Sweet Treat: Bubba Morton Is Making Denver’s Must-Try Cheesecake

I've tasted some memorable cheesecakes over the years in Denver, from the rosemary-merlot version that the now-closed Mas Kaos used to dish out, to the classic, extra-dense and cheesy New York-style offering from Odyssey Italian Restaurant on East Sixth Avenue.

I even ate my way through every flavor at the Cheesecake Factory on the 16th Street Mall while bartending there in my early twenties. As much as I loved its banana cream option, it doesn’t compare to my new go-to, Bubba’s Cheesecake.

In February, my girlfriend's favorite local florist, Alex Fairchild of Marked by Alex, hosted a Love Club pop-up at the Banshee House in RiNo. Since I had to work on Valentine’s Day, I knew I had to grab a bouquet ahead of time or I'd be in trouble.

After securing the flowers and some eats from the Yuan Wonton food truck, I spotted a small table with a sign that read, "Bubba's locally made cheesecakes." My sweet tooth went off like a beacon signal. On the menu were fun flavors like strawberry Fruity Pebbles and caramel Oreo.

The cakes were small — about the size of the palm of my hand, so I picked up four to take to my girlfriend in hopes of solidifying my position as an amazing partner. “I hope these take you to cheesecake love,” owner Bubba Morton said as I went on my way. And they sure did.

So I caught up with Morton to learn more about his business. “I just want to make people happy,” he says, which is why he stamps every one of his cake boxes with a quote that he holds dear to his heart: “Make today so good, yesterday gets jealous.”
Morton learned his Dust Bowl-era recipe for cheesecake from his mother and aunt in Anthony, Kansas. When he was in college, he’d make his mom’s original recipe with cherry topping for his friends when he was feeling homesick. The dessert proved to be so popular that a local bar reached out and started buying his cakes for $2.50 a slice.

After moving to Colorado, Morton would set up a table outside of music venues and golf tournaments and give away cake slices for free just to get his name out there, while also working in various kitchens around town. On holidays, he sold cakes via Instagram; his first sale was a full ten-inch pumpkin cheesecake.

The business grew slowly until 2021, when Purple Haze held a baking competition. Morton took first prize and gained hundreds of new followers on social media, a turn that allowed him to quit his day job to concentrate on baking cakes full-time. Now he sells in Denver as well as other cities like Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Portland, Oregon, and even on the PGA Tour.

Morton’s personal favorite is the classic plain, but his best seller comes with strawberry topping, a product he plans to jar and sell nationwide in the future. He has other packaged-food ideas, too, like freeze-dried cheesecake bites.

His secret recipe includes using cheeses not commonly found in cheesecake recipes, he says, but he’s keeping quiet on the details. Currently, he is working on creating seasonal items, like a smoked-peach cobbler using a recipe passed down from his great-grandmother, as well as a caramelized salted pretzel cheesecake.

Morton spends 48 hours every week baking his fan-favorite mini cheesecakes. He sells them at regular pop-ups held Thursday through Sunday at It’s a Bodega (1242 South Broadway).

He's currently working to get licensed for wholesale, and is planning to offer cakes on platforms like GoldBelly and DoorDash in the future. Until then, follow @bubbas.cheesecake on Instagram for his full pop-up schedule.

"I just want my cheesecake to take you back to a time of bliss. Whether that's your first taste of soda or a hug from your grandma. I want my flavors to take you to that place and not let you leave,” Morton says.