Wow what beautiful and amazing cupcakes! Every mini cupcake looked so appetizing and I would have gobbled them all up if I didn't have to save it for my kid's birthday party! Thankfully, I was able to try a bit of the carrot, salted caramel, and lemon. All of them were delicious with the lemon being my personal favorite. They are so moist and creamy that they are some of the best cupcakes I've ever had. (What? It's gluten free?) read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Mini cupcakes (gluten free) - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

100/10 recommend their catering for events. I order cupcakes from here for work events frequently and they never disappoint. I needed 50 dozen cupcakes for a work event, 10 dozen gf/vegan at that. I emailed to see if they could accommodate a Sunday drop off and they gratefully agreed! This is truly above and beyond customer service that made my event not only elevated in flavor and aesthetic but logistically so much smoother than previous years. The owner delivered right on time and everything looked fantastic. Best gf/vegan cupcakes around. You cannot tell the difference! read more

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Across from Equator Coffees on Bay St, this cupcake delight sits! Stopping in the neighborhood for groceries and a coffee, I discovered this sweet treats place last week. SO glad I did! It was hard to decide on which cupcake to try but the caramel seemed to call to me. They have little cupcakes, regular sized, discounted, and so many flavors to choose from. The caramel in the frosting on top of the chocolate was divine. read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Gluten Free & Vegan Sea Salt Caramel - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

6326 San Pablo Ave Oakland, CA 94608 ( Near Alcatraz Ave) Who doesn't love a cute cupcake shop? It was around 1:00 am and "James and the Giant Cupcake" crossed my Yelp feed. I clicked a few links, and looked at what they have on their online ordering site. Whoa, they have a "Happy Birthday Giant Cupcake." Hey, it's my birthday, so I ordered one. Then I ordered a few more regular cupcakes, so the Giant Cupcake doesn't get lonely in the box. I ordered online: - Happy Birthday Cupcake, Chocolate w/ Vanilla Buttercream - Lemon, full size - Red Velvet, full Size - Sea Salt Caramel, full size ( 15%-off Promo), 99 ct service fee, Tips optional I setup an afternoon pickup, and I went down to the shop to get my order. I was greeted as I walked in. I gave my name, and the person behind the counter knew everything about my order. There's display cases full of interesting and creative cupcakes. I was encouraged to buy more. So I added a Carrot and a Cocoa Crazy. These cupcakes are made on-site. They are fresh and moist. The frosting is creamy and delicious. They have gluten free and vegan. They sell them individually, by a box of 6, and by the dozen. I was told they rotate flavors. There's also a discount for "day old" cupcakes. Giants, Full size, and Mini. Look at their website or visit the shop. read more

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One of my favorite cupcake shops in the Berkeley-Oakland area! James and the Giant Cupcake delivers everything you want in more in a perfectly sweet bite. My first encounter with the shop was via TooGoodToGo. I was interested in a sweet treat and thought this would suffice. This place was more than satisfying. The shop is cute and small, located on San Pablo Ave! Walking in you see a large case with all you options. I appreciate their vegan options. The woman who helped me with my TGTG order was super friendly and was super quick with gathering the items! I ended up getting to try their vegan snickerdoodle cupcakes and a classic chocolate on this first visit. SO GOOD. Wow, I honestly have never had a vegan cake or dessert I have truly like. But this cake was so moist and delicious, I didn't even know they were vegan until checking out their website to learn what I got! Other flavors I have tried have been vanilla, red velvet, chocolate caramel, and more (cannot remember as of right now!) All are fantastic! Such a good value. I have returned multiple times since my first visit because of how good this place was. If you are looking for a new spot to try, come here! read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Snickerdoodle (vegan) and Chocolate (vegan) - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

Cute spot with great gluten-free cupcakes! They used to have just a basic chocolate and a basic vanilla which was boring to me. But they've expanded and had four types of chocolate the last two times I visited (basically) chocolate with different frostings. But that's fine. I got one of each and they were so good. I visited after lunch and they had plenty of cupcakes. The people behind the counter have been very nice. The one thing I noticed is that the cupcakes travel well. I got the cupcakes and ate them the next day. I expected to see a box with swirls of frosting all over it, but that wasn't the case. It was quite good and I was pleased to get to eat four, yes, four as a snack. While my gluten-loving co-workers were eating their snacks, I had a chance to pull out a treat that made them envious. And it was so good. read more

