Business Profile: deCroupet’s Cake Sisters

– Courtesy Photo

By Amelia Favela

deCroupet’s Cake Sisters is a cake specialty bakery that creates custom cupcakes, cakes and cookies for all occasions. Sisters Janine McRiley and Cheryl Marino established the bakery, located in Arcadia, in 1998 with the intentions of bringing elaborate cakes for affordable prices to the town. Referred to as a “hidden gem” on customer reviews, this bakery will not only take on any cake design, but also offers classes that teach customers how to decorate cakes on their own. For the home baker, deCroupet’s has almost every baking supply one could think of to bake, decorate and package his or her own cupcakes, cakes or cookies.

The cake sisters, who were born and raised in California, have always enjoyed baking. With Marino graduating in Pastries from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, McRiley said she leaves all the baking to her sister. McRiley, on the other hand, has more of an artistic background and handles more of the decorating aspect. Together, the sisters create tasty artistic cakes that are suitable for any occasion.

One of the biggest joys McRiley said they have is being a part of their customers’ special moments.

“A lot of customers have had a custom cake made as a child and have continued to come to us for special occasion cakes ever since …” McRiley said. “We’ve made many of the same customers’ birthday, bridal shower, wedding and baby shower cakes.”

Everything at deCroupet’s is custom-made for the order.

– Photo by Amelia Favela

Another exciting part to the cake sisters’ job is hosting decorating classes. The classes include Beginning Cake decorating, Cupcake Decorating, Intermediate Cake Decorating, Fondant Cake and free cookie demonstrations. The sisters demonstrate and teach participants about filing cakes, icing cakes, borders, decorative writing, drop flowers and roses, and much more. These classes are exciting and fun for anyone who loves to decorate and be creative.

deCroupet’s is the home baker’s dream. Rather than being limited to the basic baking supplies found at most places, this bakery has the hard-to-find items that remove all baking limitations. Items include over 150 decorating tips, pastry bags (all sizes), palet knives (all sizes), icing colors, glucose, merienge powder, geometric, tart and character pans, masonite boards, dollies, boxes, plates and pillars, gum paste flowers and cutters, petal dust, parchment papers and candles (all colors and characters).

One of the challenges McRiley said they face is people’s misunderstanding of the work that goes into creating a cake.

“Many cakes online don’t list the price, so a lot of customers come-in with a picture they found on the web expecting to pay half the price of what it really cost to make it,” she said.

Being that the cake sisters strive to please all customers, they do everything they can to create elaborate looking cakes at affordable prices.

The owners said they hope for deCroupet’s to continue to serve as San Gabriel Valley’s one-stop-shop for everything cake related.

You can contact deCroupet’s at (626) 446-6903, or visit them at 23 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California 91006. www.cakesisters.com

Cheryl (left) and Janine (right). – Photo by Amelia Favela

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