Sacramento Cupcake Wars means more cupcakes for me

I'm officially done with all my NPC Competitions for the year...and you know what that means. Yes, that's right.  I can have chocolate again. Whoohoo!

And there is no better way to satisfy my sweet tooth than with cupcakes. Plus, I've actually had a couple cupcake shops call me up over the last month to see if I could interview them, but I was holding back.  What fun is doing an expose on Sacramento cupcake wars if you can't taste as you go?

But I'm not the only one going ga-ga over cupcakes.  The owners of Icing on the Cupcake, Esther's Cupcakes and Drizzle Cupcakes told me they can't keep up with the demand.  In fact, they say customers are asking for more cupcakes in more locations.

Chuck Meridith and Christee Owens are the owners of all four Icing on the Cupcake locations. They opened their first location in Rocklin in 2007 and then expanded in 2010.

“We were bursting at the seams in our original location and there was a cry for more. In 2010 we opened on July 1 in Folsom. The Sacramento location opened in October 2010 and west Rocklin in June 2011,” said Owens.

OLD FASHION GOODNESS IN EVERY BITE

So why are their cupcakes so popular?  Owens says their claim to fame is their scratch recipes. Everything they make –from icing to cupcake bases – comes from old family recipes that they make by hand.

“It’s all these old fashion recipes. It’s different from supermarket cake. It’s dense and rich and very old fashion,” Owens said. “We are known more for our frosting than anything else. We have a butter cream, cream cheese and a chocolate fudge frosting that is just amazing. It’s so old fashion and so homemade. It’s all from scratch.”

Meridith and Owens say Red Velvet is their best selling cupcake followed by their signature cupcake, Pink Delicious. This is a dark chocolate cupcake frosted with pink vanilla butter cream. Their more unusual flavors include maple bacon (only available on Sunday), Chai and Beehive which is vanilla cake filled with Bavarian cream and honey and topped with a honey amaretto butter cream.

“We have at least 15 to 18 bases,” said Meridith. “We are always coming up with new monthly flavors. Right now we are asking our Facebook Fans to come up with October’s flavor.”

But get this...Meridith says their customers aren’t customers anymore. They are more like extended family. They follow them, give them advice on new flavors and are passionate about certain flavors.

“Some people only come on Tuesday because they love the strawberry cupcakes. They know our menus and come on specific days,” Owens said. “We have so many requests from our fans and where they want the next location to go.”

Mmmm....Strawberry.  I know where I'm going to be on Tuesday.

They say they are working on deals for two new locations now, but aren’t ready to announce them just yet.

GOURMET DESSERTS IN THE SIZE OF A CUPCAKE

Esther’s Cupcakes is another one of my favorite cupcake shops.  It's on Fair Oaks and is just as popular as Icing on the Cupcakes. I must say, I love, love, LOVE her Earl Grey and Lavender cupcakes.

Plus, you also have Esther, the baker, the taster and the cupcake maker. 

Esther San is an adorable woman who knows what's she's talking about when it comes to gourmet food -- including her cupcakes.  She opened her shop about a year and half ago and has captured the gourmet cupcake market in the city.

“Sacramento is my home and where my community is. I’m excited to create another Paris or New York here. I mean, why not? We’re ready for more gourmet food,” Esther said. “I’ve traveled far and wide, and have been to all the European cities, Napa and around the US. I want to bring all that and more here. We are ready.”

Esther says she’s not worried about the different cupcake shops in the market place because every customer has a preference. She says even though Icing on the Cupcake is technically the competitor, she sometimes refers her clients there if they live closer or if they prefer sweeter cupcakes.

Esther’s most popular flavors include Meyer Lemon, Vanilla Bean and Crème Brule, but it’s her unique creations that keep her customers coming back for more. Some of Esther’s signature flavors include Green Tea and Caramel Macchiato Coffee cupcakes -- which I haven't tried yet, but they are on my list.

Esther believes desserts are just another part of the meal and that you should be able to taste all the different aspects of the ingredients. You should be able to taste the fruit, the butter, the cream and every element of the dessert. She also says desserts don’t need to be overly sweet. They should be a nice balance of different ingredients.

“I’m a dessert addict. I thought why do cupcakes have to have teeth-hurting icing? Why do they need to be so traditionally sweet?” Esther said. “I wanted to make regular desserts in the form of cupcakes. I enjoy Crème Brule and thought it would be nice to put it in the form of cupcakes.

Esther’s icing is also different from traditional cupcake icing. It’s more like cake icing and the frostings vary like they do on different cakes such as the chocolate ganache icing she has on her chocolate cupcakes.

Like her fellow bakers, Icing on the Cupcake, Esther's sales are booming and she is getting ready to expand.

“I can’t tell you where but we are expanding to a second location by the end of 2011. I plan on opening several bakeries in the future.”

Oh how secrets intrigue me. You know I'm going to be haunting her until she reveals her new location.

NEW TO THE SACRAMENTO CUPCAKE MARKET

Then there's Drizzle Cupcakes. Drizzle is a newcomer to the Sacramento cupcake market. Opening only in June 2011, cupcake designer Rob Porter is still in culinary school and graduating next spring. His cupcake business started with a baby show in May, and has grown almost organically from there.

“I thought I would keep it nice and easy, but in the last month and a half. It’s blown up. I’ve got orders coming out of my ears right now,” Rob said.

Unlike Icing on the Cupcakes and Esther’s Cupcakes, Drizzle doesn’t have a storefront and Rob only accepts online or phone orders. He does have a website, but most of his orders are coming from word-of-mouth referrals. He says he's getting order after order for events like retirement parties, baby showers, store events and more.

“People are saying they’ve heard about my cupcakes and have to try them. They want me to make them two dozen, three dozen,” Rob said. “It was quick. Really quick. I never expected it to do what it’s done so far.”

His most popular flavors are Banana Toffee cupcakes with a praline and cream cheese frosting, a lemon cupcake with fresh blueberries on top and his Vanilla Cherry Almond cupcakes. He says if he’s going to make a lemon cupcake, it’s going to taste like lemon. It’s not going to be so sweet that it’s going to make you pucker. But his true cupcake secret is his icing.

“I have my own frosting that I’ve come up with that’s not your basic butter cream. It’s more flavorful and a little more rich than regular butter cream,” Rob said.

Rob started the business now thinking he would gradually get the word out about his cupcakes. This way when he graduates from culinary school, he would be ready to open up a shop.

“I want to do something like a dessert diner, but on a bigger level. Not just cupcakes, but everything you can imagine dessert-wise,” Bob said.

So, sweet, decadent or whimsical…which cupcake shop is my favorite? I love them all! Plus, there are few others like Vanilla Bean (they have a peanut butter and jelly cupcake that is to die for) and Cupcake Craving that I've also checked out recently and totally recommend.