After running by this place for months I came to see that this was thee Oakland cupcake jam! I went inside to get my girlfriend her favorite cupcake (red velvet) and was greeted with kindness, cheerfully educated on my options and overall left with a mini cupcake too. :) Sad that their jack London location closed but just Drive another 15 minutes and do yourself a favor to support this local gem! Cant wait to try the vegan options! read more

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Great cupcake spot. Always a nice variety of flavors and strong chocolate coverage. Vegan options and mini cupcakes too. Nice frosting. During the great cupcake arising a lot of mediocre shops turned up everywhere, but James and the Giant Cupcake is delightful. Nice staff too. read more

We love James and the Giant Cupcake! Over the years, we have ordered our wedding cake, my daughter's birthday cake, and classroom cupcakes. We just celebrated our son's 2nd birthday with another order. The vegan snickerdoodle is one of our favorites and we were excited to share it again. Unfortunately, this time the cake had much more icing and cream cheese filling than actual cake. For a cake that cost over $200 plus the added vegan surcharge making it almost $300, we expected a more balanced dessert, but it was overwhelmed by the cream cheese filling. This cake was about a 2.5 out 5, compared to others. I didn't get a photo of the top tier because the kids ate it at the party, but the photo here shows the remainder and you can see how thick the filling was. My mom, who gifted the cake, mentioned it tasted different than before as she is familiar with our previous desserts from here. It was much sweeter compared to before. We will probably stick to cupcakes for future celebrations since those have always been consistently great. Just wanted to share our experience. read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Cake - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

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Amazing!!!!! Run don't walk.... owner is personality plus. She definitely puts her heart and soul in her cupcakes. Cute little spot across from The Equator. read more

Love their cupcakes! They are so moist. And I wake up craving them randomly (like today, but they're closed ).

Love this place. The ppl who work are always so sweet and the flavors are delicious. They always have more in the back too

I ordered three dozen mini cupcakes for a baby shower. The sea salt caramel and the chocolate cheesecake were a HIT. None of us could taste the flavor of Guinness and Bailey's chocolate mini unfortunately, but we applaud their innovative take on cupcakes. I have been coming to the store for many years. They are reliable, although their window for pick up was a little bit on the late side this time and their cashier seemed unclear about where my order was even though I came twice in 30 minutes to ask. read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - March special Guinness/Bailey's chocolate cupcake. - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

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Found this gem on yelp and swung by to get a bday assortment - super easy, fast and sooooo good. Every flavor was amazing. Def would be my go to. read more

These cupcakes were so beautiful I wasn't sure if they could also be delicious but they were!!!!! The mini axel rose cupcakes were so flavorfully unique. I also ordered the mini strawberries and cream and the full size bed of roses for my 52nd birthday and I'm so glad I went with James and the Giant Cupcake but they were an absolute hit! read more

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Just took my middle school advisees over to the new shop in Adams Point. Sooo cool. It's decorated like a cake!!! The staff is super friendly and the owner greets everyone with a smile. The kids said this was the best cupcake shop in The Bay! Don't believe em?! Try one out! Walk away with a dozen! We'll be back again! Try the Banana Cream and Lemon Blackberry, too! read more

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Cupcakes are one of my kryptonites and this place is no exception. I had usually gone to the downtown Oakland location pre-pandemic and found out they closed it (sad emoji) so I dropped by here to curb my craving. The inside right wall hung whimsical and creative drawings of the cupcake flavors through the years and it really added to the store's ambiance. The March flavors were in full swing and on display. I got the Key Lime West (Mar. 1 - Mar. 31), Lemon (Mar. 1 - Mar. 31) Over the Rainbow (Available for order 3/16 - 3/17). I really enjoyed the first 2 - I'm a sucker for citrus flavored cupcakes, especially if the cupcake is moist and flavorful and the frosting paired nicely and wasn't too sweet. I especially liked the graham cracker crumble that added a textural layer. The Over the Rainbow was unfortunately overbaked and a smidge dry. It happens I guess! The lady working there remembered me from frequenting the downtown Oakland and was very friendly. She packaged my 3 cupcakes nicely and even added some tissue so they didn't get messed up if they bumped into each other. Long live James and the Giant Cupcake! read more

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Bought for my son's bday and baby shower. Cakes were so good the adults took over the cupcakes that the kids were sent home crying. lol.

