Courtesy of Cupcakin' Bake Shop
Come December, Colony Square visitors will have more dessert options to choose from. Cupcakin’ Bake Shop is opening an 1,100-square-foot shop and to-go window next to King of Pops in the courtyard. A California-based company, Cupcakin’ brings cupcakes, cakes, and cookies to the mixed-use development.
“I love the South. My family has roots here,” explains owner Lila Owens. “I wanted to be part of the thriving culinary scene.”
Cupcakin’ has three locations on the West Coast. This will be the first on the East. Owens describes it as featuring a “California flair.” She focuses on using quality ingredients that allow her cupcakes to have a lower sugar content while maintaining a balance of flavor. She put a lot of effort into texture when it came to recipe development. As a result, she says her cupcakes are lighter and moister than others.
Courtesy of Cupcakin' Bake Shop
Courtesy of Cupcakin' Bake Shop
“Cupcakin’ has a lot of soul as a bakery. We put a lot of love into the product and bake everything from scratch,” she says.
The bakery features 15 to 18 cupcake flavors daily, available as miniatures and full-size. Options may include red velvet, key lime pie, vanilla salted caramel, and Madagascar bourbon vanilla. Owens’s favorite is the chocolate raspberry, which boasts an Oreo cookie crust on chocolate cake with raspberry compote in the center, topped with whipped cream frosting. Additional flavors rotate weekly, such as chocolate toffee, caramel mocha, and chocolate peanut butter. Depending on the flavor, the cupcake may be topped with cream cheese frosting, whipped cream, American buttercream, or Swiss buttercream, which is known to be lighter in texture. Gluten-free and vegan offerings are available too.
Cupcakin’ also sells oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, as well as 6- and 9-inch classic buttercream cakes (with 72 hours advance notice). Tea, iced coffee, and water will be sold at the Colony Square location as well. The modern retro space will be decorated with blues and warm woods with funky tile on the ground for a nostalgic, yet lighthearted feel. The shop will have limited indoor seating with additional tables in the courtyard.
“We want to be known as having some of the best desserts in the city,” Owens says.
Photo by Christina Yan
Courtesy of Cupcakin' Bake Shop
