Colton Trout shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Colton, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
Here’s what people often get wrong about Rum Cake Escape.
Folks hear “alcohol-infused cakes” and assume two things. They think the cakes are boozy to the point of overpowering. Or they think it is a once-a-year holiday treat. Both miss what we do.
Rum Cake Escape is a Houston bakery known for small-batch, chef-crafted cakes that balance flavor first. We use premium spirits to deepen notes of vanilla, caramel, spice, and chocolate. We are not trying to get anyone tipsy for the current moment at least. We are building layered flavor that stays moist for days and ships beautifully. Born in Houston. Shipped everywhere.
Another misconception is that we are only for special occasions. Yes, our cakes show up at weddings, corporate events, and launch parties but they also turn an ordinary Tuesday into a memory. Our regulars order for date nights, team wins, and those quiet moments when you want something luxurious without the hectic fuss.
People also assume “rum cake” means one flavor. Not in my kitchen it doesn’t! Rum Cake Escape rotates seasonal and signature flavors, from Maple Bourbon Pecan Whiskey to Mango Oasis Rum. For the enthusiasts, our Escaped Cake Society subscription delivers an exclusive flavor to your door each month. For sales teams and event planners, our Elite Cake Society helps you send consistent, on-brand desserts to clients and offices as part of a broader relationship strategy.
Quality and price can be misunderstood too. We bake with real butter, premium spirits, and custom extracts. Every cake is mixed, soaked, and wrapped by hand so it arrives moist and gorgeous. That is why our cakes hold up during shipping nationwide and why reviews mention how fresh they taste on day one and day five.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Colton, Founder and CEO of Rum Cake Escape. We are a Houston bakery known for luxurious, alcohol-infused cakes that balance flavor, texture, and creative limits. Baked in Houston. Shipped everywhere. I started Rum Cake Escape to turn “just dessert” into a moment people remember. To do that we use premium spirits to deepen notes of vanilla, caramel, spice, and chocolate, then bake in small batches with real butter and craftsmanship that is hard to find in the dessert world these days. The result is a cake that arrives moist, travels beautifully, and tastes incredible on day one and day five.
What makes us different is range and purpose. We rotate signature and seasonal flavors, and we serve both everyday indulgence and high-stakes occasions. Our Escaped Cake Society is a monthly subscription that delivers an exclusive flavor directly to your door. For teams, our Elite Cake Society is a client engagement program that helps sales professionals and event planners send consistent, on-brand desserts to offices and partners without the hassle.
Right now we are focused on expanding nationwide shipping, refining limited-edition drops, and partnering with more Houston creators and event planners. If you love gourmet desserts, rum cake, or alcohol-infused treats that feel elevated, that is our lane. Rum Cake Escape is where luxury meets comfort, from our kitchen in Houston to your doorstep.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
When I was younger I genuinely believed that no one would ever see me or care to see me. Looking back however that was not the case and there was many people who saw through the depression and the mask that I put on day after day. There were several people who helped me take off that mask and blossom into the business owner, baker, and leader I am today.
The person who comes to mind at the moment especially as we are talking about Rum Cake Escape was the person who saw me more clearly before I anyone else really got an opportunity to see me. She was my first mentor. She was the owner of a small local bakery down in League City TX where I went to high school. Her name was Mrs. Gatti with Mrs. Gatti’s Gourmet Bakery.
She has since passed away but she saw the creative, freethinking, hardworking, and adventurous mind and heart that was lying behind the mask I presented the world. She also knew I just needed a little support to come out and show the world who I truly was and who I could truly become.
She taught me all about small business, baking, recipes, and she even helped spark my interest in leadership, and personal development. She was the reason that I truly blossomed and created the bakery I have today. I also contribute my sweet tooth to her baking skills. That and the amount of cupcakes I was sent home with at the end of each day. I don’t think however any of my four brothers really minded how many desserts I brought home. Mrs. Gatti encouraged me, challenged me, allowed me to test things, allowed me to fail, and allowed me to win. I owe the start of my baking career to her.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell him this:
You’re not invisible and I know it feels like that. The mask you are wearing is heavy and you’re tired of carrying it. Take a breath because I want you to know you’re allowed to put it down. You should put it down, you will be loved far more without it than with it.
