SmallCakes
Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery is a privately held US franchise brand founded in 2008 that produces freshly baked gourmet cupcakes and small-batch cupcake-infused ice cream, operating 150+ owner-operated retail locations across 25+ US states and the UAE, serving individual consumers, corporate catering clients, and wedding customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersRoseville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SmallCakes does
Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery (legal name: Smallcakes Cupcakery; DBA: Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery) is a privately held American dessert retailer founded in 2008 in Overland Park, Kansas. The company produces and sells freshly baked gourmet cupcakes and small-batch, cupcake-infused ice cream under a proprietary recipe library of more than 300 flavors, with 12 signature cupcake flavors baked daily at each store alongside rotating seasonal and specialty flavors. Its website also references an emerging "Big Cookies" line, signaling continued SKU experimentation within the bakery category.
The business is operated as a franchise/licensing model, with 150+ owner-operated retail locations across 25+ US states and a single international footprint in Ajman, UAE. Corporate headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, consistent with a lean franchisor that monetizes primarily through initial licensing fees and ongoing low monthly royalties, with no renewal fees. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and franchise entry is qualification-based. Beyond walk-in retail, Smallcakes generates revenue through corporate catering services (distributed via the EZ Cater platform), wedding cake and custom dessert orders, and specialty seasonal flavors.
Smallcakes targets three primary customer segments: individual consumers purchasing desserts for personal consumption and celebrations (primary), corporate clients procuring catering for events, and wedding/celebration customers seeking custom dessert tables. The brand has built equity through media appearances on Food Network's Cupcake Wars (seasons 1, 2, and 7), The View, the MTV Movie Awards celebrity suite, and recognition from USA Today and Business Insider. Geographic expansion is currently signaled by the UAE presence, with licensing available in all 50 US states and additional international markets contemplated.
SmallCakes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmallCakes
- Legal name
- Smallcakes Cupcakery
- Website
- https://smallcakescupcakery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery is a privately held US franchise brand founded in 2008 that produces freshly baked gourmet cupcakes and small-batch cupcake-infused ice cream, operating 150+ owner-operated retail locations across 25+ US states and the UAE, serving individual consumers, corporate catering clients, and wedding customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmallCakes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bakery and Confectionery
- NAICS
- Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Retail Bakeries (311811)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cupcake Shops (THAFAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA), Dessert & Bakery Catering (Cakes, Pastries, Candy) (HSACAGAI), Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes (THAFAFAC)
Keywords
Where SmallCakes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Roseville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SmallCakes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Franchise/License Fees: Smallcakes generates revenue through licensing fees from franchise owners. The model includes low initial investment, no renewal fees, and low monthly royalty fees. Discounted branding fees are available for military, first responders, and teachers.
- Retail Product Sales: Revenue from direct sales of freshly baked cupcakes and small-batch ice cream at franchise locations to consumers.
- Catering and Wedding Services: Custom catering orders for corporate events, birthday parties, and weddings featuring cupcakes and custom desserts.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
SmallCakes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery produces and sells freshly baked gourmet cupcakes in 12 signature flavors plus specialty and seasonal varieties, alongside small-batch homemade ice cream made daily with cupcake-inspired flavors. Beyond retail, the company offers catering services for corporate events and private celebrations and custom wedding cake and dessert services, distributed primarily through a 150+ location franchise/licensing network.
Product overview
Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery operates two core product lines: freshly baked gourmet cupcakes and small-batch homemade ice cream. The cupcake line features 12 signature flavors baked fresh daily, complemented by specialty and seasonal rotating flavors, with custom orders available. The ice cream line mirrors the cupcake flavors, transforming the brand's famous cupcake recipes into ice cream offerings. Beyond retail products, the company offers catering services for corporate and private events, as well as wedding cake and dessert services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cupcakes Freshly baked gourmet cupcakes available in 12 signature flavors made daily (Pink Vanilla, Pink Chocolate, Chocoholic, Vanilla-N-Chocolate, Cookies-N-Cream, Lemon Drop, Famous Red Velvet, Wedding Cake, Hot Fudge Sundae, Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate Cream, and Birthday Cake) plus specialty and seasonal flavors such as Maple Bacon, Caramel Crunch, Cannoli, Strawberries N' Crème, Tiramisu, French Toast, and Pumpkin. Custom orders are available upon request. Sold to individual consumers through franchise retail stores and via catering.
- Ice Cream Small-batch, slow-churned, homemade ice cream made daily. Flavors are inspired by and named after Smallcakes' famous cupcake recipes, transforming cupcake flavors into cupcake-infused ice cream. Available flavors include Birthday Cake, Peanut Butter Cup, Chocoholic, Cookies-n-Cream, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean, and Blue Monster Cookie.
