Milwaukee's Classy Girl Cupcakes launches quarantine cake collection

MILWAUKEE -- It doesn't seem like there's much to celebrate these days during the coronavirus pandemic but even so people across Southeast Wisconsin have found creative ways to do so. 

That includes a bakery in Milwaukee that recently introduced a quarantine cake collection making so many smile during this bittersweet time. 

"You have to," said Erica Elia, owner and founder of Classy Girl Cupcakes in Milwaukee. "You have to have those little moments of joy."

She said business these past few weeks have been different - she now offers a takeout menu and delivery service as we all social distance during the pandemic which means she and bakery manager Morgan Troken can't really interact with their customers like they used to. 

"We’ve always been so, 'Come up to the counter! Let me talk to you and show me what you got,'" Troken said. "So it’s been a little challenging with the disconnect."

But what hasn't changed are the reasons for us to celebrate.

"They’re in quarantine they still have a birthday to celebrate and we’re going to be there for them no matter what," Troken said.

 Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and just the need to satisfy the occasional sweet tooth. Those orders still come in but one day Troken thought of a new way to sweeten the deal and get people to smile during these tough times.

"Umm it started with the toilet paper because that was one of the things that people were panic, panic buying," Troken said.

"I thought it was an amazing idea," Elia laughed.

The toilet paper cake soon rolled into a quarantine collection of confectionary treats made into pretty much everything people have had trouble finding at the grocery store including Chlorox wipes, Lysol spray, Campbell soup, green beans and SPAM.

All of it is edible and created with the hope of trying to make the best of a bittersweet situation.

"We definitely don’t want to make light of what’s going on because it’s very serious," Elia said. "Just sharing something that’s ironic and funny and brings a smile it just does a lot to lighten the mood at home."

Elia said people in the community seem to agree. 

"The first weekend we sold them all within minutes of opening," she said.

Classy Girl Cupcakes now sells at least a couple dozen of its quarantine collection cakes every week in addition to all of its other sweet treats. 

Elia and Troken said until normalcy returns they hope the cakes will be a sweet reminder that you can still have your cake and eat it too. 

"It’s something so fun and entertaining I just think it’s so cute and definitely a birthday that someone will never forget," Troken laughed.

You can see more of this story this week on CBS 58 Sunday Morning starting at 7 a.m.