What Does Your Cake Sound Like

It’s something about the words ‘bang bang,’ it’s so fun to say. It’s so easy to remember. And people always remember our name. Cake with a bang. We wanted [our] name to reflect what you’re feeling when you’re eating our cake. - Raquel Figueroa

It’s a bang in every bite, in every jar, or plate waiting for the next customer to encounter the onomatopoeia of it all. One part idea, one part cake, one part icing, one part rum. And not the essence of rum … or rum extract … or rum flavoring … it’s rum from your favorite cocktail rum. And that is just the start of this ideal rum cake. To make it the perfect adult treat, you need key ingredients from creators Raquel Figueroa & Christian Rosario, and then you have the perfect Bang Bang Bakehouse surprise.

Figueroa and Rosario are graphic designers by day and rum cake extraordinaires by morning, noon, evening, and on very special nights. The “more than a bakery” brand, Bang Bang Bakehouse, created and solely run by this husband and wife team, is centered around individualized, specialty flavored rum cakes. One part idea. One part rum. One part topping. One part unique. Figueroa and Rosario aren’t making your average rum cake. They incorporate elements from traditional and non-traditional craft cocktails into cake form. They do the same with snacks and cultural staples from their childhood. Figueroa describes a favorite of hers, “... one of the most fun flavors that I love is the Thai Tea rum cake. We do a Thai tea cake, and we do a cereal milk frosting, which we actually use the Fruity Pebbles cereal to soak in the cream, and then a funfetti crumble on top. Super fun flavor!” and along with Rosario, they continue to share other cakes that represent how invested the duo is in knocking on nostalgic doors, “Our Hottie cake, which is Mexican hot chocolate inspired. It’s a dark chocolate rum cake and then we put a little bit of cayenne pepper in it so it’s a little spicy like Mexican hot chocolate. It has a dulce de leche icing and cinnamon sugar churro crumbles on top.”

Of course, many of the flavors come from things they had growing up in their Latino households. Rosario, being Puerto Rican, and Figueroa, who is Cuban and Nicaraguan, have plenty to pull from. “We have a guava and queso flavor which is inspired by guava and cheese pastelitos,” adds Figueroa, before exclaiming how they’re always wondering what more they can do. “I like cocktails, so obviously I get a lot of inspiration from [them], and I’m always asking myself, ‘How can I turn this into a cake?’ And now I go crazy with flavors. I like to throw in something fun, something you’re not expecting in a cake, like we’ve thrown stuff in with cereal milk, and we have our own version of Twinkies now, too, called Bangies!”

The cakes are decadent and made with care and intention. Imagine a vanilla rum cake with toasted pecan crumbles, that’s The O.G. Imagine a take on bananas foster, with a caramelized banana rum cake, espresso tahini icing, and salted dark chocolate crumbles. Imagine a PB&J rum cake, topped with smooth peanut butter, strawberry preserves, and brown sugar peanut crumbles that are toasted and finished with classic rum icing. Using toppings to make the cakes interesting, like pistachio buttercream, toasted crunchy crumble with pistachio and black sesame, and variations to make the cakes unexpected like matcha olive oil, pina colada cake, and even cornbread rum cake. The flare of Figueroa and Rosario‘s enjoyment in their recipes is more than evident.

We like to consider ourselves a brand, not just a bakery. Our brand is built on creativity and community.

One part wholesale. One part shipping. One part catering. One part pop-up. Bang Bang began when the couple decided during the pandemic to turn a hobby into a business. Figueroa had been making rum cake since she was a teenager. And she thought that it would be cool if they could make them into personalized sizes. She started with her best friend as a birthday gift, only to then open up orders to family, friends, and neighbors. As word spread and internet posts were shared, they found themselves delivering door to door around Miami until they packed up the bakery and headed to Polk County. Now, as members of Catapult (Lakeland), they have an industrial kitchen where they are doing their best to handle the expansion of the brand.

The vision of Bang Bang Bakehouse is to be the one you call for catering needs as well as collaborations between small businesses, for small batch jars to groups having ‘make your own’ Bang Bang parties and workshops. Bang Bang cakes are at restaurants in Orlando, The Gnarly Cuban, Diablicos Coffee, and Aguila Coffee. They can be found across Lakeland at stores such as Bodega Market, dining establishments like Sabu Ramen, and Hakucho (where you can even experience the delicious rum cakes as a plated dessert following your entree). They’re currently in Concord Coffee, both the Winter Haven and Lakeland locations, where the featured Cortadito rum cake is an espresso martini that uses Concord’s classic coffee.

Of course, for these confectionery imagineers, the greatest pleasure is meeting the customers in person. They want to do intimate parties, be a part of pop-ups, and events that they organize. Their two big events they are looking forward to are a festival for Hispanic Heritage Month in October and The Central Florida Food Festival in November at Bonnet Springs.

The chance to personally grab a bite of Bang is but an Instagram scroll away. The digital duo updates their page @bangbangbakehouse to include all new products and partnerships, but also where in Central Florida they will be.

Click their profile and look for the cool yellow pickup truck that screams Bang Bang.