- Catering Services Catering services for corporate gatherings, birthday parties, and other celebrations. Smallcakes crafts delicious, beautifully designed cupcakes and desserts for events, with custom order capabilities available through a dedicated catering inquiry form. Also extended through the EZ Cater platform for corporate accounts.
- Wedding Cakes and Custom Desserts Wedding cake and custom dessert services. Smallcakes specializes in creating stunning wedding cakes, cupcakes, and custom desserts ranging from timeless elegance to modern designs, with a dedicated cake form for wedding inquiries.
Quantifiable outcome
- Named Top Ten Cupcake Places by USA Today
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SmallCakes
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SmallCakes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
SmallCakes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- EZ CaterminorEZ Cater integration allows corporate customers to order Smallcakes catering through the EZ Cater platform, extending Smallcakes' reach to corporate catering clients who use third-party catering services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SmallCakes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Insomnia Cookies: Insomnia Cookies is a late-night cookie/dessert delivery and retail chain with nationwide store footprint. Comparable to Smallcakes on late-evening dessert occasions, catering, and franchise/company-store expansion playbooks.
- Magnolia Bakery: Magnolia Bakery operates a chain of NYC-origin dessert bakeries known for cupcakes and classic American desserts. Closely comparable to Smallcakes on product mix (cupcakes plus broader dessert bakery) and urban retail footprint.
- Baked by Melissa: Baked by Melissa is a bite-size cupcake brand with retail locations and strong direct-to-consumer shipping. Comparable to Smallcakes on signature cupcake variety, urban retail model, and gifting/celebration positioning.
- Crumbs Bake Shop: Crumbs was a national gourmet cupcake chain (now significantly smaller/online) that illustrates both the scale potential and execution risks of the cupcake-chain model. Useful peer for understanding category economics and historical unit closures.
- Georgetown Cupcake: Georgetown Cupcake is a multi-location gourmet cupcake retailer (DC-origin) with national shipping and TV-driven brand recognition (DC Cupcakes). Comparable to Smallcakes on premium cupcake positioning and brand-led marketing.
- Sprinkles Cupcakes: Sprinkles is a national gourmet cupcake chain with company-owned and franchised retail locations. It is the most direct head-to-head peer to Smallcakes in both product (signature gourmet cupcakes) and channel (cupcake-focused storefronts with catering).
- Nothing Bundt Cakes: Nothing Bundt Cakes is a fast-growing specialty dessert franchise with 500+ franchised locations. It is highly comparable to Smallcakes on franchise model, single-product focus, celebration-occasion positioning, and store-level economics.
- GiGi's Cupcakes: GiGi's is a cupcake-specialty franchise with multi-state retail locations and a similar owner-operator franchise model. It competes with Smallcakes on the same product, customer occasion, and franchise-recruitment dimension.
Broad incumbents
- Cold Stone Creamery: Cold Stone Creamery is a large national franchise specializing in premium ice cream and mix-in desserts. Directly relevant to Smallcakes' ice cream line as a benchmark for franchise ice cream economics and footprint.
- Baskin-Robbins: Baskin-Robbins is the largest US ice cream specialty chain with thousands of franchise locations. Useful incumbent benchmark for ice cream-focused store economics, supply chain, and franchise royalties relevant to Smallcakes' creamery side.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SmallCakes social profiles
Digital presenceSmallCakes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmallCakes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SmallCakes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmallCakes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmallCakes
What does SmallCakes do?
Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery produces and sells freshly baked gourmet cupcakes in 12 signature flavors plus specialty and seasonal varieties, alongside small-batch homemade ice cream made daily with cupcake-inspired flavors. Beyond retail, the company offers catering services for corporate events and private celebrations and custom wedding cake and dessert services, distributed primarily through a 150+ location franchise/licensing network.
Is SmallCakes a public or private company?
SmallCakes is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SmallCakes founded?
SmallCakes was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SmallCakes based?
SmallCakes is headquartered in Roseville, United States, in the North America region.
How does SmallCakes make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Franchise/License Fees are the primary driver. The others are retail Product Sales and catering and Wedding Services.
Who are SmallCakes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Insomnia Cookies, Magnolia Bakery, Baked by Melissa, Crumbs Bake Shop, Georgetown Cupcake, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Nothing Bundt Cakes and GiGi's Cupcakes. Broad incumbents are Cold Stone Creamery and Baskin-Robbins.
Does SmallCakes have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmallCakes.
What industry is SmallCakes in?
SmallCakes's product category is Bakery and Confectionery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAGAG, Cupcake Shops, with a secondary code of THAFAGAA, Ice Cream & Gelato Shops. Its NAICS code is 445291 and its SIC code is 5812.