Good news, Knights — midterms are over and we're in the home stretch of the semester now. We deserve to celebrate that with something sweet. Cupcakes from Sweet! By Holly and the Yum Yum Cupcake Truck are staples for any UCF student, but they aren't the only prime places to pick up a little treat in the area. Next time you're craving that cupcake, you may want to check out one of these local bakeries and cupcakeries:
All From Scratch Bakery
Looking for a place where you can have your cookie and eat it too? All From Scratch Bakery, a family-owned bakery located in the Audubon Park Garden District, not only sells traditionally made sweets, it also boasts gluten-free and vegan treats. Everything is made with all-natural and organic ingredients.
"We sell cookies, the best fudge brownies ever, blondies, a variety of fudge and toffee, scones, biscotti, specialty cakes and cupcakes," said Kellie Mitchell, owner of All From Scratch. "Most of our clients are those that tend to eat healthy, because all of our products are all-natural and organic."
Related: For a seasonal twist, check out what UCF-area spots are offering pumpkin spice flavors.
Mitchell said that cookies and cupcakes typically sell for anywhere between $2 and $5, and the most popular cupcake flavors are "Very Vanilla" and strawberry.
And the bakery is not without sweet deals either. All From Scratch hosts $2 Tuesdays, when every cupcake is $2. It also has Fun Fridays between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., when people can come in, get a cookie or cupcake to decorate and watch a movie for $5 per person.
If you visit, be sure to mention UCF, because if you do you get a free cookie with a $5 purchase.
Blue Bird Bake Shop
Walk in to Blue Bird Bake Shop and you'll find yourself in a quaint, old-fashioned bakery that sells cupcakes, muffins, scones, brownies and cookies.
Blue Bird Bake Shop has been at its current location for about four and a half years, said Jeremy desRosiers, a shop employee. And while the shop doesn't offer any student discounts, cupcakes are $2.75 each and customers can choose from popular everyday flavors, including: sweet cake, red velvet, Neapolitan, Downside Up (a vanilla cupcake with chocolate buttercream icing), Upside Down (a chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream icing), chocolate, strawberry and tuxedo (a chocolate cupcake with cream-cheese icing and mini chocolate chips).
The shop also has its own special brand of coffee, Top Hat Coffee. These coffee beans are Rainforest Alliance-certified and are organically grown in the highlands of Matagalpa in Nicaragua, according to Blue Bird's website, and can be purchased by the cup or in 1-pound bags.
Gigi's Cupcakes
Gigi's Cupcakes had humble beginnings, starting with one woman who picked everything up and moved to Nashville to begin living her dream. That first shop she opened in Nashville grew into a chain that today has 84 locations in 23 states, including six in Florida alone.
Gigi's offers cupcakes, mini cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies, cakes, and now sells holiday pies, as well. Customers can choose from traditional or gluten-free options. The bakery offers at least 14 different flavors of cupcakes each day, and the menu rotates on a daily basis.
Three everyday flavors — wedding cake, midnight magic and triple chocolate torte — grace the menu, and strawberry shortcake and Scarlett's red velvet switch off every other day with their time on the menu. Other flavors offered include champagne, carrot cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, banana cream pie, and hot cocoa, spiced apple cider and pumpkin spice latte for fall.
Gigi's does not offer student discounts. However, mini cupcakes are $2 a piece, four for $7 or a dozen for $18. Regular-sized cupcakes sell for $3.25 a piece or $33 per dozen.
Smallcakes: A Cupcakery
Having a bad day? Maybe a cupcake will help.
This is the signature slogan for Smallcakes, a cupcake chain founded by Jeff Martin, bakes and frosts signature flavors each day, fresh from scratch, according to its website. Smallcakes began gaining traction among celebrities after appearances on the Food Network's show Cupcake Wars. It currently has multiple franchises in 18 states, including 15 franchises in Florida. Some flavors include peanut butter cup, hot fudge sundae, lemon drop, caramel crunch, cookies-n-cream and pink vanilla.
"Our wedding cake [flavor] is pretty popular. It's an almond cake with an almond buttercream and it's amazing," said Elizabeth Davis, a junior English major and store employee. "Our cannoli flavor is also popular, and that's vanilla cake with cream-cheese filling and a cannoli on top."
Cupcakes sell for $3.50 each, and although Smallcakes does not offer student discounts, the cupcakes go down in price to $3 each when you buy a dozen or more.
All From Scratch Bakery
2781 Wrights Road Suite 1225
Oviedo 32765
(407) 878-9591
www.allfromscratchbakery.com
Blue Bird Bake Shop
3122 Corrine Drive, Orlando, 32803
(407) 228-3822
http://bluebirdbakeshop.com/
Gigi's Cupcakes
2562 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando 32803
(407) 893-9846
http://www.gigiscupcakesusa.com/orlandoflorida
Smallcakes: A Cupcakery
1949 Aloma Ave.
Winter Park 32792
(407) 681-7501
http://www.smallcakescupcakery.com/
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