Product is decent, but respect for customers is low. Unfriendly staff, almost never open on time, no apologies for any inconvenience or error. It's cupcakes, so not worth more words. Just a first-world bummer. read more

It was my first visit to the store--I had heard good things and I love cupcakes, so... I placed an online order to pick up a few cupcakes the next day. The store is super easy to access right on a clean little block of San Pablo Ave in Oakland. There was one customer being helped when I arrived, so I enjoyed getting a sneak peek at the craft as the baker was decorating a pretty little cake in the back. She came out and asked if she could help me--and she was so pleasant and happy, tbh her smile distorted time--but when I snapped out of it I told her my name and she had my order waiting for me. Oh yeah the cupcakes--I ordered 1 giant sea salt caramel + a regular full size version, 2 full sized lemon, and 2 full sized dreamfluff. Holy smokes these are so good! So fresh and delicious! I highly recommend James and the Giant Cupcake for their cupcakes and I'm confident their custom cakes are also as delicious as they are beautiful. Check them out! read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Giant Sea Salt Caramel, + the full-sized: 2 Dreamfluff, 2 Lemon, 1 Sea Salt Caramel - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

Love these cupcakes. I wish I had remembered to take a picture before we devoured them but they were pretty and delicious. We had red velvet, chocolate, blueberry, and carrot. I also had a gluten free snickerdoodle. They were great for my hubbys bday and I would order here again. Online ordering the door before was super easy and there was status updates day of. read more

Didn't know what to expect, but wow you have to certainly try this place out. It's an unassuming small bakery that was decor in a modern clean look. I had walked in to get some cupcakes for a birthday party and the staff there was super helpful with selecting a variety of flavors. When we had them after dinner and the reaction from everyone was phenomenal- the cakes were fresh, you can taste the real ingredients from the frosting down to cake itself. The most enjoyable were the lemon and salted caramel cupcakes. A must try place! read more

Sometimes a doughnut can induce so much guilt that the prospect of buying one would force time in a confessional if someone could tell me where one was. Thus, the concept of the mini-cupcake appeared ideal, and I discovered them first at Noe Valley Bakery. Then I started noticing almost every bakery made them especially for those of us tracking our calories on our devices. This is one of them. I was drawn to the name not because I'm a fan of Roald Dahl's children's classic but because I was raised on the Japanese fable, "Momotaro". It was about the boy born in a giant peach. Must have been a breech. Anyway, I tried coming here once before, but the woman ahead of me wiped out the remaining inventory with a fleeting indifference. Hope she glued them to her butt. My second visit was more fortuitous, and I purchased a trio of the $2 Mini-Cupcakes (photo: http://bit.ly/2SQonBD). The Gingerbread was festive, and the Snickerdoodle was true to its cookie origins, but it was the Carrot Cake that satisfied the most simply because it was a classic. Momotaro, baby! CUPCAKES - 4 stars...satisfying bitefuls of indulgence AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...as fanciful as you'd expect SERVICE - 3.5 stars...cordial TOTAL - 4 stars...Momotaro! RELATED - Need a sweet treat? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed in the Bay Area: http://bit.ly/2whChFh read more

