Gina Marie's Custom Desserts is a big deal in a small space. Nestled in Auburn, where you'd least expect a five-star bakery, Gina Marie's Custom Desserts is fast becoming THE place to get beautifully designed cakes and delicious desserts. Read on to learn what makes this little bakery such a huge local sensation.
Family is at the Heart of This Business
I was driving through Auburn one day and decided to take the scenic route. That is, I would go through town rather than on 1-80. For those unfamiliar with Auburn, it is one of the prettiest towns to drive through. When you'd least expect it, you'll catch sight of the famous American River Canyon or see snow-capped mountains off in the distance. Even its railroad crossings are pictures of yesteryear. It's a really neat town. Unsurprisingly, such an awesome town should have gems hidden everywhere. Gina Marie's Custom Desserts is the quintessential hidden gem.
Gina Marie's Custom Desserts is next to an older general store, a lovely old post office, a health food store that's existed for decades, and a nail salon that's also been in its location forever. In other words, Gina Marie's Custom Desserts is in a unique spot where businesses stay open for decades. With her high-quality baked goods and ever-growing following, there’s every reason to believe Gina Marie's Custom Desserts is here to stay. There are several consistent compliments that Gina gets, which make her stand out in a competitive industry. Gina and her mom, Debbie, work together and emulate goodness. The day I tried Gina Marie's Custom Desserts, Debbie was working there, and Gina was making deliveries. Debbie was patient with me and my never-ending questions; she was excited that I was new to their shop and made me feel like a treasured friend. While I haven't met Gina yet, from what I understand, she's a chip off the cookie and the apple that didn't roll off the streusel at all. Okay, so much for half-baked metaphors. You get the idea. She and her mom are cut with the same fantastic cookie cutter. I'll stop.
Debbie says she and Gina stay very busy and provide personal service, a great product at reasonable prices. I asked what the most popular item is with walk-ins, and she went straight to my heart with her answer. She said lemon bars are the hands-down favorite! WHAT! The only thing that would have made me jump for joy just a bit higher would have been carrot cake. But after eating one of Gina Marie's Custom Desserts lemon bars, I don't know if carrot cake is my favorite dessert now. This thing was the real deal, made with locally grown lemons, high-quality butter, and flour, same with sugar, and honestly, I've never had better. Debbie pointed to a massive crate of lemons and said that they only bought from this local farmer because of the outstanding quality of her lemons. If they don't have her lemons to work with, there's no lemon bar. But Debbie explained that baked goods are cyclical, so people crave another season's favorite when the lemon season is over. For my own sake, I resisted asking when carrot cake season starts.
I want to point out that Gina Marie's Custom Desserts serves excellent coffee and has a fantastic program. If you buy coffee and purchase one of the special coffee jars, you can return it and get coffee at a discount. If you don't want more coffee in the future, you can return the jar to get your money back on it. Great idea, right?
Here's What Others are Saying
Gina's fans say that her cakes and cookies are second to none in creativity and quality. Of the ones I've seen, that's not hyperbole. Her cakes are so creative and are as delicious as they are beautiful. Everyone gives Gina Marie's Custom Desserts the highest compliments using words like "highest recommendation," "her cakes are incredible," "outstanding experience," "at the bakery, was given a masterpiece" (when arriving to pick up cake), "her creativity is off the charts," "she gets right back to you," and "she's as kind as she is talented." From those I spoke with and what I've read about Gina Marie's Custom Desserts, getting more compliments is impossible. One person piqued my interest by saying that she asked if Gina could make a Swedish Princess cake, and, despite her prior experience baking one, Gina nailed the cake to perfection. But what is a Swedish Princess Cake, and why would it be a big deal to make it correctly? Here's what I learned.
Swedish Princess Cake
This cake is a traditional Swedish torte consisting of alternating layers of sponge cake, raspberry jam, pastry cream, and a thick-domed layer of whipped cream. Then it's covered by a layer of marzipan. Okay, I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds like a load of moving parts. I see why it might be impressive that someone nailed it without prior experience. Upon further research, I learned that this cake is known as Prinsesstarta. The story goes that this cake was a favorite with Sweden’s royal family, especially Prince Carl; his three daughters became huge fans of this cake, so it became known as Prinsesstarta or, as we call it, Swedish Princess Cake. Currently, there are over 500,000 sold in Sweden annually, and a whole week in September is devoted to this cake. For every cake sold, 10 SEK is given to a charity run by Princess Victoria’s charity. Her charity tackles social isolation and health issues. But I digress. Whether you want to test Gina’s baking magic by asking for a specific kind of cake and cookie or want to find your new favorite bakery, Gina Marie's Custom Desserts will not disappoint.
Auburn and Rocklin are great communities that complement each other in many ways. What may not be offered in one is certainly found in the other. As Rocklin’s neighborhood self-storage facility, Stanford Ranch Self Storage is just a short drive from Auburn. We love giving our customers tips on where to shop, eat and recreate, so having Auburn in our "great places toolkit" helps us help our valued customers. It's our honor to provide information on businesses like Gina Marie's Custom Desserts because it helps our community and our customers. Please come by Stanford Ranch Self Storage to share some of your favorite gems. We look forward to hearing from you.
Gina Marie's Custom Desserts
13118 Lincoln Way
Auburn, CA 95603
(530) 305-3073
Please call for the current hours of operation.
https://www.facebook.com/GinaMariesCustomDesserts/