Nothing about you is “too much.” The way you feel things, the way you see other peoples pain, their hurt and how you want to help them. The way your brain sprints in five directions. That’s not a flaw to fix., that is actually your super power and some really good stuff will come from it.
I want you to ask for help sooner. Let people in to see the real you. I want you to know there are mentors and friends on the way who will see you clearly and hand you real tools to craft your dream life because you are worth living your dream life. You do not have to earn love by overworking or overachieving. You’re loved already, deeply, and completely.
Colton, keep creating! Burn a few batches and try again. The kitchen will teach you how to lead, and the setbacks will give you a voice that helps more people than you can fathom.
Also eat the damn cupcake! You are way to young to worry about your appearance. Spend more time with your brothers and with Dad. He doesn’t know how to show his love for you but he is one of your biggest fans and you wont have as long as you think you do with him. Go for a walk when your chest gets tight, and the emotions get heavy. Pray honest prayers, and know God loves you as he created you.
Lastly I want you to get louder! I mean really loud! Get on social media and use that mind and voice God has gifted you to speak up for the injustice and the pain you feel in the world! People are waiting and counting on that voice to be loud. You’re going to build a life that tastes like joy. I believe in you!
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
We put up glass ceilings, hit them, and act like they are permanent. Here are a few of the biggest lies I see in the dessert world, especially around alcohol infused cake.
If it ships, it can’t be great.
Truth. If you build recipes for travel, use real ingredients, and respect the process, a cake can arrive fresh and taste like it just left the oven. We prove that every week.
Alcohol infused means gimmick or holiday only.
No. Spirits are a flavor tool. Used well, they add depth. Vanilla, caramel, spice. Not a party trick.
Growth kills craft.
Only if you let it. Systems protect craft. Training protects craft. Growth can mean more people tasting something made with care.
Price has to lead.
When bakeries race to the bottom, everyone loses. Quality costs more. Customers feel the difference and come back for it.
Social media clout equals a healthy business.
Likes are not repeat orders. A real business is built on retention, referrals, and operations that work on a busy Tuesday.
You need a storefront to be legit.
You need a product people love, a process that delivers, and a way to reach them. Storefronts can help. They are not the only path.
Compliance fear should stop innovation.
Learn the rules. Follow them. Then create. Fear is not a strategy.
Those ceilings are choices, not laws. My team breaks them by focusing on flavor, consistency, and customer experience. That is the work.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If immortality were real, what would you build?
If I had forever, I’d build a bakery empire that actually changes people’s days. Not another faceless brand on a shelf, but a living thing where the first bite slows you down and when you are finished and go home, you do so full and satisfied not just with the taste but spiritually as well.
I see cafés in the cities I love connecting an ever growing network of free thinkers and building up the next generation. Neighborhood rooms with music, real conversation, and menus that move with the seasons so each place feels honest and inspirational.
I want a product line that lets home bakers win without the good stuff being locked behind giant pay walls. Cake mixes, pudding mixes, flavorings, etc and simple instructions that help you pull a perfect pan from the oven and think, yes, that’s what it is supposed to taste like every time while not stifling their creative freedom.
I would build a franchise path that starts with an character and good morals, not just a check. You learn the craft, you learn the numbers, you earn the keys, and you share in the upside. Healthcare for employees that actually helps. Training up more leadership not just scheduling employees to work a job.
There would be a school for makers and operators. R&D labs for flavor and texture. Classes on baking, operations, finance, and story, because the best businesses know how to talk about what they make and why it matters.
The engine would be clean and transparent. We would know where the vanilla, cocoa, sugar, and rum come from, who got paid, and whether we can look them in the eye or not. Packaging and process built so the cake that lands on your counter tastes like it just left the rack.
And because forever is a long time, I would invest in the next wave. Fellowships for scrappy bakers who never got a shot. Seed money for weird, brilliant ideas. We would share what we learn so the whole industry gets better.
Big, yes. But still personal. Like someone saved you the corner piece because they know you like the crispy edge and the soft middle. That is what I would spend my life building.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rumcakeescape.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rumcakeescape/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rumcakeescape/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rumcakeescape
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rumcakeescape
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rumcakeescape
Image Credits
Colton Trout
