Amélie with Attitude: Catberry Cakes, Cookies and more

I recently had a nice chat with Amélie from Catberry Pastries! Amélie is the sweetest and she also happens to bake some of the sweetest vegan goods in Ghent. And honestly, our shared love of cats and cupcakes was even more reason to meet!

fullsizeoutput_946

I first noticed Amélie’s work via her Instagram which features her colorful and creative 100% plant-based designs. I then wanted to know more about her entrepreneurial spirit and where the idea came up to bake up her very own business. (I also was dying to try some of her cupcakes!)

It all started when Amélie and her boyfriend shifted to a vegan lifestyle while she was studying environmental science. Their eyes were opened to the realities of dairy and she realized she wanted to create equally delicious baked goods without compromising her values. After winning second place in a Baking Competition in Ghent, her baking momentum naturally picked up from there. As for the name? She always loved the word ‘berry’ and so the cute business name Catberry came to be.

Ghent being the progressive city it is, it’s not exceptional to find ethical and delicious vegan and vegetarian alternatives. The city has implemented Thursday ‘veggie days’ and it’s easy to find restaurants that offer delicious vegan food.” – Amelie

Amélie runs her baking operation out of her house at the moment, but she says she’d love to have a storefront in the near future. Currently, you can find her goodies like cupcakes, cakes, brownies, and cookies for sale at V Box and Take 5. A large part of her business comes from deliveries of private orders for events like baby showers, weddings and birthdays. You can order a customized box of 6 cupcakes for 12 euros, and the coffee flavor is to die for! She can also mail a ‘brownie box’ to any place in Belgium as a surprise, gesture, or sweet gift.

DSCF9874

Every week is a new creative challenge as she rides the wave of trends to design every piece by hand. Whether it’s for a kid’s birthday, baby shower or wedding, each season brings new design requests and challenges that Amélie loves to create. She can work with a huge range of design styles; from elaborate fondant cakes with figurines to minimalist and romantic wedding cakes. I was so happy to try some of her freshly baked goods. What really impressed me was the richness of flavor, how moist the cake itself was, and the icing — I was still daydreaming about it days after!