Curiocity: Xcel's MN-Made Gifts For The Backstreet Boys

When national touring artists stop at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, they leave with a little reminder of our Minnesota Nice. This series examines the locally made treasures given to these celebrity visitors.

Backstreet's back -- in Minnesota. But on Tuesday, they'll actually be making their debut appearance at the Xcel Energy Center.

After more than 20 years of record-breaking boy band hits, Backstreet is thanking their loyal fanbase with its "In A World Like This" tour, which stops in St. Paul this week.

Since it's the first time the Boys will be visiting the Xcel, the staff thought it was only fitting to outfit them all with their own personalized Minnesota Wild jerseys.

But they didn't just stop there.

They also wanted to ensure the group's first visit is also their sweetest, so they enlisted the help of a new bakery in St. Paul, Taste of Love, to help create custom cake pops.

Yes, Backstreet Boys cake pops.

Owner Marie Philippi-- and self-proclaimed BSB fan -- said she jumped at the chance to design unique treats for the boy band.

"We've been working really hard for a couple of years and we do some really unique things so to have this opportunity is obviously really huge for a small business," she said. "Anytime we get to do something for a celebrity, we make the best of the best. We're pretty excited."

Philippi said they took inspiration from their tour theme -- "In A World Like This" -- as well as their album cover for the designs of the cake pops. The finished product includes globe-shaped pops and individual designs featuring images of each boy band member. They'll also include an actual globe cake as a centerpiece.

"Cake pops in general, they seem like an easy concept but they're really not. A lot of people come to us because they just can't do it right," she said. "They're kind of tedious and the chocolate dries fast and they can be a pretty frustrating confection sometimes but we've really kind of perfected it and we do tons of cake pops. Especially in the month of June, we'll do thousands."

Philippi admits, she lived vicariously through her older sisters when Backstreet was at its peak but says it's still thrilling to be in this position and have the chance to show off the sweetness of St. Paul.

"When I was planning the design for this display, I was really reading more about them and listening to their newer music and really trying to figure out what the theme of their tour is and incorporate that into everything," she said. "They sing with heart and soul and they put that into their music. I want to give them that moment back."

The Backstreet Boys will perform with special guest Avril Lavigne on Tuesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center. For tickets or more information, click here.