Unless you're baking pies in order to smuggle hacksaws to prisoners or hiring strippers to jump out of a giant cake, the world of confectionery goods lacks manliness.Enter Butch Bakery, a New York City-based bakery where the owners say "butch meets buttercream.” It makes one thing and one thing only: manly cupcakes. The only sprinkles on the premises are bacon bits adorning their finely crafted creations which come boxed in groups of four, six or 12.
According to David Arrick, Butch Bakery’s founder, it all started when he was laid off as an asset backed securities attorney. After a year of unemployment, he was running low on cash and looking for something new.
“I was walking down passed a very well-known cupcake bakery in the West Village of Manhattan one afternoon, and saw a line around the block,” Arrick said. “I thought ‘What are they doing right? It’s a recession and they are making money.’ I looked in the window of that bakery, saw some purple cupcakes, pink cupcakes, light green, yellow, etc and thought, ‘Where is the masculine cupcake?’ It was sort of a tongue-in-cheek idea, but it actually turned out to be a great idea.”
So, what exactly makes a cupcake "manly"? For Arrick, it starts with the ingredients: booze and bacon.
“There isn’t a jelly bean, bunny, flower, etc., anywhere near our cupcakes,” he explained with a laugh.
Instead, Butch Bakery’s cupcakes, available in twelve varieties with names like the “B-52”—a madagascar vanilla cake soaked in Kahlua with Bailey's Bavarian filling—and the “Driller”—a maple cake topped with crumbled bacon and milk-chocolate ganache—feature decorative chocolate disks in male-themed patterns, like camouflage and wood grain. They’re also a bit larger than normal cupcakes because, well, most guys aren't really watching their figure.
“Some might consider them 'mancakes' instead of cupcakes,” Arrick added.
“There isn’t a jelly bean, bunny, flower, etc., anywhere near our cupcakes,” he explained with a laugh.
Instead, Butch Bakery’s cupcakes, available in twelve varieties with names like the “B-52”—a madagascar vanilla cake soaked in Kahlua with Bailey's Bavarian filling—and the “Driller”—a maple cake topped with crumbled bacon and milk-chocolate ganache—feature decorative chocolate disks in male-themed patterns, like camouflage and wood grain. They’re also a bit larger than normal cupcakes because, well, most guys aren't really watching their figure.
“Some might consider them 'mancakes' instead of cupcakes,” Arrick added.
Currently, Butch Bakery is only taking orders on their Web site and strictly delivers to areas in and around New York City. But, owners are already planning to expand their operations across the country with brick-and-mortar storefronts popping up in major Metropolitan areas shortly.
“We have experienced such monumental growth due to the media coverage, that we need to grow wisely—one step at a time,” he explained. “Just getting the production up to par for our NYC deliveries is challenging enough. National shipping is going to take us to the next level.”
For all of you dear readers that are anxiously waiting to be able to place your order with Butch Bakery, he advised sitting back, relaxing and having a beer.
“We have experienced such monumental growth due to the media coverage, that we need to grow wisely—one step at a time,” he explained. “Just getting the production up to par for our NYC deliveries is challenging enough. National shipping is going to take us to the next level.”
For all of you dear readers that are anxiously waiting to be able to place your order with Butch Bakery, he advised sitting back, relaxing and having a beer.
“Eat a pink cupcake, if you must, while you wait for us,” he said. “But, rest assured that when we do reach you, you'll be glad you made the switch to us.”