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The cupcakes here are really good! I placed an order online before picking up, but they ran out of everything I ordered.. so I recommend calling in for availability if you're doing same day pickup bc the website isn't always up to date on inventory. I just changed my pickup date since they sold out, and it worked out fine. I ordered 18 minis. Red velvet, snickerdoodle, lemon, cloud 9, salty banana, sea salt caramel, chocolate cheesecake, and carrot cake. The cupcakes are sooo moist, fluffy, and melt in your mouth. Favorites were red velvet and carrot cake by far. But tbh they're all good :) although, the frosting was a lil too sweet for me on most cupcakes (and I have a huge sweet tooth) Cupcakes are a little bit pricy, but worth it for the high quality and freshness (baked daily!). Definitely a local favorite for me. I still prefer Sprinkles, but this place hits the spot too read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Minis - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

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THANK GOODNESS for the mini cupcakes because I get to try tiny bites of every type of cupcake without feeling TOO bad about myself. Favorite minis ($2) -Salty Banana - Banana cupcake filled with salted caramel sauce, topped with vanilla buttercream and a swirl of caramel sauce -Troop Beverly Hills - Vanilla cupcakes filled with caramel sauce, topped with vanilla bean buttercream, toasted coconut, graham cracker crumbles and chocolate sauce -Sea Salt Caramel - Chocolate cupcake topped with vanilla buttercream and a swirl of salted caramel sauce -High Hat - Chocolate cupcakes filled with marshmallow fluff, topped with vanilla bean buttercream and dipped in a chocolate ganache with hot pink sprinkles They also do delivery to Downtown Oakland for $10 if you don't have time to find parking or to walk over. read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Mini Cupcake assortment! - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

I'm reviewing the gluten free vegan cupcakes which did a dooooozy on my stomach. The bite sized tastes best to me but my stomach was Not happy. read more

First business I've ever given three reviews for. I unfortunately have decided to sever my relationship with James and the Giant Cupcake after a five year consistent run of choosing this establishment as my go to bakery. Every cake/cupcake order my son has come from here. I have had orders messed up a few times. However I have never had customer service as bad as it was with my previous order. I have only made two custom orders from here and both times the order had a serious mix up and almost made the entire cake a waste. The first time with the cake not even arriving until the event was over and the second...well let's get into that. Chile please! I wanted an all Black cake and I was afraid that James and the Giant Cupcake would not offer it so I looked around at places that did publicly offer them. However as I said before it has become tradition to order my cakes from here so I thought I'd ask. I wanted an all black cake that said LEO Baby in white frosting. However I wanted their vegan chocolate cake. I ordered via email which I have never done before. Big mistake. I sent a photo for example and in the photo was a black cake that said "Libra Baby". I then said that I would like for it to be the same as in the photo but except for the writing to say Leo versus a Libra. I love my fellow airy Libras and my favorite ex who still calls me and cries twice a week is a Libra. So you can imagine the horror when I a proud Fire sign saw that my cake read the words. "LEO VS. LIBRA". I originally thought it was a funny mistake. Of course understanding that my email included a fallacy, that the baker did not understand. So I called and spoke to the person who takes the orders and writes on the cakes and she immediately blamed me in a very condescending tone, saying she thought it didn't make sense. So if it didn't make sense...wouldn't you call, or reread? I mean she was completely rude as if I had ruined her entire life when I am the one with an offensive cake. I mean who hates kind Libras so much that they'd put it on their birthday cake?! She whined as if I had stolen her man. "fIne I'll cOmE iN oN mY sAtUrDaY aNd FiX yOuR cAkE". Girl Please. There was a picture included. I then had to change my travel plans and cut my photo/video shoot down a paid for hour, just to have her fix it. But shes complaining because she misread a fallacy. I wish I hadn't come in to get it fixed because when I cut into it, the cake was wrong. Instead of chocolate buttercream there was white butter cream. With black frosting on the outside it needed some flavor on the inside. Ended up tasting like sugar and black food coloring. The chocolate that i was supposed to ahve wouldve cute back on that sugar food coloring flavor. Like what a waste of time and money. I was incredibly upset that I had even bothered to get the writing fixed just for it to not be the cake I wanted. They did however deserve the one star I am giving because the cake did look pretty. The service when walking in for a cupcake is great, and I wouldn't agree with other yelpers that say it isn't however if you are doing more than ordering a walk in order. Don't.. read more

