This Park Hill Bakery & Cafe Serves Up Breakfast, Lunch and Cakes In a Pinch

Finding a last-minute, beautifully crafted, high-quality cake for a special occasion or springtime gathering can be a daunting challenge, but Cake Crumbs Bakery & Cafe at 2216 Kearney Street is here for panicked procrastinators with its daily stock of 6-inch “In a Pinch” cake options. “I think the convenience and flavor variety, and the fact that you can buy a cake that looks custom straight out of the case, is a unique opportunity for many customers — especially because we offer it in five different flavors,” says Katie Magner, who purchased the business five years ago with her husband, Joe.

Located in a pedestrian-friendly part of Park Hill for almost fifteen years, Cake Crumbs has evolved from a bakery specializing in custom orders into a thriving local institution offering a variety of items and services — a progression largely driven by its loyal patrons. “I feel like Cake Crumbs is its own living, breathing beast, and I'm here to steward that and captain the ship,” Magner says. “We have lots and lots of regulars who come here every day, who might come to grab a cup of coffee as part of their morning routine, they might come to pop open their laptop for a few hours and have a work meeting, or meet a friend for lunch.”
While sweet tooth-satisfying desserts such as cake pops and a variety of cupcakes remain shop staples, Cake Crumbs also serves an expanded breakfast and lunch menu that rotates seasonally.  It's available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. “We kinda overhauled a lot of the things on the menu and re-created several of the recipes," Magner says. "It might be the same breakfast sandwich on the menu, but now it comes with a side of red-pepper aioli. We also added things that are a little bit more interesting, or perhaps on trend, like the avocado toast." The Magners also added alcoholic beverages to the bakery's lineup. Customers can now pair the Bake Shop Chicken Salad Sandwich with a cold brew coffee or, depending on the demands of the day, an Aperol spritz.
A recent unexpected but thriving business model change — prompted by pandemic restrictions — is a variety of convenient grab-and-go items, the most sought-after being the take-and-bake cinnamon rolls ($18). “It comes frozen, with four cinnamon rolls in a pack," Magner explains. "You take it home, proof it overnight and bake it in the morning, and it’s so good."

Customers can even enjoy their Saturday morning cinnamon rolls with a brewed-at-home cup of Cake Crumbs coffee, which is roasted in-house and sold in five-pound bags. “We have a Bellwether coffee roaster that is a self-contained zero-emission unit,” Magner notes. “It’s great for a place like us, who roast mostly for on-premises consumption, but also for whole-bean purchase for customers.”

Cake Crumbs’ coffee also captured the attention of Lucina, a new Latin eatery located across the street on Kearney. “They approached us to provide them with the coffee for their restaurant,” says Magner. “We sell them the whole bean for them to prepare for French press coffee enjoyed after dining. We also brew espresso for their espresso martinis.”
Over the past few years, Cake Crumbs’ menu expansions and updated beverage offerings may be the most notable changes; however, the business has also seen a positive increase in its catering requests as well as hosting special events like engagement parties, bridal showers and retirement parties. “I feel that this place is really unique and special because of the confluence of three things: We take great care of what we serve and are very intentional in what we offer our customers; we have a really wonderful and supportive community, which was very apparent in their interest in helping us survive through the worst parts of the pandemic; and we have a really great staff,” says Magner. “So my intention on a daily basis is to nurture all those three things to make sure we are always working and operating smoothly. When those things are all in tune and dialed in, we are doing great.”

Pop into Cake Crumbs anytime for a sweet treat like a lemon ginger scone, or submit a pre-order via Toast for its prepared Easter Brunch, which serves four and contains bakery-made strata, a mixed-greens salad, yogurt parfait, and, of course, its famous take-and-bake cinnamon rolls.

Cake Crumbs Bakery and Cafe is located at 2216 Kearney Street in Denver and is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.cake-crumbs.com.