If you’ve been to a Milwaukee festival, block party or any other large-scale local happening in recent years, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered Sweetly Baked. The upstart bakery has maintained a consistent presence at a wide array of area happenings with its mobile dessert bar and pop-up booths. After bringing their sweet treats to events for a few summers, the festival fixture is ready to invite people to come to them for a change.
Friday, April 19, marks grand opening of Sweetly Baked’s very own cafe and dessert bar (207 E. Buffalo St. Suite 104) in the first floor of the Marshall Building located in the heart of Historic Third Ward. For Sweetly Baked owner/operator Amanda Buhrman, a brick and mortar location was always something she had hoped for since leaving her 9 to 5 and turning her baking hobby into a dedicated business in 2021.
“It’s always been a dream to have a space ever since I started this,” Buhrman says. “I wanted to start slow and get an understanding of where the opportunities were.”
After beginning with table and tent events, private functions, weddings, and catering in the venture’s first year, Sweetly Baked debuted its food truck-style trailer in 2022 before making a conscious effort to significantly up its event presence last summer.
“I really wanted to build a following and build awareness of who we were before really looking into a four-wall space,” Buhrman says.
When she felt the time was right to open a permanent physical location, Buhrman was then on the hunt for the right place. When the space in the Marshall Building that had previously been home to Press Waffles became available, she jumped at the opportunity to bring Sweetly Baked to the Third Ward.
The 400-square-foot cafe packs oodles of personality and decorative flare into its limited space (note: there are a few tables inside and customers are also encouraged to enjoy their purchases at tables in the lobby), as pink and white walls offer a warm and inviting feel.
Buhrman also called upon artists like La Tulipe and Jeff Redmon of Scout Gallery to add some of their work to the walls. Though the artistic touches are a nice accent, Sweetly Baked’s bakery case will always be the star of the show.
Stylish sweets like macarons and “Cakesicles” are among Buhrman’s specialties. Another thing Sweetly Baked has become known for is its CBD and hemp-infused creations, which has been a focal point of the business since day one.
“Making a fun and beautiful product that was infused was something that I really wanted to do,” Buhrman says. “Instead of just the traditional pot brownie, why not have a custom chocolate or a macaron or some sort of beautiful sparkly treat?”
While infusions will be available—in different packaging and labeling to prevent mix-ups—for most desserts and non-alcoholic drinks, Buhrman says about 75 percent of its inventory will be “regular bakery.” Items that are infused will top out around 10 milligrams to hopefully prevent customers from mistakenly overindulging.
“I feel like it’s somewhat of the lower end, but it’s also easily something you can break in half,” Buhrman says. “I dose things accessibly because I don’t want to eat a bite of a brownie, I want to eat a whole brownie.”
Infused or not, customers can expect an array of pastries such as scones (both sweet and savory), cookies, cinnamon rolls, mini cakes, macarons, brownies, bars, coffee drinks, and even a small curated list of cocktails and mocktails (with infusions available in all mocktails). There will also be a variety of vegan options on hand.
Beyond the bakery’s creations, Sweetly Baked will also try to highlight other local businesses on its menu. Its coffee is sourced from Anodyne, beer will come from Black Husky, their honey hails from Highlands Honey, and the hemp-derived extracts such as CBD, Delta 8, and Delta 9 will come from Good Land Extracts.
Sweetly Baked will officially open on Friday, April 19 so they’re able to partake in Gallery Night festivities. That will be part of a “weekend of sweet celebrations” that also includes some 4/20 specials on Saturday. After opening weekend, Sweetly Baked will initially be open from Thursday through Sunday, with plans to expand its hours and offer things like “Late Night Dessert Flights” in the near future.
And worry not, you’ll also still be able to get Sweetly Baked at a few festivals this year, including Locust Street Festival, Milwaukee Night Market, Bay View Bash, and Bastille Days. To keep up on all things Sweetly Baked, check their website and follow them on Instagram.
