By LOIS KINDLE
lekindle@aol.com
Tucked away on the backside of what’s known to locals as the Apollo Pizza plaza is perhaps the sweetest retailer in all of South Shore. Tampa Bay Cake Company, 1312 Apollo Beach Blvd., has quietly become the area’s go to scratch bakery for all-occasion wedding and custom cakes, filled cupcakes, oversized stuffed cookies, dessert bars and French macarons.
Owner Emily Webb’s custom, scratch-made cakes and desserts are known for their quality, consistency, outstanding flavor and attention to detail. Her off-the-charts creativity drives the bakery’s bold flavors and clean, intentional designs.
Tampa Bay Cake Co. owner Emily Webb’s custom, scratch-made cakes and desserts are known for their quality, consistency, outstanding flavor and attention to detail. Her off-the-charts creativity drives the bakery’s bold flavors and clean, intentional designs.
She makes her own butter cream frostings, fondant and sugar flowers; fresh banana pudding; five varieties of stuffed cookies, three frosted cookies and chocolate chunk cookies — all from scratch, of course. She also sells her own freshly made brownies; Dough on the Go; Happy Scraps (cake scraps); strawberry shortcake; and Shark Buckets.
Customer satisfaction is always at the forefront of her work.
“I love people’s reactions to the art we make,” she said. “I enjoy being part of their happiest occasions.”
Her commitment is recognized by customers.
“Emily is truly amazing. I’ve been a customer of hers for 11 years, starting when she was working out of her home,” said Waterset resident Lisa Sisson, co-owner of Knights Air. “She’s so talented. She makes custom cakes for all of my family’s special occasions. You give her an idea, and she runs with it.”
Sisson said her favorite treats in the shop are Webb’s pistachio macarons and sugar cookies. Her grandson loves her cotton candy macarons.
Janice Bayruns, an Apollo Beach resident who owns FirstLight Home Care, is a big fan.
“The first time I bought a cupcake from Tampa Bay Cake Company was about a year ago,” she said. “I was thrilled to finally have a true scratch bakery in Apollo
This stunning, baked from scratch wedding cake was created by Tampa Bay Cake Co. owner Emily Webb. She started out as a home baker, founded her LLC in 2017 and opened her Apollo Beach bakery two years ago.
Beach where I could stop in on a whim for treats for my office team or clients, who are always thrilled when I show up with Emily’s treats.
“I’m hooked on her cupcakes,” Bayruns added. “Each one is everything you hope for. It’s beautiful, has a melt in your mouth texture, a fun filling and a different icing on top. I’ve also ordered several custom cakes from her. She can turn just about any idea into something stunning.”
Tampa Bay Cake Co. owner Emily Webb makes a buttercream flower to apply to a Winnie the Pooh cake she designed and made from scratch in her bakery in Apollo Beach.
Tampa Bay Cake Co. is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Orders for preset cake designs or custom designed cakes can be made at the shop in person or online at www.tampabaycakeco.com/.
The site has information on the bakery’s products, photos, the week’s current menu, contact page and more. There’s even a FAQ and Cake Blog.
About the owner
Emily Webb started baking birthday cakes for her kids as a stay-at-home mom and quickly grew to love it. Taking history classes online at the time with plans to become a curator, she decided she’d rather use her skills and talent for creating cakes full-time. She began building a reputation for beautiful, made-
from-scratch wedding cakes, and things just took off. In 2017, she filed Tampa Bay Cake Company formally as a Florida LLC and opened her retail bakery in 2024.
Webb has six part-time employees, including her mom, Patty, and daughter, Madison, who assist her at Tampa Bay Cake Company. She lives in Waterset with her husband, Anthony, and their blended family of six children.
For more information, email hello@tampabaycakecompany.com or call 813-641-4573.