Oh Sugar Sugar sings sweet tunes

By ROXANNE DASS

rdass@dmreg.com

The Cupcake Ladies are bringing a touch of decadence to the Grinnell Farmers Market and the surrounding areas.
Kai Hill and Aja Saunders have been making a delicious array of cupcakes for folks to buy at the farmers market this summer. And their hobby continues to grow.

“We were bored this summer, so we decided to bake cupcakes for the summer as a way to keep busy,” said Saunders.

“Things have really started to pick up steam and opportunities have really started to open up,” Hill stated.

What started as a hobby has turned into Oh Sugar Sugar, a cupcake enterprise in Grinnell.

Saunders is the head baker behind the business while Hill helps with the look and runs the business end of Oh Sugar Sugar.

Saunders said she started baking 10 years ago. Her mother had a Betty Crocker cookbook and she decided to cook and bake her way through it.

Saunders said she has always been drawn to cupcakes, though.

“I’ve always been into cupcakes because they’re delicious, fun and the decorations are so much fun to create,” she said.

While Saunders does the majority of the baking, Hill focuses on the look of the cupcakes.

“I have a strange affection for the cute,” said Hill. “When people see our cupcakes, I want them to be drawn in because of how they look, then love it when they actually taste it.”

The pair has come up with several flavors of cupcake since starting their stand at the farmers market, where they have earned the nickname “The Cupcake Ladies.”

They have created flavors including:
• Lemon meringue  – a fluffy cake with a lemon curd filling, topped with a toasted meringue.

• S’mores – a yellow cake with graham cracker crumbs and chopped milk chocolate bits baked in, topped with a gooey marshmallow frosting, Teddy Grahams and Hershey’s chococlate.

• The Mambo – a moist orange cake with a tangy, nutty frosting.

• The Astoria – a red velvet cake with hints of chocolate. It is crowned with a sweet cream cheese frosting.

• Chok Rok – a rich chocolately cupcake with a smooth chocolate sauce on top.

• PB & J – “It tastes and feels just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, only better,” said Aja.

“We don’t want to do just the usual boring vanilla or chocolate cupcakes,” said Hill. “We want to offer that little piece of decadence people don’t have to feel guilty about.”

Oh Sugar Sugar even boasts special diet cupcakes including “The Nut House” and “Low Suga Suga.”

The Nut House is a vegan offering made with a rich chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting. Low Suga Suga is a low sugar, low fat cupcake made of shortbread cake, fresh strawberries and a glaze.

“That’s one of the things that sets us apart. We make these special diet cupcakes for certain people, but anyone can eat them and can’t tell the difference between a regular cupcake and a special diet one,” said Saunders.

The pair gets their exotic flavors from suggestions or from different treats they love themselves.

“One day we just walked down the candy aisle at the grocery store, trying to think what would be good as a cupcake,” said Hill.

Each week, Hill and Saunders “argue out” what flavors they will make.

“Sometimes it takes days to name ideas on what we want to make,” said Hill.

Once they’ve nailed down the type of cupcake they want to make, they then must nail down the actual recipe.

Saunders researches different recipes and bakes ‘by feel,” she said.

“I tweak the tastes and until it comes out right,” she said. “I do a lot of research and then I do a little twist to make it our own.”

The result is a unique taste everyone can appreciate.

“It’s a taste between something homemade and culinary,” Saunders said. “It’s like mom’s baking, but a little better, a little more exotic.”

GROWTH
Since starting Oh Sugar Sugar, Saunders and Hill has seen a growth in popularity and business.

“People from the community will see us in the grocery store and say, ‘Hey, you’re one of the Cupcake Ladies! What are you making this week?’” said Hill. “I love meeting all the people who love our product.”

Because of the demand for the cupcakes, Saunders and Hill plan to rent a commercial kitchen in downtown Grinnell. They plan to sell their creations at Saints Rest Coffee and hope to someday open their own retail space.

“These opportunities came so fast, but they’re so perfect we couldn’t say no to them,” said Saunders.

The two call themselves lucky to have landed such a fun and profitable business.

“We are not business people at all,” said Hill. “We were both social science majors in (Grinnell College). We’ve never taken a business or culinary class.”

But they both enjoy working with people, which helps with the success of their business.

“Social sciences and business both involve interacting with people and we both love to do that,” said Saunders.

Not only do they sell cupcakes at the farmers market, but Saunders and Hill said they are more than willing to make their decadent desserts for special events and special orders.

They also have several projects in the works for the near future. They plan to start a Web site and a blog. They also want to get their customers and fans involved with photo contest of people eating their cupcakes.

Until they can launch a retail space, both girls are working full time jobs in addition to baking cupcakes once a week for the farmers market.

Both their full-time employers have been very flexible with their schedules.

“Our bosses have been so great and willing to work with us,” said Hill. “They have supported us and even give us Thursdays off to go to the farmers market.”

Thanks to the support of so many people, Saunders and Hill said they are able to give something back to the people of Grinnell and the surrounding areas.

“We want people to have a little luxury and that’s what our cupcakes give you, a little extravagance,” said Hill.

Hill grew up in Washington, D.C., and is planning an upcoming wedding. Saunders grew up on the East Coast and will graduate from Grinnell College this year.

To contact Hill and Saunders about an upcoming event, e-mail them at cupcakesingrinnell@gmail.com.

Also, visit their Facebook page Oh Sugar Sugar for information.