1 of 6
A savory cake featuring butternut squash with pesto and Italian cheeses
2 of 6
Cameo Cakery & Cafe offers indoor dining, along with a small bar that features draft beer and wine.
3 of 6
Cameo Cakery & Cafe owner Christina Miller
4 of 6
Cameo Cakery & Cafe opened in early October at 306 Libbie Ave.
5 of 6
A Chocolate Salted-caramel Heath cupcake
6 of 6
Inside the cafe
For Cameo Cakery & Cafe owner Christina Miller, it’s all about the buttercream.
“The gold standard in my head was Ukrop’s buttercream,” says the baker and Richmond native.
Miller's infatuation with frosting is nothing new. She says that when she was growing up her mom, Judy, was the queen of cake decorating, never missing a birthday or holiday.
“She was really the reason I started getting into cakes,” Miller says.
When Miller became a mother herself, she knew she wanted to carry on the cake-decorating tradition, even calling on Judy to assist with her son’s first birthday cake.
“I said, ‘I want to do it for my kids’ — it’s such a special memory to me, and I remember the work my mom put into it,” Miller says.
While living in Florida and North Carolina, Miller would continue to bake, enrolling in a handful of culinary classes and eventually launching a side business called Buttersweets, which she operated for about 10 years. She even made a call or two to the Ukrop’s baking department to see if they would reveal the buttercream recipe, to no avail.
But now, Miller says, “I have had people tell me that mine is better than Ukrop’s,” acknowledging that it’s the ultimate compliment. “I realized how popular the frosting recipe really was.”
The journey to the perfect buttercream that began almost 20 years ago has now led Miller to Cameo Cakery & Cafe, which she opened at 306 Libbie Ave. in early October.
Offering sweet and savory cakes, charcuterie boards, cupcakes and more, the 2,100-square-foot space is complete with a walk-up window and large patio, in addition to a bar serving beer and wine.
Wanting to offer a place that could cater not only to visitors seeking sweets, Miller says she tried to combine the elements that would make up her dream cafe: a coffee program, a post-work refuge for a glass of wine and a venture that embraced the neighborhood feel.
“I was thinking about all the things that I personally love and wanted to make sure all of that was here,” she says.
The former nurse returned to Richmond three years ago and says, “It’s the best decision I made in all of my adulthood.”
While cupcakes adorned with the perfected buttercream in flavors from Lemon Lovers to Chocolate Salted-caramel Heath were the original foundation for the business, Miller says its her savory cakes that are becoming a hit.
“Everyone has been raving about the savory cakes, and I love that and I’m really excited about that, cause I haven’t seen this anywhere,” she says.
Described as a cross between a quiche and a cheesecake, the mini Bundt-shaped, flourless creations come in a variety of flavors, from crab and shrimp with red pepper, carrot and smoked Gouda to one featuring butternut squash, pesto and Italian cheeses and another with sage sausage, peppers, onions and sharp cheddar.
Other menu options include choose-your-own charcuterie boards, a “gargantuan” pretzel served with Falcon Smash beer cheese, stuffed croissants, cinnamon rolls and cake by the slice. The beer list includes a collection of local brews from Steam Bell Beer Works’ Tiramisu Stout to Center of the Universe’s Oktoberfest, in addition to draft wines.
Miller says the name Cameo Cakery is inspired by the carved, intricate jewelry, and by her mother, who was a big fan of vintage and Victorian-era objects.
“Cameo is also is a symbol of quality and a small piece of art, just like the cakes we do,” Miller says. “All of it kind of fit together … ultimately tying it to my mother, who is the reason I started this to begin with.”
Cameo Cakery & Cafe is open Monday and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
