Seattle's ‘Cake ATM’ has customers lining up for sweets

Seattle "Cake-TM" vending machine has customers lining up for sweet treats

A Ballard-based microbakery is offering a new way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Instead of a traditional storefront, Nicole Conley, the owner of Butter Half Cakes, has set up a cake vending machine right outside her home.

SEATTLE - A Ballard-based microbakery is offering a new way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Instead of a traditional storefront, Nicole Conley, the owner of Butter Half Cakes, has set up a cake vending machine right outside her home.

The innovative setup, affectionately known as the "Cake Coop" or "Cake ATM," is a self-serve, on-demand cake fridge, allowing customers to browse and purchase slices of cake directly from their smartphones. Since its debut just two weeks ago, the machine has quickly become a local sensation, with customers lining up down 30th Avenue Northwest before the bakery even opens its doors at 11 a.m.

The "Cake ATM"

The backstory:

"I’ve been surprised by how much I can do if I truly put my mind to it," said Conley, reflecting on her journey from stay-at-home mom to self-taught baker and entrepreneur.

Conley’s transition into the cake business wasn’t always planned. A former tech worker from Silicon Valley, she had a background in customer service, project management, and apparel design. But when she moved to Ballard and became a full-time mom to her daughter, she found herself yearning for an outlet.

"I just have this innate desire to be creative," Conley said. "I have this personality where I get an idea and I absolutely have to execute on it, like, right now."

That drive led her to launch her small bakery, which started by offering custom cakes from her front porch. But as demand grew, she quickly realized she needed to take things to the next level.

Two months ago, Conley began upgrading the Cake Coop — a colorful, bubblegum-pink pickup kiosk — to a vending machine specifically for cake slices.

What's next:

"If you had told me two months ago that, ‘Nicole, you’re going to learn electrical engineering or software programming,’ I would have been like, ‘No way I don’t know how to do that stuff,’" said Conley. "The microbakery I essentially put together using things I already had around the house. Maybe a jug of paint or one or two supplies from Amazon."

For those hoping to snag a slice, the Cake Coop is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 11 a.m. However, with the cakes selling out within just a couple of hours, it's best to arrive early.

The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Lauren Donovan.