Stacy Elseman of Capital Cupcakes.
Being called a “Plain Jane,” isn’t usually a desirable label, especially for most women, but at Capital Cupcakes, this white, moist “little cake” is bursting with big flavor and delicious even without the frosting.
One of Stacy Elseman’s most versatile desserts, it’s popular with adults and children alike and serves as the base for many other flavors. Most of her customers, though, prefer the icing, usually vanilla bean butter cream decorated in fondant.
Elseman’s cupcakes are sold out of her home.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse cupcakes are perfect for children’s parties.
An administrative assistant for the Department of Corrections by day and a baker by night and on weekends, Elseman currently whips up a delicious cornucopia of cupcakes from her kitchen in Holts Summit. She started out making them for fun for family and friends but in April officially opened her home-based business, Capital Cupcakes.
Word of mouth and an active Facebook page led to more orders for parties, special events and wedding receptions and in only a few months she now dreams of opening a storefront.
Right now she offers 20 cupcake flavors, ranging from Cookies & Cream, Red Velvet and Apple Pie A La Mode, that taste as good as they look. Her icing flavors include chocolate and white chocolate ganache, peanut butter and sugar cookie.
The Maple Bacon features bacon in the cupcake and maple frosting topped with sugared bacon.
A Salted Caramel, a chocolate cupcake with a salted caramel icing, topped with a miniature Milky Way.
In addition to her sweet creations, she also adds savory elements. Her El Diablo, “The Devil,” features her Chocolate Dreaming cupcake with ancho chili pepper spice, topped by a cream cheese butter cream frosting with another hint of ancho chili and cinnamon. Her Salted Caramel is very trendy right now in the cupcake universe. This flavor of cupcake was a winner on Cupcake Wars, a show on the Cooking Channel.
Her significant other, Craig Hall, sports director at the YMCA, is her cupcake liner, consultant and general all-around helper. When she contemplated calling her Maple Bacon cupcake the Pigilicious, he strongly objected. Her son Bryan and friend Rachel Hays also serve as her willing tasters and provide feedback and support. Her stepdaughter, Samantha, loves the Snickerdoodle, topped with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter cream.
Elseman is all about making people happy. Constantly testing and creating new temptations, she’s open to requests and loves to play around.
“I love bringing joy and putting a smile on people’s faces,” she said.
The Plain Jane covered with vanilla butter cream icing in white and yellow, topped with a Gerbera daisy make of fondant. Modern and elegant, perfect for an upscale event or a country wedding.
Story by Shelley Gabert | Photography by Leah Beane
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