Dessert duo

Whatever you do, don’t call Annabel Shaffou’s cupcake business a side hustle.

Instead, the first-year medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine would much rather you refer to La Fleur Cupcakes as a “passion project.”

Or art. Or a kind of stress-relieving therapy. Or quality bonding time with her mother. Or simply, fun.

Whatever you want to call it, there’s one label La Fleur Cupcakes can’t avoid — successful.

That’s because the business continues to grow, largely by word-of-mouth. It’s been invited to “Best of Detroit” parties. And some have even offered to invest in the business to foster growth.

“It started as a passion project and to see it spread outside of us has been really beautiful,” says Shaffou. “It feels like a lot more than we ever anticipated it being.”

“When you start making cupcakes you don’t anticipate it’s going to have such an impact on people’s lives,” she adds.

‘Very unique’

Shaffou was born and raised in southeast Michigan, where she attended Oakland University as an undergraduate and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology.

She set sights on becoming a doctor after helping family members with their own health-related issues. Specifically, her father’s experiences with muscular dystrophy.

“That really opened my eyes to what doctors can really do for people,” she says. “Seeing how they treated him as a person…that was the biggest draw for me.”

OUWB was her top choice for medical school.

“In undergrad, I knew people who came here before me and had really enjoyed their experiences at the school,” she says. “What really set it apart from other medical schools was its character…the quality of the people and how warm and welcoming it is.”

“I like the focus on a holistic education and compassion and not just strict, on-the-page science,” she adds.

Shaffou began attending OUWB in August 2024. She says she’s adjusted to the rigors of medical school and her favorite part has been the people she’s met along the way.

“We’re all like-minded people but we’re also still very unique,” she says.

Just one thing that makes Shaffou “very unique” is her cupcake business.

Shaffou says she believes her family's cupcake business has been successful because so much effort goes into creating the perfect cupcake from scratch, top to bottom. (Submitted photo)

A ‘good, healthy outlet’

When Shaffou was in fourth grade, her classmates already knew to look forward to her birthday. That’s when she brought in treats from home…and everyone knew that she had the best sweets.  

The reason was pretty simple: she grew up baking.

“I’ve always loved how there’s a mix of directions and creativity in baking,” says Shaffou. “And it was a good, healthy outlet as a kid growing up.”

She also says it helped her bond with people, especially her mom, Rasha.

Together, they would bake an average of two to three times a week.

Eventually, Shaffou and her mother started making cakes for others.

“They all told us we should start our own business, and we just kind of laughed it off,” she says.

At the time, the duo was perfectly happy in their role as the ones who would bring the desserts to different events. The accolades they received were reward enough.

“The best part was when people would eat the desserts and give us positive feedback,” she says with a smile.

The pair continued to refine their skillset. For example, they figured out the perfect recipe for buttercream frosting and how to effectively use different piping tips to create various decorations like flowers.

They moved from cakes to cupcakes and became so good at creating flowers out of buttercream that they started making beautiful bouquets of individual cupcakes arranged together.

Eventually, when Shaffou was in her second year of undergrad studies, they officially started a cupcake business.

The first step was logistics. They had to figure out which of the two kitchens in their house would be dedicated to the business, how much to charge for their products, and the best packaging for their creations.

They also needed a name. A French neighbor suggested La Fleur Cupcakes.

“We were trying to think of a name that wouldn’t be too cheesy or too corny and sounded a bit more sophisticated,” says Shaffou.

With everything in place, the company took to social media to begin creating awareness.

After just a couple posts, COVID-19 hit.

Annabel Shaffou and her mother, Rasha (Submitted photo)

A burgeoning business

With the initial wave of the pandemic in full effect in early 2020, La Fleur Cupcakes was among the many organizations to effectively hit pause.

It didn’t last long.

“After a couple of weeks someone reached out and wanted to place an order,’” says Shaffou.

With many stores closed or operating on a severely scaled back level, La Fleur Cupcakes was there to meet demand. After all, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other celebratory occasions were still happening.

“At the time, people didn’t want to go out or be around others, so I think this felt like a much safer option for them,” says Shaffou. “We were pretty busy from the start.”

A steep learning curve followed. For instance, the first boxes ordered by La Fleur Cupcakes were too short. They needed to develop a better system for how to take and process orders. They also had to get their timing right so that customers were getting the freshest possible cupcakes. They needed new designs. And, of course, Shaffou and her mother had to do all of this while she stayed on track with her education.

Concurrently, the orders flowed in. Shaffou says she believes it’s because she and her mom put so much effort into creating the perfect cupcake from scratch, top to bottom.

“People would find us on Instagram and tell us they had our cupcakes at so-and-so’s event and place their own orders,” says Shaffou

In their first year, the company had 670 orders of bouquets. Most of those contained 12 cupcakes each so that means more than 8,000 cupcakes were made – again, each from scratch. The business went through 700 pounds of butter and more than 1,000 pounds of powdered sugar for just the frosting.

Since then, the company has continued to grow and remain profitable. It was featured in Hour Detroit’s 2023 Bridal Issue. It also was among those invited to Hour Detroit’s Best of Detroit party. Customers have bought La Fleur Cupcakes and taken them on airplanes so they can deliver them to their loved ones. A 100-year-old woman was celebrating her birthday and her neighbors all chipped in to get her cupcakes from La Fleur. The wife of former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has ordered the cupcakes, too.

There was one other big benefit, too.

“I was preparing for my medical school interview at OUWB and anticipating having to answer the question about what I would do if I couldn’t do medicine,” says Shaffou. “I was like ‘Do I say the truth? Do I say I would just keep making cupcakes?’”

“So, I did,” she adds. “And when I got to second look, my interviewer told me that was something that really stood out to him. It was one of his favorite things I said in my interview.”

‘Pretty beneficial’

For all of the success of La Fleur Cupcakes, Shaffou has remained committed to education.

She’s just learned how to make it work given her schedule. For example, before she started medical school last August, she spent a good chunk of July getting La Fleur Cupcakes’ Christmas web page ready.

They also take orders far enough in advance so that Shaffou can plan her studies accordingly.

And she has found piping cupcakes is a great break from school and the perfect stress reliever.

“It’s definitely been a good outlet,” she says. “I love to draw and paint but it’s hard to get to sometimes because I’m so busy and consumed. But this is an obligation so I have to do it…and it’s been pretty beneficial.”

And, for now, that’s enough.

“I don’t think the cupcake business is something I’ve fully considered because my heart’s been pretty set on medicine,” she says.

“But it’s also something I’m definitely not giving up on,” she adds with a smile.