BEST CUPCAKE PLACE IN THE EAST BAY. I love this place. The cupcakes are moist and delicious. The frosting is awesome. And they always have at least two or three gluten-free options which are delicious! So many cupcake places fail in this area. And believe me I've looked around. Then to top it off, you get a free mini cupcake for bringing back your cupcake box! AND they have a cupcake reward program! Seriously. Awesome. FOOD: Cupcakes rock! And they have a great selection. They do run out so obviously closer to opening gives you the best options. The cake is moist and fluffy. If you like dry cupcakes this is not the place for you. They have interesting flavor combinations but unlike many cupcake places these aren't just mediocre cupcakes with stuff thrown on top. The owners of this place carefully integrate flavor, texture, and creativity in their cupcakes. Personally, I love the Snickerdoodle Gluten-free Cupcake - even if it weren't gluten-free this would be the bomb. Pink Lemonade is also one of my favs (not gluten-free) and the King of Pop is awesome. There are many other ones that are good and you can special order both full size and giant cupcakes. Also a plus is the ample amount of frosting. They don't skimp like many places do. SERVICE: I've been here many times already and everyone is super nice and willing to help out. Not only that but I'll say it again - rewards program! COST: Very reasonable. Mini at $2 and full size at $3.50 is a great cost. Overall, love this place. Only wish they made a peach cupcake with peach filling and a sour peach on top. It would just fit with the name. read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Yes! So many good options. Gluten Free & Vegan Snickerdoodle right there top left - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

Every time that I ordered cup cake for any occasion, cup cakes were very delicious!!!! Employees super friendly and help to acomódate any request for my event. read more

Great tasting cupcakes But don't plan on exact delivery time... there is a timing problem : can't make the order at the moment it is to be delivered read more

COVID REVIEW: Free delivery to certain locations during the week, and curbside takeout. I'm gonna say it: I'm not the biggest cake person. There. Said it. However, James and The Giant Cupcake offers up some mighty tasty cupcakes. Friends dropped off 4 cupcakes during this quarantine and I admit, I have wonderful friends and these were wonderful cupcakes. Since I didn't choose I was gifted: a thin mint one, a chocolate one, a salted caramel and a red velvet. I didn't get a bite of the chocolate one, and of the rest of the three, the red velvet was my favorite. The salted caramel and thin mint were moist and tasty, but the red velvet was the most flavorful (and I gotta say, I'm not a caramel flavor type person, and this cupcake didn't win me over). An amazing treat, and with free delivery, a wonderful option when going out should be for essentials (but I mean, cupcakes may be considered essential for happiness). A great local business and I appreciate and thank them for being open and providing a sweet escape during these times. read more

Quaint lil cupcake shoppe...It'z been here 7 years at the Berkeley location. There is also a location downtown...They do monthly flavors for their cupcakes which I think is really kool, check their website for the monthly flavors. They also will make cakes & cupcakes with flavors you request, place your order 72 hours ahead of your event...Also call ahead if ya want a dozen or two... I have driven by James and the Giant Cupcake for about a year. 2day was my first time here thankx to the review by Susana T. I luv banana so just had to get 2 Banana Split cupcakes and I also picked up 2 of the Key Lime West cupcakes...and delicious they where..Once again thankx to Susanna T. it won't take me a year to be back!!! read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - 2 Banana Split & 2 Key Lime cupcakes - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

A few days in advance, I placed a special order for cupcakes for a small birthday party. I ordered a variety of different flavors of regular cupcakes and a couple of gluten free/vegan cupcakes for one guest who can't eat gluten or dairy. The order was executed perfectly and the cupcakes were a huge hit! Everyone raved about them. Even the gluten free/vegan cupcakes were moist and delicious! read more

The frosting is good. There. Maybe I don't need to say more? Bland. I had carrot cake that taste like a bran muffin with sugar and red velvet that tasted like bland chocolate. How do you make chocolate bland? But the frosting was delicious! read more

