The Company Behind Starbucks' Famous Cake Pops

Beyond Starbucks' assortment of beverages in uniquely-named sizes, it also offers some delicious breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Among these pastries are the absolutely irresistible cake pops, which have been a staple of the Starbucks menu since their debut in 2010. However, contrary to popular belief, Starbucks' cake pops are not actually made by Starbucks itself. Instead, Steven Charles Desserts is the private label behind cake pops and has been supplying the world's second-biggest restaurant chain with its signature dessert since its arrival.

Steven Charles Desserts is a company based in Colorado with a long and storied history. Company founder Steven Fabos originally owned a bakery in Los Angeles, honing his craft throughout the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s before starting the private label brand in 1995 under the name SROriginals. After Charles Kosmont purchased a majority share of the company and became SROriginal's chairman and co-CEO alongside Fabos in 2004, the company would forge a reputation for providing gourmet desserts to both retailers and restaurants across the country. Then, to signify the impact of both Fabos and Kosmont on the company, 2021 saw the private label brand officially change its name to Steven Charles — A Dessert Company.

Now, while the eventual advent of Starbucks' cake pops was carried out with the help of Steven Charles Desserts, neither the chain nor the private label company was the original creator of the dessert itself. Instead, that credit goes to Helen Jo Leach, a pastry chef from Chicago, who first conceived the idea while working at Milk Bar in New York. Known as cake truffles, the original version of the cake pop was derived from a similar dessert that Leach first discovered while in her hometown. "They were like giant cake balls — bigger than a tennis ball," Leach explained in an interview with Kansas City Mag, "I decided I was going to utilize all this cake scrap we had and make cake balls, but Munchkin-sized."

However, Leach's version of the dessert didn't include sticks as a vehicle for the dessert. This addition — as well as the cake pop name itself — is instead credited to Angie Dudley's food blog, Bakerella, which posted about the dessert in 2008. Just two years later, Starbucks further popularized cake pops, with the treat now being considered one of the most iconic and trendy desserts of the 2010s and beyond.