Updated: Nadia Cakes Cupcake Shop, Custom Cake Studio Sets Maple Grove Opening Date

Updated July 9, 2012.

Nadia Cakes has opened in Maple Grove. For details, check out the article here:

Updated June 8, 2012

According to the Nadia Cakes Facebook page July 26, 2012 is the grand opening of the Nadia Cakes grand opening in Maple Grove and "we'll be doing $1.00 cupcakes (limit one per person) all day."

Updated March 29, 2012

According to the Nadia Cakes Facebook page, the opening date for the Maple Grove location will be the first week of July. CEO/Executive Chef Abby Jimenez verified the information.

"Apparently the shop design is so beautiful and detailed that it will take 90 more days to completed. But just think, once we're open, you'll have us forever!" the Facebook post said.

Read more about the Nadia Cakes upcoming opening in Maple Grove in this May 7 article by clicking here.

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For the original story on the Nadia Cakes upcoming opening in Maple Grove, read below.

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Original article posted January 19, 2012

Maple Grove will soon be home for Nadia Cakes, a cupcake shop and custom cake studio. 

If you've already heard of Nadia Cakes, you're not alone. The founder of the California business, CEO/Executive Chef Abby Jimenez, has appeared on TLC's "Fabulous Cakes" and appeared on and won the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars"  Sunday, Jan. 22.

The nationally-known cupcake shop and custom cake studio started with Abby’s “passion for baking, a love for beautiful desserts and sheer chance,” according to the Nadia Cakes website. A self-taught pastry chef and award winning cake decorator and sugar artist, Jimenez started by making a few free cakes for family and friends, which ended up leading to her seeing clients out of her home in 2007 and the orders came “pouring in." Nadia Cakes, named after her daughter’s nickname, opened up a shop in the fall of 2009 in Palmdale, CA.

In Maple Grove, Nadia Cakes will be located in the Fountains, 11650 Fountains Drive, Suite 207 near , according to Jimenez. They are shooting for a late March or early April opening. However, the opening could extend into May. 

On winning "Cupcake Wars" on Jan. 22, Jimenez said in a press release:

"I'm a self-taught baker who just really loves to create desserts that are as pleasing on the eye as they are on the taste buds, so winning ‘Cupcake Wars’ and getting such positive feedback from the judges is incredibly rewarding."

Jimenez recently took time out of her busy schedule to share details via an email interview with Maple Grove Patch about the new upcoming Maple Grove Nadia Cakes location, why her family moved to the city and more. The interview was done prior to Nadia Cakes winning the Jan. 22 Food Network's "Cupcake Wars."

Maple Grove Patch: Will the Maple Grove location be a second location for Nadia Cakes, Inc. or will you will be relocating from California? How big will be your store in Maple Grove?

Jimenez: Maple Grove is our second location. Our family has actually moved to Minnesota to open the new shop and we plan on staying here to live and opening several more locations over the next couple of years. The Maple Grove shop is twice as large as the Palmdale shop and the Palmdale shop will remain open in CA.

Maple Grove Patch: Why did you pick Maple Grove to open your business?

Jimenez: We want to live here! Plain as that! We discovered Maple Grove on a cross country trip we took this summer and we fell in love and decided we wanted to live here. We love the culture, the beauty of the state, the schools, the people and the center and there are no great places out here to buy cakes and cupcakes, so we fill a niche.

Maple Grove Patch: Tell Maple Grove residents a bit about what they can expect from the Maple Grove location of Nadia Cakes.

Jimenez: We do custom cakes and cupcakes. We offer 135 cupcake flavors that rotate on the menu. We have about 15-17 flavors in our pastry case daily and we also offer beautiful fondant cakes for last minute pick up on a walk in basis. We are very active in our community- we support local families in need and work closely with local food kitchens and the Chamber of Commerce. We create jobs for the community and we support other local family run businesses.

Maple Grove Patch: What do you consider to be your specialties?

Jimenez: We specialize in all things cake. We bake onsite, we bake your custom cakes and cupcakes to order, we never freeze our cupcakes and we pride ourselves in using the highest quality ingredients in our cakes including imported Callebaut chocolate, Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans and fresh sweet cream butter. We never use shortening! We bake about 10 feet from where our cupcakes are sold. Specifically, we are a cupcake shop and custom cake studio. We have an intensive design program that gives you one on one service with a cake designer and we pride ourselves in our customer service.

Maple Grove Patch: I've heard that you will be on the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. central. What was the taping experience like? 

Jimenez: We will be on "Cupcake Wars" on Sunday! Abby (me, owner and founder) will be the competing chef and Randi, our kitchen manager at the Palmdale store, will be my assistant. Taping is exhausting. The clock is real. The competition is real and it is extremely hard!

I can't give anything away, but I can say that you never know what the judges are going to say. They were constantly surprising me!

Maple Grove Patch: Nadia Cakes has been on TLC's show "Fabulous Cakes" and voted "Best Cakes in LA" on the 2011 LA Hotlist. What has it been like to receive the recognition for your business that, according to your website, started with yourself as an employee?

Jimenez: It still blows my mind to this day that we have been so successful. Honestly, it is the cult following and extreme loyalty of our die-hard customers who have made it possible. Without such fierce support, I could have never gone from a mom working from a home kitchen to a nationally recognized chef.

Maple Grove Patch: How many employees will there be at the Maple Grove location and the California location?

Jimenez: Palmdale has 15. Maple Grove will probably have about 20. We employ artists and sculptures as well as pastry chefs and cake designers.

Maple Grove Patch: What is the price range for your products?

Jimenez: Our cupcakes are $2.95 each for our signature cupcake and $3.25 for our filled varieties. We also offer ice cream cupcakes in the summer that are $3.50 each. We offer package deals that make the cupcakes cheaper the more you buy. We have six for $14.50 and 12 for $28. That makes each cupcake just $2.33 each - cheaper than the ones you get a coffee shop and ours are baked fresh! Our cakes start at $3 a slice and go up depending on the design.

Maple Grove Patch: Will the bakery at the Maple Grove location have a walk-in option for patrons to purchase products or order only?

Jimenez: We have a full assortment of cupcakes and fondant cakes available on a walk in basis. Customers wishing to order a custom creation are encouraged to order two weeks in advance and will get a free cake tasting and design consultation with an appointment. We are full service and we offer delivery and set up as well!

Maple Grove Patch: Any additional information or comments for customers?

Jimenez: The Food Network is not done with us! We have gotten several more offers to do shows on the network and are filming again in February!

We can't tell you anymore than that, but we're definitely going to put Maple Grove on the map!