When Doodlecakes, one of Alameda’s favorite bakeries, was among the nine local businesses burglarized early Monday morning, February 23, owners Rebekah and Thomas Scott posted about the break-in on social media, maintaining a sense of humor about the situation and assuring everyone that they were OK. They reported that the thieves, whom they called “hungry cake connoisseurs,” had shattered the bakery’s front window and stolen a total of $10 in tip money.
After a quick window replacement by Glass Man & Sons, the bakery was up and running again, serving its signature cupcakes in an array of flavors along with stunning custom cakes for all occasions.
Doodlecakes, which recently celebrated its fourth anniversary, gets its name from the wedding hashtag used by the Scotts when they got married 12 years ago. Thomas is a graphic designer and Rebekah is a baker. “We were like, ‘Hmm, how do we figure out something that’s cutesy and fun?’ He’s the doodle to the cakes,” laughed Rebekah.
Rebekah, who previously had a few bakery jobs, also attended the Baking and Pastry Program at Laney College. She was always baking at home and at the start of the pandemic, she started selling cake jars—mini cakes that were easy to grab and go—at outdoor events.
After the success of the popular cake jars, the Scotts decided to quit their day jobs and open Doodlecakes. Rebekah does the baking and Thomas, who was a media affairs assistant for AC Transit and a graphic designer at Oakland Unified School District, does the promotion and creates super cute graphics for the business.
Thomas designed and drew their iconic hippo logo. “It’s Rebekah’s favorite animal,” he explained. When asked if he ever helps with the cake designs or decorating, Rebekah said that he does help out. “He doesn’t like to say it, but he adds the details of the final touches and he’s really good with buttercream.” Thomas was quick to add, with a grin, “She’s the boss, I just try to make it happen for her.”
In addition to creating art with buttercream icing and fondant, Rebekah developed all the cake batter flavors for Doodlecakes, including versions that are gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free (so there’s no excuse to not eat one). “I tested out a bunch of different recipes to see what worked and was learning, along with one of my other friends who I met at baking and pastry school. …We were able to figure out the science behind them.”
The result is moist and tender cakes in a variety of different flavors, such as chocolate, red velvet, lemon, vanilla, ube, carrot, and confetti. “My favorite cake to eat, personally, is the cookies and cream,” Rebekah said. For customers who are having a hard time deciding which kind of cake they want, Doodlecakes offers a Surprise Box ($19.99) that contains one of several fully decorated mystery cakes.
Rebekah told the Alameda Post that she enjoys having the creative freedom to take people’s ideas and turn it into a cake. She loves when customers “trust us with the design and we can just go for it and have fun.”
That sense of fun is reflected in their social media accounts and it’s clear that the Scotts enjoy what they do. When asked what they love best about Doodlecakes, Thomas responded, “It’s all about the customers.” while Rebekah added, “A mix of the customers and the community. …And not having a boss tell us what we can and can’t do.” Thomas laughed, “She says that as the boss.”
Their lighthearted attitude was obvious in their response to the recent break-in. “We always look at the positive,” Rebekah said. “Nobody was physically harmed in this and things are replaceable…. It really does suck for small businesses, but all the support and everything has kept us going.”
Rebekah also said it was sad for her to see how young the thieves were. “Maybe they were gonna go hang out with friends and didn’t realize maybe they were gonna be a part of this… one mess-up like this could affect their futures.”
She added, “We should offer grace to people, even in unfortunate events like this. You don’t know their background.”
Doodlecakes is located at 647 Central Avenue. Cakes and cupcakes can be pre-ordered at doodlecakesbakery.com.
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
