The Icing on the (Cup)Cake How a local baker became an overnight sensation in Baltimore.

Three weeks ago, Cortney Bluefeld didn’t even have a cupcake business—and now, she’s selling out of more than a hundred tasty treats a day.

“It has just exploded,” Bluefeld says, shaking her head. “It’s so crazy to me. All they are is cupcakes!”

The thing is, though, they’re not just cupcakes—they’re Baltimore’s Best Cupcakes. Or at least, that’s the moniker Bluefeld settled on after doing some research and finding that “all the cute names were taken.”

If it sounds like Bluefeld is not particularly enthused about the business, trust us: she’s thrilled. But she’s also shocked by BBC’s overnight success. After all, she never intended for this to happen: While she’d always enjoyed baking for her family, it wasn’t until a patisserie quoted her a ridiculous amount of money for her fiance’s 50th birthday cake that her cupcake-baking skills were made public.

“I told him there was no way we were paying that, so I made a 200-cupcake tower instead  with every flavor you can imagine, from mint chocolate chip to apple pie to espresso” she says. “Everybody loved them.”

So much so, in fact, that they started calling her with orders—not just her family and friends, but the party venue itself and, later, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (who requested salted caramel, in case you were wondering).

Before she knew it, she had a full-blown business, 35000 hits on her Facebook page and an exclusive retail contract with Gourmet Again in Pikesville…to the tune of nine dozen cupcakes a day. (Not including custom orders, which are coming in about 5-10 a week.)

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” she says with a laugh. “I’m so busy, I’m baking nonstop. I guess I’ll have to hire someone, though I don’t really want to.”

And though it’s stressful, Bluefeld couldn’t be happier.

“I still can’t believe my little idea turned into a business,” she says, “I’m not used to all the attention, but I’m going to ride this as long as I can and just be grateful.”

As for the cupcakes themselves? Well, they’re just plain delicious, as the STYLE staff can attest. The 32-flavor selection offers anything you could ever really need (from French toast to potato chip to chocolate-covered banana), and Bluefeld is constantly coming up with more ideas.

And though she can’t eat them herself—she follows a strict diet after recently losing a significant amount of weight—Blufeld is careful to ensure quality each step of the way, from carefully-crafted buttercream icing to the extra-moist cake itself (made with secret organic extracts) to the signature mini-doughnut adorning each.

“As my fiance says, they’re so Baltimore they even come with O’s on them!”