Desserts by Juliette: Kouts, IN

As I was driving down Main Street in Kouts, I noticed Desserts by Juliette. I had a chance to try out some of their cupcakes a few weeks ago when my son's girlfriend's mom gave me some. She knew I did a food blog and thought I'd like to try them. She told me that the bakery started as a food blog and that they specialized in desserts using Italian buttercream for the icing, a version that is not as sweet as traditional buttercream.

I tried a bite of two of several varieties. The cupcake itself was moist and springy and delicious. The icing was perfect. I don't eat a lot of desserts, so when I do they often taste overly sweet. It wasn't the case with this Italian buttercream. It was a perfect compliment - and they were beautifully decorated. I tried a chocolate mint, strawberry, banana and lemon.

So, when I spotted the storefront, I had to go check it out. I chatted for a few minutes with Susan and Daryl, the owners. Susan and their daughter Juliette decided to start sharing some of the sweet creations on a blog in 2013. Susan enjoyed taking photos of the desserts that their daughter, Juliette, was making to pass the time as she cared for her grandmother as she faced some health issues. It brought their family together as they sat at the table to enjoy some of the treats. The mother daughter/duo thought it would fun to do a blog together.

The blog became popular and one of the posts ended up ranking at the top in Google, so they thought maybe there would be a demand for their desserts. They started creating small batches out of a local commercial kitchen and selling them at local markets in the area. That grew to requests for custom cakes and other items. The commercial kitchen they were working out of was in an existing business that required them to bake late at night and very early in the morning, which they did while also working other full time jobs. Finally, they were getting so busy that they knew it was time they open their own bakery.

Desserts by Juliette opened in early 2018 and they started out just doing pre-orders, but later that year decided to open up a small shop so that customers could walk in and purchase ready-to-go cupcakes, doughnuts, scones, cookies, cakes, cake pops, hot chocolate bombs and other goodies. The business has continued to flourish and they also supply desserts for some area restaurants, create wedding cakes and fulfill a variety of custom orders. They even carry keto-friendly and gluten-free desserts. 

They specialize in desserts using the Italian buttercream, which is a little more time consuming to make, but provides a light, silky consistency. It's also shelf stable and can be left out for a couple days. It also tends to harden upon refrigeration, so it's best to let it sit out for about an hour before you plan to eat it for the best results. It's something you should definitely try if you aren't familiar with it, but it might make you not want to go back to traditional American buttercream that is loaded with powdered sugar.

They also offer some fun seasonal flavors and varieties, like a pumpkin patch cake, strawberry shortcake and a shamrock pistachio cake.

Desserts by Juliette

401 S. Main Street

Kouts

219-299-5824