Jaeellebee Cakes & Sweets bakes up eye-popping goods

hen Jessica Barnes first took a baking class at Michaels with her mom, it began as a bit of innocent bonding. Six years later, she’s running her own delectable Detroit bakery.

“I enjoyed the class, being creative – and I like food,” says Barnes, owner of Jaeellebee Cakes & Sweets. “It was a good way to create and eat!”

She went on to master the art of delicious taste and eye-popping presentation with plenty of trial-and-error, hours of watching baking videos and late nights in the kitchen.

Specializing in “naked” chocolate drip and floral cakes, Barnes’ custom creations have contemporary and feminine flair, flaunting touches like real flowers, bling, bold colors and, of course, sprinkles. Her masterpieces have appeared at birthdays, photo shoots and weddings.

With orders coming in online and from word of mouth, this one-woman show sometimes needs help. That’s where mom comes back in – and dad, too.

“I had this really big order about two years ago,” Barnes says. “I was up all night at my church. My parents had to come and help mix and bring me butter.”

Barnes’ dream is to open a small boutique in downtown Detroit. While her cakes take the, well, cake, Jaeellebee is a one-stop sweet tooth shop where you’ll also find cake pops, macarons, dipped strawberries, cheesecakes and pies.

“I do everything homemade. No box cake mix,” Barnes says. “Everything is natural – real butter and real fruits.”