Cupcakes on Commercial ...

It was not supposed to be a day about food. It really wasn't, I swear. It was suppose to be a shopping day. The goal was bargains and good finds and the focus was jewelry and cute skirts. If you know anything about my life, though, you know that inevitably every day turns out to be a food day. I must have magic abilities because no matter where I am or what I'm doing, delicious treats just seem to magically appear. Sure enough, as Marcy and I were wandering in and out of thrift shops and cute boutiques over on Commercial Drive this afternoon, we stumbled across this -

Cassia Cupcakery. And of course we just *had* to go in. Afterall, cupcakes and I go waaaaaaay back. My mom says my first word was "mama" but I'm pretty sure she got it wrong and that it was actually "red velvet". I've since grown to be quite the cupcake connoisseur and my friends have even nicknamed me the Cupcake Queen. It's a title I take quite seriously and it's my duty to investigate any and every cupcake shop I come across to make sure they're dishing out nothing but the best. So into Cassia Cupcakery we went.

Flavors included coconut, lemon chocolate, mint, peanut butter, Oreo cookie ...

... And of course RED VELVET (my all-time fave)

They also serve cookies but, really, who orders cookies when you're in a gourmet cupcake shop? Not me, that's for sure. Marcy ended up ordering a vanilla white chocolate cupcake and I debated between their gluten-free, vegan chocolate one and the vanilla coconut before eventually settling on (what else?) red velvet. Moist and fresh, I enjoyed every bite but I was a little disappointed that the icing wasn't made of cream cheese. Boooooooo. Clearly, these folks need to get their cupcake-baking butts down to the deep south to learn how red velvet's done. Just sayin'.

Their red velvet may need some work, but Cassia Cupcakery did get some things right. The decor was cute and the little stands that the cupcakes are displayed on were absolutely adorable. The flavors and prices were clearly identified and the shop was clean and tidy ... no cupcake crumbs lurking about. I would have liked to have seen more creativity in their flavors but I understand that they offer different flavors each day so I guess it was just a case of bad timing. Even though it's not a necessary part of my diet, I was pleased to see that they offer vegan and gluten-free options. I think I'll try one of those gluten-free chocolate ones next time 'round.

Overall, they weren't the *best* cupcakes I've ever had in my life but they were good enough. Would I make a special trip over to Commercial to get some? Probably not, but I'll definitely pop in again next time I'm in the neighborhood.

Cassia Cupcakery, 1706 Commercial Drive. Visit their website here.

What's your favorite cupcake flavor? And while you're at it, lemme know what makes a cupcake shop "pop" for you?

xo Stephanie