Open for a little over 1 year, I Am Cupcakes is the brainchild of aunt & niece team Iyona and Amirh McFarlane (the name I Am is derived from the first letters of their first names). Originally from Teaneck, they spent much of their childhood baking with their mother and grandmother. After being approached by a friend to provide cupcakes for a bridal shower, they spent 13 months making cupcakes for friends and family before opening their doors in Little Ferry, NJ. Iyona maintains a full time job as an Assistant Vice President at a Major Wall Street company and bakes in the early morning before work and then Amirh comes in to continue baking and opens the store for business. Iyona returns to the shop after her day in the city and they close for the evening together.

Mr. Goodbar (vanilla cupcake with a Mr. Goodbar candy baked inside topped withchocolate buttercream, peanuts and a drizzle of chocolate sauce)

As they’ve grown into their adopted Little Ferry community, Super Storm Sandy filled their basement with 6 feet of water. This destroyed their hot water heater, furnace and the motors to their refrigeration systems. The women pushed forward and three days after the storm, power returned to shop. They were the only place on Main Street and the surrounding area to regain power, so they saw this as a sign. They cooked up some “real” food and opened up the doors of the shop to offer free meals and served as a cell phone charging station. They hosted daily “family dinners” and invited people via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (and mouth) to become a part of their new Little Ferry family to eat warm food, watch TV and make phone calls.

Cookies and Cream (chocolate chunk cupcake with a full Oreo cookie baked inside topped with cream cheese frosting and a mini Oreo)

Apple Crisp (Spiced Danish apple cake baked on top of a cinnamon sugar crust topped with whipped cream cheese frosting and a drizzle of caramel)

All cupcakes are made from scratch using fresh ingredients. I Am Cupcakes’ flavors are inspired by family, friends, and childhood experiences. One of their Aunts used to make a coconut cake that people used fight over, so this inspired their “Snowball” and “Coconut Cupcakes”. Iyona’s paternal grandmother inspired their most recent creation, the “Apple Crisp” cupcake. Although her grandmother is from St. Thomas, she still insists that she is Danish when people ask her nationality. So they baked up a version of a Danish Apple Cake on top of a homemade cinnamon sugar crust and topped with whipped cream cheese and a drizzle of caramel.

Almond Joy (buttery vanilla cupcake with an Almond Joy candy bar baked inside topped with chocolate buttercream, shredded coconut, almonds and chocolate sauce)

Peanut Butter and Jelly (vanilla cupcake filled with jam topped with peanut butter frosting)

I Am Cupcakes 199 Main Street, Little Ferry NJ Website