In getting ready for my 5th anniversary, I went through the archives and found some unpublished content from 2009. It’s interesting to read the posts 5 years later and reflect on what’s happened between now and then.
Cupkates Truck started about 5 years ago at the beginning of the food truck boom, as the first mobile cupcake truck in the Bay Area. It seems like business is going well because there are two trucks making the rounds now and they just announced their first brick and mortar shop opening in November on Ashby at Telegraph. Stateside Bakery “was born from nostalgia for the classically American desserts of our childhood—desserts that could only be found stateside, from brands like Hostess and Little Debbie.” They’ll offer nostalgic sweets made from scratch using high quality ingredients like Clover Farms dairy and Valrhona chocolate and Madagascar vanilla. Can’t wait til it opens, but until then, this is the story of my first time tasting their cupcakes.
photo: Christina Mitchell
October 22, 2009: It’s always fun going to a bakery to experience that intoxicating fresh-out-of-the-oven aroma. But, I recently discovered a more convenient way to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Cupkates is the self-proclaimed first mobile cupcakery in the Bay Area. Kate McEachern bakes and frosts in a commercial kitchen, and then drives a truck loaded with cupcakes through the streets of Berkeley. If you’re lucky, you can find out where she’s going to park (on twitter, of course…like all the new food carts these days) and meet her on the street. If not, she makes free deliveries in Berkeley if you order of 2 dozen or more cupcakes.
At first, I was skeptical. I expected cupcakes sold from a truck to be dry and flavorless – but these are exactly the opposite. The woman knows what she’s doing. Plus she’s so nice, it felt like we were old friends. But beware, if you don’t catch Kate early enough, she will probably be sold out of a couple flavors.
S’mores ($2.75) seems to be one of the first to go, and I understand why it’s so popular. The marshmallow frosting on top was shiny and toasted ever so slightly. The graham cracker crust on the bottom was more cumbly than crisp, with the chocolate cake sandwiched in between. It was a like experiencing a campfire in a cupcake wrapper!
s’more, red velvet, double chocolate, pumpkin spice
The Vanilla Vanilla ($2.50) was a beauty. Both the cake and frosting were flecked with those tiny dark seeds that let you know it was made with real vanilla. The Double Chocolate ($2.50) was the marriage of a delicate cake topped with a creamy, whipped buttercream (sometimes with tiny pieces of chocolate in the buttercream).
The Red Velvet ($2.75) is Kate’s signature, and it might be my favorite. This red velvet cupcake was more dense than the chocolate, and not too bitter or too sweet. She said her recipe only calls for a small amount of red food coloring, unlike most that tend to be too bitter for my taste. The cream cheese frosting added a wonderful combination of tangy and sweet.
Since she launched her business this summer, Kate has two new additions to the menu: Raspberry Lemon ($2.75) and Pumpkin Spice ($3). Unfortunately, the raspberry frosting tasted artificial, but the tart lemon cake was enhanced with a bright dollop of lemon marmalade. The pumpkin cupcake topped with a maple cream cheese frosting was earthy, yet surprisingly tangy.
Even though the fresh baked smell doesn’t waft out of the truck, there are definitely comforting sweets on board. Because she doesn’t have the extra cost of a bakery, Kate is able to use high quality ingredients to make high quality cupcakes and still keep her prices down. There’s nothing dry or flavorless about that.
Christina Mitchell
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