David Stark, owner of the Bake Shoppe, picked up the art of baking at age 14, learning tricks of the trade at his uncle's bakery, Barbara's Bake Shop, in the mid-'60s. He now takes those lessons, proudly baking his goodies "the old-fashioned way," making red-velvet and creme de menth cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and moist banana bread from scratch, the way his uncle made them. The star of this bakestravaganza, however, is the champagne cake, which skyrocketed his uncle's bakery into becoming the largest retail bakery in Des Moines. He expertly transforms the family-secret recipe into eye-dazzling custom cakes, which are more like works of art than human sustenance, decked in fondant ribbons and flowers fit for the Queen of England's Afternoon of Scheduled Merriment.