Photos: Chris Emeott
St. Boni baker began her career as a child growing up in Dayton.
Aletta Schaefer has been dreaming up recipes since she was only 3 years old. Growing up in Dayton, Minnesota, her mother ran a daycare business out of their home. Oftentimes, Schaefer could be found eagerly whipping up baked goods for all the kids.
Early on, Schaefer quickly became known for her banana bread. It was, of course, no ordinary recipe. It contained a special ingredient—cherries. She says her banana bread became so popular in the neighborhood that people even tried to steal the recipe from her.
Fast forward, and more people started to take notice of Schaefer’s prowess around the kitchen. Her best friend, a wedding planner, had been urging her to pursue her childhood passion. Other friends began chiming in, too, insisting it was something she had to do. It was then that she decided to make her move from working in customer service and the restaurant industry to becoming a small business owner.
Since May 2021, you’ll find Schaefer in her St. Bonifacius home creating delectable desserts for her business, Lake Minnetonka Bakehouse LLC. Everything is made from scratch, and delivery is free for those living within 30 minutes of St. Bonifacius.
Take a peek inside Schaefer’s fridge, and you’ll find at least 100 eggs on the shelves at any given time. Although she makes cookies (She says she’s often told that her cookies are better than people’s grandmothers’ baked goodies.), cakes, pies, truffles and more, cupcakes are her top seller. And because of that, she’s offering a special menu for Valentine’s Day, including Cupcake Grams. Choose from red velvet, Oreo, sea salt caramel, chocolate and vanilla bean cupcakes.
While making custom cakes is her forte, Schaefer says designing birthday cakes is her most rewarding work. She loves creating something meaningful and memorable for someone’s big day, especially when that special someone is a child.
Schaefer aims to use the best ingredients, too. She makes her own vanilla extract and works with local farmers to purchase quality goods. The eggs she uses come from Love Our Farm in St. Bonifacius, and she procures honey from Horner’s Honey in Independence.
If you ask her family about their favorite treats, Schaefer’s husband, Jason, raves about her chocolate chip cookies and her 3-year-old daughter, Betty, can’t resist the cake pops. And even though she says she’s still tweaking her carrot cake recipe, Schaefer’s father-in-law keeps telling her, “Don’t change a thing!”
Lake Minnetonka Bakehouse LLC
Facebook: Lakeminnetonkabakehouse
Instagram: @lakeminnetonkabakehouse
