Grandma’s kitchen has always been the haven where delicious, fresh baked treats are plentiful. However, Cupcake Cafe, located in Minneapolis, may have grandmas everywhere looking for a new hobby.
Every day, for the past five years, Cupcake’s bakers have maintained a busy schedule mixing their homemade batter, filling thousands of muffin cups, and decorating the cupcakes with fresh designs. “We always keep about 20 different varieties in the case, but throughout the day you may see about 30-40 different varieties of cupcakes,” said Cupcake catering manager Alicia Hinze. Leftover cupcakes, if any, are given to local food shelves at the end of the day.
Red Velvet, the most popular cupcake, is always in high demand. “It always goes flying. It’s vanilla cake with a little bit of cocoa. The red is just food coloring. Red Velvet has cream cheese frosting which is everyone’s favorite,” said Hinze.
The rather unique menu relates back to when the owner, Kevin VanDeraa, was in culinary school. The nickname, Cupcake, was given to him, and the idea of a Cupcake cafe was born.
Although cupcakes are always in high demand, Cupcake Cafe serves a full menu. Scrambles for breakfast and soups for lunch tend to be the most craved items on the menu. The perfect spot for anyone to relax and dine at, Cupcake exceeds expectations. We attract all types of customers. We are located right next to the University of Saint Thomas, so a lot of students come in. And, we are located in a business district. KSTP is right next door. So, we attract everyone,” said Hinze.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Cupcake’s festive treats surely will cure anyone’s sweet tooth. The Valentine’s Day theme carries over to entrees on the regular menu as well. “For breakfast, we will be serving a piece of toast with a heart cut out of the middle, and replaced with a fried egg. Strawberries in a heart design will top our oatmeal, which is really good,” said Hinze.
The Valentine’s Day cupcakes will be available in packages of four: Red Velvet, Burnin’ Love (hot chocolate mixed with a chile ganoush), Sweet Thang (vanilla cake and pink frosting), and Amore (decorated with adorable Valentine’s Day messages).
Although the baked goods may exceed grandma’s, she still must receive some of the credit. Cupcake was designed to resemble the hominess of grandma’s kitchen––the perfect place to enjoy great company, service, and food.
