Walker’s Point Has a New Bakery

Lucy Bakes. Photo by Sophie Bolich.

Lucy Walsh lights up when she talks about Grandma Cake. The combination of white cake, lemon curd filling, raspberry jam and buttercream is a family recipe and a staple for birthdays and other get-togethers.

Grandma cake is not just delicious, it also honors Walsh’s great-grandmother, a wedding cake baker and major source of inspiration for Walsh’s Walker’s Point bakery, Lucy Bakes, which opened in August at 133 W. Pittsburgh Ave.

“I grew up learning how to do all this,” said Walsh, who spends weekdays prepping a wide variety of cupcakes, cookies and other treats to sell on Fridays and Saturdays.

She also offers baking classes, custom-made cookies and cakes — though her decorative approach to the latter is different than her great-grandmother’s “crazy technical” creations. “She mostly did full, intricate wedding cakes and she did a lot of work with royal icing,” Walsh said. “I don’t do it quite like that.”

Walsh’s designs lean modern, but are just as professional, so it was a full-circle moment when her cousins tapped Lucy Bakes for their own wedding cake. A photo of Walsh putting the final touches on her three-layered masterpiece hangs inside the bakery — right beside images of her great-grandmother’s completed cakes.

The rest of the bakery showcases Walsh’s personality through its eclectic decor, which includes charcoal gray walls, dark wood accents and a mix of moody and modern touches, along with handmade pieces from Walsh, whose love of crafting nearly rivals her fondness for baking.

The look is nontraditional for a bakery, and Walsh likes it that way. “I just feel like the contrast between something like this, along with the cute desserts and pastries, it’s so fun,” she said.

It’s also the perfect backdrop for this weekend’s haul of Halloween-themed baked goods — including spooky frosted sugar cookies, ghost s’mores brownies and more.

Prior to settling permanently in Milwaukee, Walsh completed semesters at DePaul University and Marquette University, then moved to Arizona, where she got her first professional baking job. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she moved back to Milwaukee and took a position in the baking department at Whole Foods.

From there, she began building a client base — still working out of her home kitchen. But the business quickly outgrew the space, leading Walsh to the bakery’s current home in Walker’s Point.

The bakery occupies a corner storefront inside a historic building that also houses the Artisan Lofts apartments and Flowers for Dreams. White Dress Off The Rack, a bridal boutique, is located across the street to the north, while Purple Door Ice Cream is located to the west.

“I love this area,” said Walsh, who also noted her appreciation for the city’s small business community. “I just get so lucky to be able to work with all these people who are in my vendor world,” she said.

Since opening nearly three months ago, Walsh said she’s built up a good mix of regulars and new visitors, with customers dropping in for everything from a weekly post-work brownie to a mini coffee cake for Sunday morning guests.

She said she anticipates both walk-in business and pre-orders will pick up as the holidays approach.

Lucy Bakes is open for walk-ins on Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For custom orders, classes and cake tastings, visit Lucy Bakes online. Updates are also available via Instagram.

Photos