This holiday season, sweet treats go without saying, and Batter ‘N Icing has you covered.
Most recently, owner Nisha Kanakarajan released a Hot Cocoa cupcake and a Candy Cane Oreo cupcake, alongside plenty of traditional favorites like Peppermint Latte, Biscoff Cookie Butter, and Chocolate Peppermint Crunch. They are even offering holiday-themed minis!
If you are looking for more than just cupcakes, their menu features creative custom cakes, bars, cookies, and even cookie cakes and mini pies. They also provide full catering for events large and small, ranging from weddings and corporate functions to intimate birthday celebrations.
Note: For Christmas and New Year’s pre-orders, be sure to get your requests in by December 22.
Q: How did you go from the tech world to baking? What was the transition like going from technology to food?
A: I’m a home baker and chef at heart; I have always loved entertaining and feeding family and friends. A few years ago, I was recovering from an injury, and as much as I loved my corporate job, I felt there was something missing in my life. Feeding people gives me joy, and I wanted a bigger platform to do it. The bakery gave me that outlet.
When I first started, it was a side gig that I ran while holding onto my job part-time. We grew during COVID, and I eventually found myself stretched too thin. I decided I had to give up the day job to keep my sanity! Going from technology to food wasn’t easy—I had a lot of learning to do—but I had the support of a great team, and I learned as we grew.
Coming into this from outside the industry actually became an advantage. It meant I didn’t want to cut corners when it came to quality. I only want to offer what I would serve my own friends and family at home. However, my technology background definitely helped in bringing structure and systems to our operations.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
A: I love being a part of special moments, especially weddings and gender reveals. But it’s also the little things—like when a child comes in with their parents to pick up a birthday cake, and their eyes light up when they see what we created for them. We have so many families who come back to us year after year for their celebrations. For example, we had a couple who did their gender reveal with us, then every birthday, and now their daughter is six years old! I have a mom who celebrates all her family members’ birthdays with us—I know all of their birthday months by heart now.
It’s very heartwarming to be a part of family traditions, to be their neighborhood cupcakery, and to have frequent customers who have become friends. That feeling is unmatched.
Q: What were some of the early challenges you overcame?
A: Building from scratch and getting our retail location up to code was a huge hurdle. We had to learn quickly regarding finding the right team, securing permits, and sourcing equipment. Once we opened, learning how to manage order intake and scaling to meet demand without compromising on quality were the biggest challenges we faced in those initial days.
Q: After five years in Danville, what made you want to expand?
A: When we grew during COVID, we found that on many weekends, we were maxed out on capacity. We bake fresh every morning—nothing is ever frozen. Because we don’t use massive walk-in freezers, we can only bake a certain amount per day. We ran out of room to store orders and often had to shut down new orders a couple of days in advance. We found ourselves having to turn down repeat, loyal customers. That was upsetting because we value those relationships so much. The only option was to expand to a new location to keep up with the love we were receiving.
Q: How did you end up in Pleasant Hill? What has the response been like there?
A: We were looking for a city that supported local small businesses but was also easy to access from Danville. I am very hands-on with our day-to-day operations, so I wanted to make sure the second location was a reasonable driving distance.
We often had customers coming into our Danville location telling us we needed to open up closer to the Concord and Clayton area. When this opportunity opened up, the location felt perfect—it had such a fun, lively energy. We love being in Pleasant Hill! The people are friendly and welcoming, and the city is very supportive. We’ve found that a lot of our original customers now come to the Pleasant Hill location because it is closer for them. We are still relatively new here, so we are working on spreading the word!
A: One of the biggest impacts has been the rising cost of doing business. As a small business, we have limited resources, so to stay sustainable, we are constantly having to pivot. Retail sales have shifted, and customers are understandably more cautious with spending than when we first opened. The costs of labor, ingredients, packaging, and rent are major factors, but we are doing our best to navigate it while keeping our standards high.
Q: What are the best sellers?
A: Cupcakes are definitely our best sellers! Some of our most popular everyday flavors are Chocolate Cream, Birthday Cake, Pink Vanilla, and Red Velvet.
Q: Seasonally, what is your favorite to get creative with?
A: If I had to pick just one, Valentine’s Day is probably my favorite! But Easter, Mother’s Day, and the Christmas holidays come really close.
Q: What was your favorite order received from a creative and “taste” standpoint?
A: There are so many, it’s hard to pick just one! From a creative standpoint, we recently had the opportunity to be a part of a global marketing campaign for one of the large tech giants in the Bay Area—which felt like a full-circle moment for me.
From a taste standpoint, I love creating cupcakes that incorporate flavors representing international cuisines, such as Gulab Jamun, Mangonada, Ube, and Matcha.
Q: What type of experience do you want to provide to your clients?
A: I want to be our clients’ “go-to” place for their events, be it big or small.
When we work with wedding planners or couples planning their special day, I want their experience to be seamless. I want them to feel like they do not have to worry about dessert because we will handle it all.
For our corporate customers, we want the ordering process to be easy, and for them to have confidence that the desserts will be truly enjoyed by their employees and clients.
Ultimately, I want people to recognize the effort we put into baking fresh every morning and handcrafting our products. Food is joy, and I hope to spread that through our bakery. I hope they can taste the passion and love I put into everything we do.
Locations:
- Batter ‘N Icing – Danville: 95 Railroad Ave, Danville (925) 965 -0333
- Batter ‘N Icing – Pleasant Hill: 65B Crescent Drive, Pleasant Hill (925) 332 7212
Website: www.batternicing.com
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24 Days of Contra Costa Businesses
| Dec. 1: Salt & Fig Marketplace (Brentwood) | Dec. 13: Serendipity Cellars |
| Dec. 2: Dále Vino (Pittsburg) | Dec. 14: |
| Dec. 3: Clavo & Canela Café (Antioch) | Dec. 15: Ruth Bancroft Garden |
| Dec. 4: Eight Acres (Brentwood) | Dec. 16: Batter ‘N Icing |
| Dec. 5: Speakeasy Baking Co | Dec. 17: |
| Dec. 6: Anchor Attire | Dec. 18: |
| Dec. 7: Chrome Coffee (Brentwood/Oakley) | Dec. 19: |
| Dec. 8: Mike’s Pastry Shop (Antioch) | Dec. 20: |
| Dec. 9: Side Gate Brewery (Concord) | Dec. 21: |
| Dec. 10: McCauley Olive Groves | Dec. 22: |
| Dec. 11: GolfBallin (Oakley) | Dec. 23: |
| Dec.12: Rivertown Treasure Chest (Antioch) | Dec. 24: |
Want to be potentially included? If you are interested in potentially being included in our free 24 Days of Contra Costa Businesses profile, or would like to nominate a business, please email burk@contracosta.news