Small Business Spotlight: Infinite Sweets

14 May 2014By Kimberly Aquilina

Who knew that being laid off could be the best thing to ever happen? The tough economy of 2009 catapulted Sarah Hayduk of Factoryville into her dream profession, baking for her business Infinite Sweets.

Hayduk attended Millersville University, graduating with a degree in business marketing and business management. She scored an internship at UPS and thought she had a secure future in sales with the company. When a hiring freeze hit, Hayduck says she was left in limbo.

Hayduk’s roommate at the time was about to celebrate a birthday and asked her to make a cake. She had always been a baker, but had never touched fondant icing. The final product was a cake decorated as Dwight K. Schrute’s desk from the popular TV sitcom The Office. From there, she was hooked.

Hayduk’s childhood was spent mesmerized watching her dad bake the family-recipe pound cake. So instead of the master’s degree path she had been considering, she enrolled in the pastry program at Johnson and Wales in Miami, Florida, eventually earning her degree.

Now, Hayduk is licensed in the state of Pennsylvania and is the proud proprietor of Infinite Sweets, housed in her parents’ finished basement. “I foresee myself growing out of that space within the year.” Her ultimate goal is to have her own commercial space.

Hayduk says she bakes and decorates cakes for birthdays, weddings, showers, engagements — “everything under the sun.” She is available for hire independently, but also works with Posh and The Colonnade. Hayduk does not have a storefront, but offers a “mobile cake tasting,” bringing a complimentary sampling service right to the betrothed. Her holiday sugar cookies are for sale at All Wrapped Up in Dunmore.

The skilled baker says her most popular flavors are cannoli, her mom’s Texas “hummingbird cake,” pink velvet, as well as confetti cake varieties featuring customized sprinkles. Everything is baked from scratch and all the ingredients are as fresh as possible (Hayduck’s boyfriend raises his own chickens and plans to obtain more for the freshest eggs. He also recommends the carrot cake). If you are concerned with the long list of ingredients on store bought icing, you can feel good about her four-ingredient buttercream.

Hayduk’s favorite are the event cakes, like the Minion pictured. The self-proclaimed “high-strung perfectionist” told the Independent Gazette that she laughed “for 15 minutes” at the absurdity of the character and had a blast decorating. The biggest problem, she says, is that her clients aren’t sure how to cut the masterpieces. “It’s my job to make them. How you destroy them is up to you,” said the 26-year-old with a laugh.

Making sugar flowers, like each flower on the wedding cake pictured, can put Hayduk in her “happy place” for hours. Hayduk says it has a Zen effect. In order to allow time for the edible artwork to be prepared, she suggests getting your order in as soon as you start planning the event. During her slow season, November through March, Infinite Sweets can get an order together in one to two weeks, but Hayduk likes to plan ahead so no one is turned anyone away.

Hayduk admits to getting choked up when she delivers the cakes. Seeing the happy faces, children’s excitement, and the gasps of surprise make it all worth it. “That’s all I need. It makes my job so rewarding and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

You can contact Infinite Sweets by visiting the Facebook page, calling Hayduk at (570) 233–2739, or emailing her at InfiniteSweets at gmail dot com.