Erin McKenna, founder of BabyCakes NYC, began her love affair with vegan, gluten-free foods for reasons that had nothing to do with celebrity endorsements or trimming thighs. “I began baking when I was diagnosed with food sensitivities back in 2003,” explains the upbeat blonde. At the time, McKenna was spending her days working as a fashion assistant, but she found the glamour job so unfulfilling that her nights were spent cooking at home to lift her spirits. Her favorite concoctions? Baked goods and sugary desserts that catered to her “picky sweet tooth.”

Ironically, the dessert tray was suddenly off-limits due to her new dietary restrictions. Rather than continuing her career in fashion and dutifully avoiding the foods she craved most, McKenna decided to turn her situation into an opportunity: She embarked upon a new career she actually felt passionate about, creating a whole new way for everyone in her predicament to embrace the sweets they sorely missed.

“I was inspired to make baked goods for people with [food sensitivities] because I knew it would bring them happiness,” she says. “I enjoyed the challenge of being limited by ingredients.”

All-natural, organic and delicious alternatives:
Wedding cakes, cupcakes and more

Armed with confidence, vision and a pretty great product, McKenna was able to raise enough capital for BabyCakes to open its first location in 2005 on New York’s Lower East Side. Within just two years, after collecting a celebrity following that included Jason Schwartzman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman and famed bridal designer Melissa Sweet, BabyCakes was honored by New York magazine in 2006 for making the city’s “Best Cupcakes,” and in 2010 for making the “Best Vegan Doughnuts.” Now, McKenna is an author (BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery) and a frequent guest on The Martha Stewart Show and Food Network. Her second location—in Los Angeles—opened last winter.

As most of us know, sugary desserts are a key element at nearly every wedding—most often in the form of a cake, which tends to be made of many ingredients that McKenna and others can’t enjoy. (The most popular frosting used at American weddings, for example, is buttercream—made almost entirely of butter, milk, sugar and vanilla.) McKenna says dietary restrictions needn’t leave a guest out in the cold, though. “I would advise brides to get a stash of allergen-friendly cupcakes for the guests who can't indulge in the wedding cake being served,” she says. “The realm of possibility [for new vegan desserts] is wide open. French macaroons, really great tasting custard and yogurt would do really well.”

McKenna created her first dairy-free wedding cake after an early BabyCakes devotee made the request for her big day. After successfully pulling off an elegant vegan version of a standard recipe, McKenna suddenly found similar requests pouring in. BabyCakes now creates several new versions of classic wedding cakes nearly every month. Adventurous brides can customize their cake selections with festive accents like iced stars and color-themed dragées. And grooms need not feel left out: BabyCakes offers a chocolate groom’s cake topped with chocolate and strawberries. 

A plethora of choices aside (including a small 6-inch vegan cake for cost-conscious brides), the new queen of healthy hedonism is a huge advocate for going back to basics if you simply can’t decide. “Just go for the cupcakes,” she says. “They are always a people-pleaser!”

For more information, visit babycakesnyc.com 

BabyCakes NYC  |  248 Broome Street  |  New York, NY 10002  |  212.677.5047 

BabyCakes LA  |  130 East 6th Street  |  Los Angeles, CA 90013  |  213.623.5555