Bakery to Reopen Tuesday With New Name, Hours

It’s like walking into Grandma’s house. It’s warm, even though the thermostat is set at a mere 62 degrees. Family is gathered, some in the kitchen, some at the table eating, some on the iPad, some talking on the phone. Yet, all are busily preparing for the big event — the grand opening of in Berkley.

The former Ballcap Bakery will reopen for business Tuesday as the Butterfly Bake Shoppe, with a grand opening celebration Saturday. Free samples and coffee will be provided. Butterfly Bake Shoppe's hours will be 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday for doughnuts and pastries.

Dawn Schwanke, owner of Knead-a-Cookie, has taken over ownership of Ballcap Bakery and is transforming the business. She promises to keep a full supply of her Knead-a-Cookie products, which had been sold at Ballcap Bakery. In addition, she has expanded her recipes to include cookies, brownies, doughnuts, tortes and bars. Olga’s Creations, which also operated out of the Ballcap Bakery space, also will be back, creating custom-designed cakes and cupcakes.

Schwanke grew up in a family where baking was synonymous with waking up every morning. 

“It was nothing for my grandpa to make hundreds of loaves of bread a day,” said Schwanke, whose grandfather worked at the former Miller’s Bakery in Detroit. 

In fact, he inspired the bakery's new name, Butterfly Bake Shoppe. Schwanke fondly recalls her grandpa making hundreds of Danish pastries that he called butterflies. After he drizzled them with frosting, Schwanke would glide her fingers across, sneaking a taste of the sweet topping. To welcome her grandparent’s spirit into the bakery, she named the store Butterfly Bakery Shoppe.

Opening the shop has been a family affair. Schwanke, a Berkley resident and mother of five, has her mom helping her prepare for the opening. Schwanke's 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, hopes to take over her mom’s business when she gets older, Schwanke said.

Schwanke hopes Butterfly Bakery Shoppe will continue to expand. 

“I want to blow out of the building,” she said. 

Schwanke would like to offer services such as baking classes and birthday parties. 

“With five kids, I am always thinking what could be fun and different for kids' parties,” Schwanke said.

For now, Schwanke trusts she will be well-received by the community.

“It’s all family,” she said of Berkley and Huntington Woods. In fact, her Knead-a-Cookie creations were served at last week's new residents reception at the .

"Her cookies are amazing," recreation supervisor Colette Nutton said.

Butterfly Bake Shoppe welcomes walk-in customers as well as orders over the phone at 248-439-0377. No order is too big for Schwanke, either. In November, she successfully fulfilled her biggest order to date: 6,000 custom-designed cookies for West Point Academy. 

That is an order to salute.

Correction: The spelling of Olga Lampcov, owner of Olga's Creations, has been corrected in a photo caption.