Local Woman Brings Sweet Trend to Milton

Step aside gourmet cupcakes, make way for the cake pop! "A cake pop is a ball of
cake mixed with frosting in truffle form dipped into chocolate candy coating and served on a stick," explains Heather O'Donnell, founder of Milton's newest confectionary company- The Dancing Ladybug. The Dancing Ladybug specializes in two-bite desserts, or what O'Donnell refers to as "demi-desserts," including of course, cake pops.

O'Donnell is a self-taught baker who's had an interest in the pretty and petite since she was young. Her desire to build a business around baked goods that are visually appealing and tasty came from both her passion for baking and her observation of a new trend in the industry- the cake pop. O'Donnell, who works full time as a nurse in the evenings at Brigham And Women's Hospital, watched as cake pop businesses "popped" up around the country. With successful ventures showing up in California, New York, Florida, and Texas, she noticed that no one in New England was making cake pops on a retail level.

The inspiration for the name, The Dancing Ladybug, came from the desire to find something that "felt kid and family friendly." O'Donnell, who enjoys the whimsical and is also a fan of ladybugs, settled on The Dancing Ladybug because she hoped that "whatever a customer would eat from my shop would make them want to dance."

O'Donnell likes to use seasonal inspiration and produce for the flavors of her cake pops, she's currently working on a pumpkin spice pop. But The Dancing Ladybug can produce an infinite number of designs and flavors based on customers requests. O'Donnell recalls a particular request she enjoyed executing, "I did a child's birthday party that was held at a bowling alley with matching cupcakes and cake pops designed to look like bowling balls and bowling pins." She also designs theme pops for specific holidays and seasons; O'Donnell's most recent work includes mummies, Frankenstein, candy corn, pumpkins and other fall-items, all of which can be seen on The Dancing Ladybug's facebook page.

The Dancing Ladybug, a business still in its infancy, has been in operation professionally for just about a month, but O'Donnell has been making the treats for family and friends for about six months. O'Donnell initially plans to build the business's presence on facebook, where she posts photographs of her latest work. "The internet and facebook have been enormous [for small businesses,] it's a tool that everyone with a small business should use. It's amazing how many people you can reach." O'Donnell says so far the reaction to the business and its online presence has been "very, very good because it's an unknown entity, people are interested in finding out what [cake pops] are."

O'Donnell plans to start small, gathering a following through facebook and baking out of her home kitchen, but looks to similar home-based businesses, such as Ginger Betty's Bakery, for inspiration for the future. "Ginger Betty's began by doing gingerbread houses on her dining room table, now runs a shop in Quincy," says O'Donnell who has taken noticed of the bakery's business model.

Looking to the future, O'Donnell's aspirations for The Dancing Ladybug is to one day have a storefront. Her vision includes a shop with a few small tables that sells petite, two-bite desserts with cake pops as the signature item. She also hopes to have a website within the next six months. For now, customers can contact her through her facebook page or via email at thedancingladybug@gmail.com.