I got all three of my wedding cakes here. Yes, you heard that correctly! I searched around for several bakeries that specialized in Vegan cakes and Cayleigh got back to me asap with scheduling a tasting. We went to do a tasting and we sat in the corner of the shop. The space was a little tight for a tasting and the store got very busy but we still ended up getting a fair amount of tasting to decide which cake we wanted at the time. I originally wanted to do cupcakes but I ended up doing three cakes instead two regular cakes and one vegan. I got a three tiered cake with the first layer being vanilla cake cloud 9. The other two layers were key lime with airmean frosting ( this frosting is a lot fluffier and less thick than a buttercream this is more of a whipped frosting) I also got a second three regular tiered chocolate cake. The last cake that I got was a vegan Snickerdoodle cake 2 tier. I chose to go this Bakery because I will still able to get a vegan cake for my guests who don't do dairy or eat eggs. All of the cakes were very delicious, moist and the frosting was very good and not too sweet. I only had one minor issue which was when I went to do the tasting for the Snickerdoodle vegan the cake was white. When we cut into the cake on the wedding day it was very clear that it was a chocolate cake. When I reached out to Kaylee she said that the vegan Snickerdoodle definitely turns out darker in cake form. I was surprised by this because I think this should have been communicated to me considering I got the vegan cake for my guests who don't eat eggs but they also don't really like chocolate cake either so that is why I wanted to order a white cake that was a snickerdoodle cake that would be the best vegan option. I would highly recommend this Bakery for all of your needs. They definitely cater to the vegan crowd, please give them a try. The cakes were very delicious, moist and they were decorated beautifully. Cayleigh was very friendly and provided great customer service. read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Vegan snickerdoodle cake - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

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This is my favorite place to get cupcakes!!!! They are in super high in demand so make sure you order their cupcakes and cakes ahead of time. I suggest planning it about 3-4 days in advance and doing the pick up or delivery option. You can't go wrong with any of their options for cupcakes, but the salty banana, carrot cake, and red velvet are my favorite. This is forever my go to cupcake place and cake place in Oakland. They also do fun single customizable cupcakes for birthdays! They're so awesome! read more

Popped in just 15 minutes before closing on Fri afternoon and grabbed some cupcakes and mini-cupcakes - Snickerdoodle (vegan/gluten-free but you would never know), Salted Caramel, Blueberry cheesecake, and Banana. Each one was delicious and gobbled quickly. Smaller in size cupcakes than Sprinkles but moist and flavorful cake with not-to-sweet frosting. Perfection! read more

James and the Giant Cupcake - Custom Cakes Near Me - Oakland, California

I had a very frustrated experience and I wanted to leave a review for the way they handled it. Mind you, this happened in 2020 during shelter in place so I'm very late on this review but have always meant to leave one. My step son was with us for Halloween and I wanted to make it as fun as possible since trick or treating was out of the question at the time. I pre-ordered some Halloween themed cupcakes several days in advance for delivery. Well, my delivery never came because the doordash driver stole it. I was so pissed. I called the store and the staff felt so terrible. At that point, they were closing for the day. They went out of their way to have the baker go in to make me my full order after hours and personally delivered it to me. The cupcakes arrived a good 5 hours later than I planned and they didn't look quite the same as their awesome themed cupcakes but they did go above and beyond to get them to me. I've been ordering here for years for small events for work and home and everyone is always impressed with the flavors and quality. Highly recommend! read more

I've been coming here and/or getting these cupcakes delivered for a few years. They always exceed my expectations and every time, I covet the delicious flavors and gorgeous design. I can't wait to come back for another round. Just had to share. :) read more

We were first introduced to JATGC in 2014 when we moved into a house a few doors down from them on San Pablo. Given that I have an insatiable sweet tooth, I was a frequent visitor and got to know the then owners Callie and Eurydice. Fast forward 9 years and we have ordered cupcakes for my wedding, gender reveal, sons first birthday, my daughters 1st birthday, and my 40th birthday- along with many other milestones. The cupcakes are always delicious and amazing. Everyone raves over the flavors. Our favorites are salty banana and sea salt caramel. We love supporting this local business with the sweetest treats and staff! read more