
You sent me to the northwest metro to try Nadia Cakes in Maple Grove.
"I think people love cupcakes, because they're fun, and it's an affordable luxury," said Abby Jimenez, the shop's owner.
From the marble window sills to the chandelier above the display case, Nadia Cakes doesn't look like your normal bakery.
"We charged the entire opening of our first store on our credit cards, so for this store, I wanted this store to be my dream store," Jimenez said.
She is a self-taught chef and cake decorator, who started her business out of her home kitchen back in 2007.
The business started in California, but Jimenez - Nadia is the name of one of her daughters - wanted a change for the second location.
"We took a five-week, cross country trip, and we drove through 23 states and we came to Minnesota, and we fell in love," she said.
But they didn't just open up shop, the whole family moved here.
"Within days of getting here, our neighborhood completely embraced us," Jimenez said. "They invited me to join bunko and invited my husband to play poker."
She's been repaying that kindness with cupcakes - all kinds of them.
"We are very creative here at Nadia Cakes," Jimenez said. "We, for example, have ice cream cupcakes for the summer."
On April Fool's Day, they've got a "unicorn poop" cupcake.
"It's a rainbow cupcake with grass and a fondant poopie on top," Jimenez said. "And our customers just go nuts for them."
If you're looking for something a bit more masculine, they've got that covered, too.
"We do have a lot of male-inspired cupcakes, such as our chocolate stout cupcake and our Blue Moon cupcake that we're doing for Father's Day," Jimenez said. "Yes, we do put beer and liquor into our cupcakes."
They've even got the liquor shelf to prove it.
They're constantly adding to the menu to make sure there's something delicious for everyone.
"We like to keep it interesting," Jimenez said, "and our customers can always count on us bringing something new and inventive to the table."
Cupcakes at Nadia Cakes range from $2.95 to $3.50. Or you can get a dozen for $30. That knocks down the price to 2.50 a cupcake.