Addiction is a noun that means the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice, or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. You will definitely form an addiction to Biteddie "Teddie" Bethel cupcakes so much so that she named her company very simply -- Addiction -- the name absolutely says it all. When you bite into an Addiction cupcake you will always want more, according to Teddie who has dubbed her loyal customer base as "sugar heads" because they simply can't get enough.
"When you bite into my cupcakes you always want more which is why I always refer to my customers as sugar heads," said the high school student who specializes in petite desserts. "I choose to do small things because people are so health conscious and are always thinking about small bites with less calories."
These addicting cupcakes treats are being delivered by a young baker who has been baking and selling her cupcakes and four-inch cakes for the past three years, and uncompromisingly declares that her red velvet cupcake is the best out there and the best you will ever have. This confidence comes from a 16-year-old St. Anne's School student.
"I make the best red velvet in The Bahamas and I promise you that," says Teddie, an 11th grade student. Her classic red velvet with cream cheese she said is her most popular flavor on a cupcake menu profile that spans some 20 flavors.
Her current top sellers include cookies and cream; Staggerly (Captain Morgan cupcake which is soaked in rum and topped with a vanilla bean frosting); Guinness and Irish Cream cupcake with Irish cream liqueur buttercream; Reese's peanut butter cup (chocolate with peanut butter); Nilla Nilla (vanilla bean); 14 carat gold spiced carrot cupcake (which is spicier than usual); her Addiction signature cupcake (chocolate base with a vanilla bean buttercream and Spanish caramel); Tres Leches y con dulce de leche (three milk soaked cupcake topped with a combination of whipped cream and buttercream cream frosting with dulce de leche; Chocoholic (chocolate fudge cupcake with chocolate fudge buttercream drizzled with dark chocolate and topped with mini chocolate chips); Guava Duffy (vanilla bean cupcake with guava cream cheese buttercream frosting); Pina Colada (pineapple and coconut flavored cupcake with a pineapple and coconut cream cheese buttercream rolled in toasted coconut and topped with a maraschino cherry); Hazels cupcake (chocolate cupcake with chocolate hazelnut buttercream stuffed with crushed Ferrero Rocher chocolate); Apple pie cupcake (cinnamon apple-flavored cupcake with apple pie filling buttercream topped with apple pie filling).
She also offers seasonal cupcakes. For the fall and Christmas season she offered a pumpkin and spice and everything nice cupcake (pumpkin-spiced cake with cream cheese frosting with a butterscotch drizzle); Eggnog pound cake; and a sweet potato pound cake with a bruleed marshmallow drizzle. And for those that want to take their cupcake addiction over the top, Teddie will stuff your treat with almost anything you want from caramel to whipped cream, and even candy.
She does pull-apart cupcakes, in the shape of letters or numbers, and is known for her hand-piped roses and flowers that look exactly like the real thing.
Teddie has been baking for most of her life, and said it comes naturally to her. As far back as she can remember she says she has always been in the kitchen, from as young as three-years old. She was introduced to baking by her grandmother Judy Boyd.
Over the years she has had many influences from a neighbor who had a bakery in which she spent many afternoons watching her during her primary school years, then going into the kitchen with her grandmother as she cooked dinner for the family and baked coconut tart. Teddie has also spent time in the Swiss Pastry Shop baking with the Ginters with whom she did work-study last year.
"I really enjoy baking," said the teen. The one thing she's not into is cooking. She actually says she's bad at it. She also says she does not bake from recipes, and that she comes up with her flavor profiles from her travels.
"I travel a lot, and if I see a flavor I like, I recreate it in my own way," she said.
Still a high school student, Teddie who is demand for her addictive cupcakes says she can be found in her kitchen at 4 a.m. on some days, and after doing her homework in the evenings to ensure that she fills her orders. She preps the night before to ensure she has her ingredients, and will make frostings, before arriving at school by 8:25 a.m. then she goes home and bakes her treats.
If she has an order for the next day, she starts the cycle all over again, prepping and making frostings, checking her pantry to ensure she has everything she needs. She may be a home-based business, but unlike many teenagers, she does not "half-step" as she puts it.
She has Ministry of Health certification, and recently signed a contract with Sea Shells Restaurant, which will sell her cupcakes every Friday. Teddie has plans to attend Johnson & Wales University. She has participated in their summer program which she said wasn't enough for her.
The money she makes from selling her cakes and cupcakes is also put to good use. Last year she had a goal to make over $1,000 to help pay for an immersion language trip she wanted to take to Panama, and she did it. She doesn't believe in relying on her parents for everything, and feels she has the tools to help herself.
To become a Teddie Bethel 'sugar head' you can order by telephoning 426-4441 or biteddiebethel@gmail.com or follow her on #addictionbahamas. Her four-inch cake sells for $15; cupcakes are $22-$23 a dozen; and her pull apart cupcakes start at $54.
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