In 2010, Karen became a stay at home mom of 2 small boys. With way more time on her hands than she was used to, she spent a lot of time in the kitchen… a LOT. It started out as an experiment in cooking- trying out different recipes for dinner, and seeing what she could come up with that her husband would actually eat (which wasn’t much- he’s quite picky!). A particular night in October is what started it all- at 3am, Karen couldn’t sleep.

After tossing and turning for quite a bit, she finally got out of bed…. and made a 3-layer Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting (because that’s what people do at 3am… right?). That sparked a passion for baking that she never knew she had- for years her mother had tried teaching her to cook and bake, but she refused- after all, she WAS going to grow up to marry a chef. After working long and hard on perfecting her recipe base, Cloud 9 Confections was officially open for business in February of 2011, when the first orders started rolling in.

Karen Brennan grew up on the south side of Chicago, where she still currently resides. She loves spending time with her husband (NOT a chef) and 2 sons, as well as spending time in the summers at their lake house with family and friends. Her favorite activities include cocktails on the patio, movies at the Drive-In, and reading everything in sight.

She bakes from scratch in small batches, using only the best all natural ingredients. All items are made by hand – including our toffee, chocolate mints, and peanut butter cups. All of our cupcakes can be custom ordered to your specifications.