Known for its gourmet cupcakes, Cream & Flutter is transforming the way the local community thinks of sweet treats. 

Located in the heart of downtown Champaign at 114 N Walnut St., customers can find a wide variety of sweets, such as cookies, homemade macarons and marshmallows, along with custom design cakes, tarts and pies. 

When the business first opened, some might remember it as Cupcakes on Walnut, owned by Amanda Wyatt, who is Cream & Flutter’s current owner and her sister, Trisha Sutton. 

“When we first opened up the store, being downtown was ideal for us. Being a part of the downtown micro-community was super meaningful and we loved being a part of all the local businesses,” Wyatt said, a University alumna in Engineering. “We really wanted to have a business where we could be creative and center it around a design aspect. We try to incorporate our décor and interior design into our product placement.”

Now Cream & Flutter, Wyatt is the sole owner, allowing her to incorporate her creative side in every aspect of the business. 

“The change in the name is really about the longevity of the business. Cream & Flutter is what we originally wanted it to be named,” she said.

According to Wyatt, she felt that the name, Cupcakes on Walnut, was limiting to her business and her creative outlet. Having ‘Cupcakes’ in the name made the store focus solely on cupcakes, rather than the accumulating variety of sweet treats being offered. Incorporating the location in the name, “on Walnut,” was also extremely limiting, if it were to move locations or open a second store, specifying “on Walnut” when another store is on Neil, for example, would be confusing.  

“Cream & Flutter is about the two different parts of the business. The cream stands for the tangible products that we offer, like buttercream or other creamy products; the flutter is about the emotional and intangible, more of how you feel when you come into Cream & Flutter,” Wyatt said.   

With the holiday season in full effect, the purpose of the name couldn’t be more appropriate.

Gearing up for the December holidays, Cream & Flutter has released a holiday catalog filled with seasonal treats that are being offered with limited supply in-store and can also be made to order.  

A few items being offered in the catalog are gourmet candies, homemade caramels, peppermint bark and mini pies. 

In regards to the in-store cupcakes, a popular seasonal flavor being offered is Cream & Flutter’s Nutmeg Eggnog cupcake, which is made of nutmeg cake, eggnog bourbon buttercream and a gingerbread flower to top it off. 

“The way our process works is that we have three signature flavors that we always have: chocolate, vanilla and red velvet,” said Hann Lindahl, Cream & Flutter’s customer service manager. “We try to keep it fresh by rotating in monthly flavors the first Monday of every month along with seasonal flavors. This month, for example, is the nutmeg eggnog and dark chocolate peppermint.” 

The store’s unique flavors and overall store experience is what keeps Cream & Flutter such a valuable staple for downtown Champaign.

“Customers like to have a unique experience but they also like for food to be approachable,” Wyatt said. “We try to start that balance by giving people something unique and creative but also something that keeps them in a comfort zone they feel happy with.”

Frances can be reached at [email protected].