Volume 30 · Number 3 · Spring 2013
Alumni: Her just desserts
Donna Egan ’86 has introduced American-style ice cream sandwiches to the British.
Alumna’s international business takes a sweet turn.
When Donna Egan ’86 received her bachelor’s degree in international relations and French from UC Davis, she had no idea she’d be using those majors every day — to bake cupcakes in the U.K.
Egan owns Buttercup Cake Shop, which has four locations in the London area, and makes cupcakes, cakes and ice cream sandwiches. Her collection of recipes, The Ice Cream Sandwiches Book: 50 Recipes for Incredibly Cool Treats, was published in the U.K. in 2012. A U.S. edition is scheduled for release by Ten Speed Press in June.
Alumni profiles
Egan, who grew up in San José, said studying international relations and French “gave me a great foundation for a career in international business. I still use the French quite often when we have tourists at the cake shop, and . . . it helped me understand different cultures, which has been invaluable.”
Egan also has an MBA from New York University. She and her husband, wine consultant Chuck Cramer, a Los Angeles native, lived in Paris before moving to London so she could take a job with American Express. In 2006, she turned a hobby into a business and opened Buttercup Cake Shop.
“We’re unique in the U.K. in introducing ice cream sandwiches, which people know mostly from their travels to the U.S. or other countries where they are already popular.”
The ice cream sandwich concept is still foreign to many English patrons; some request a “take-away” box, not realizing they are designed for immediate consumption. Buttercup bakes the cookies fresh daily and assembles the sandwiches to order.
Served with
Aggie pride
UC Davis connections provide nourishment
for these restaurateurs as well:
Rhonda Gruska ’99
Major Baisden ’01
S'more (ice cream) Sandwiches
Although she lives far from her homeland, Egan stays connected to UC Davis. She began participating in Cal Aggie Alumni Association events when she lived in Paris. Today, she’s pleased the U.K. alumni network is gaining momentum.
Her husband helped obtain some specialty California wines for a recent CAAA networking event in London. They have two daughters: Audrey, 15, and Amelia, 10.
Egan said she feels “very at home” with UC Davis alums, “and, of course, networking can’t hurt business, although, with a cake shop, it’s not the principal reason.”
She shares her recipe for S’more (ice cream) Sandwiches.
“I chose this recipe because I used to make s’mores [in the fireplace] with roommates while at UC Davis.”
CAAA membership: Good for business, too
The Cal Aggie Alumni Association offers many ways for UC Davis graduates to stay connected to their classmates and alma mater, and expand their professional network. Businesses have a new opportunity to strengthen their relationship with the campus through CAAA’s new Business Membership Program.