Beaumont gets Sugar Coated

That sweet smell coming from Maria Baldi’s family home in Beaumont is not just the smell of a delicious treat, but also the aroma of hard work, careful planning, artful design, and the occasional tear or two.

Sugar Coated is a cake company owned and operated by 23-year-old Maria Baldi, which specializes in treats of all shapes, sizes, and themes.

A graduate of in 2005, Baldi was active as a Varsity cheerleader, carrying her squad to first place at a competition at Cal Poly Pomona, which is the only time in history that BHS Cheer has ever been to competition. She was also involved with the Associated Student Body as the event coordinator, which sparked her interest in wedding planning.

After graduating she got certified to become a wedding planner, but as time went on she realized her passion was in the cake.

“I wasn’t ever the baker in the family, but I decided to try it one day. And not just your normal flat sheet birthday cake. I started off with a topsy-turvy cake. It was fun, messy, and challenging, so I continued,” the bubbly Baldi gushes. “Having so many people in my family, birthdays were practice for me. I continued to get better and enjoyed every minute of it. I started posting pictures on the internet and that’s when the orders started rolling in.”

She needed a name, and when her sister suggested Sugar Coated, she fell in love. “I immediately thought of Dylan’s Candy and Kim Kardashian’s Cupcakes. I wanted something that had a young, sweet, and sassy feel to it,” she says.

An average cake takes about eight hours to make.

As an avid animal lover, she gives back to the community by donating her treats to the Lions, Tigers, and Bears organization in Alpine. The cat rescue center sells her baked goods at fundraisers and uses proceeds to provide a better life for unwanted and abused exotic cats.

For the most part Baldi works alone. “I have it stuck in my mind that if you want it done right you have to do it yourself,” she says. However, she does enlist the help of her family members from time to time. “Fortunately, my mom loves to clean and helps sometimes by cleaning my messes. I can create a crazy mess with powdered sugar, coloring, and left over cake. When I’m done, I’m not sure what took longer, to make the cake or clean up.”

She goes on, “My sister has an artsy style and I’m more realistic, so when I get an order for something more artsy, she’s my girl!”

And it’s not just the girls in the family that lend a hand. “Because cakes take a lot of structure, it really helps that my dad is in construction. Some of the best moments are when my dad and I are just sitting, staring at the cake, trying to figure out how it’s not going to fall,” she laughs.

The Baldi family is not new to family run businesses in Beaumont. Baldi Brothers Constructors has long been a family run business, and Baldi hopes to open her own store in the future. But for now, the delicious cakes are created and born right in the family home.

For today - Valentine’s Day - Baldi made some of her special Cake Pops. “They’re the perfect treat! Especially if you are over the standard box of chocolates. Each Cake Pop can be personalized which makes your special someone feel that much more special.”

She’ll be busy the next couple days, that’s for sure. She laughs, “Everyone knows, when it’s cake time, it’s back away time. Although on occasion, I will get a whisper in my ear, asking if there’s any extra.”

You can reach Baldi on Sugar Coated's Facebook page, or through email at maria@sugarcoated@gmail.com.