Shops discover new ways to make a cupcake

It’s nearly midnight in the quaint, pastel-colored Dozen Bake Shop, and hundreds of unadorned… It’s nearly midnight in the quaint, pastel-colored Dozen Bake Shop, and hundreds of unadorned cupcakes are nestled neatly in their boxes, waiting to be iced and shipped out to other Dozen locations.

Dozen, like many other bakeries, has noticed a boom in the popularity of these single-serve treats. In the past several years, production has gone up, but the petite kitchen, where vibrant sprinkles and industrial portions of flour and sugar are stacked along the walls, has retained its tranquil charm.

“It’s small compared to the amount of work we do, but we never get in each other’s way,” said Josie Smith, a baker and 2007 Pittsburgh Culinary Institute graduate.

The shop is known for outlandish flavors like Margarita and Twinkilicious and is fearless in trying new and different combinations.

“[James, the owner] gives us the freedom to try different flavors,” Smith said. “If he’s done it, we have to think of a way to do it better.”

In addition to their two staple cupcake flavors — Vanilla Vanilla and Milk Chocolate — this week the workers will  introduce their new fall cupcake creations, which will include tastes of pumpkin, apple and one that will include maple and bacon.

Dozen isn’t the only shop to notice the baby cake boom, nor are they the only ones who plan on sampling the cornucopia of tastes that autumn has to offer.

Vanilla Pastry Studio, which received the moniker of “best cupcakes in Pittsburgh” in 2007 from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, began making miniature-sized versions of the morsels after receiving the title.

“They’re small. They’re kind of portion controlled. They’re cute and fun, and when you get cupcakes for a party you can get many flavors,” said April Gruver, owner and self-proclaimed Sugar Fairy.

Gruver, who is a pastry chef, insists on making everything from scratch. She explains that even the cookies that go into their cookies and cream items are homemade. And this year, she plans on using the abundance of local foods to whip up some delectable goodies.

“We are really ingredient driven … we go to the farmers’ markets,” she said.

She plans on bringing back a favorite of many during these months of scarves and golden leaves — fresh Concord grape — as well as creating a carrot cupcake with a brown butter cream cheese icing.

For another local eatery, Priory Fine Pastries, variety is the spice of life. With their custom cupcake creations, like their Chocolate Knockout flavor and their three-pound Colossal Cupcake, they’re prepared to please all kinds of sweet-toothed eaters.

“We see certain flavors that sell, and we try to stick with those flavors,” head baker Jim Lazeration said.

The bakery — whose favored flavors, according to Lazeration, are probably the Carrot Cake or Raspberry Ganache — tries to uphold a certain standard of decadent desserts, and that means staying true to the classics.

“We don’t get into crazy flavors … I believe that when you’re getting into sweets, you should stick with the basic stuff, stuff that should be in desserts,” he said.

Whether it’s unique flavor combinations, goods made with local ingredients or the sweet classics they’ve always loved, Pittsburghers seem to love their cupcakes.