Switch to the mobile version of this page.

Arkansas Times

Eat Arkansas

« Route 66 offers opening week specia… | Fat Bottom Girls brings the sweet t… »

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Bakery The Cupcake Factory is the latest to join the Little Rock cupcake parade

Posted by Daniel Walker on Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 9:11 AM

Tucked away in a wooded area along Kanis near the Promenade Shopping Center sits the latest bakers to join the throng of cupcake shops in Little Rock. The Cupcake Factory, a small shop that has only been open a few months, is already drawing attention from the cupcake-craving locals…and for good reason. While it feels like this small place is only barely getting its feet on the ground, they are doing delicious things at The Cupcake Factory. They are still without a website, their Facebook page is almost completely bare, and a Google search is nearly useless if you are trying to find these guys currently. But take my word for it, they do exist, and you’ll be happy for hunting them down if you do.

The Cupcake Factory opened in April of this year under the direction of owner and baker Missy Bristow. She and her small crew are already busy at work cranking out baked goods addictive enough to assure themselves of a loyal, frequently-returning customer base. The interior of the small shop is decked out in light pinks and browns and would make any Disney princess feel right at home, but whether you are a four-year-old girl with pig-tails or a 45-year-old biker with a rat-tail, you’ll enjoy everything about the Cupcake Factory after sinking your teeth into their delightful frosting. Currently they are sporting around a dozen cupcake varieties daily, each will cost you around $2-2.50 a piece. Additionally, they are offering a daily selection of pies, sold whole or by-the-slice, cake balls, brownies and other dessert bars.

The cupcakes here are definitely not skimping on the frosting. In some instances, a heaping pile of frosting is an overload of sugar and sweetness, and often I am completely turned off by this practice. But the buttercream frosting at CCF is whipped to a light, airy consistency, not too dense or sugary. It’s by far the greatest aspect of the cupcakes here, and I’d bet they could slather a piece of cardboard with this frosting and it would still taste spectacular.

When I stopped by, I stuck with what I was told were some of the more popular items. This included the “turtle” cupcake with chocolate cake, vanilla frosting, caramel drizzle and a fine coating of pecans. My personal favorite was the Reese’s peanut butter cupcake, which whips peanut butter into the frosting until it’s light and smooth and slathers it onto a dark chocolate cupcake. Another spectacular offering was the s’mores cupcake (available on Fridays) which uses a marshmallow buttercream frosting on chocolate cake with a glaze of chocolate fudge and a coating of crushed graham crackers. Eating one of these will bring back floods of wonderful memories of camp-outs, bonfires, and flaming marshmallows, without the hassle of bug spray, ticks, or sleeping on a tree root. Other varieties of cupcake offered here include Oreo cookies and cream, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and the omnipresent red velvet.

If, for some reason, you are not in the mood for cupcakes you can choose from their rotating menu of pies, which you can grab by the slice or whole. They often offer a lemon icebox pie, coconut cream, as well as the standard chocolate or chocolate/peanut butter pies. I’m sure you can think of a few people who are constantly looking for excellent pie…The Cupcake Factory should not be overlooked in this regard. I couldn’t pass up their strawberry cake balls, a delicious blend of strawberry cake and frosting, rolled into golf-ball sized morsels and coated in hardened strawberry frosting or chocolate. These were equally decadent and delightful as any of the cupcakes and should not be missed either.

I hope the Chenal area continues to grow and will continue to add locally-owned, exceptional businesses. Such a beautiful part of the city deserves equally lovely food. The Cupcake Factory is likely to fill this niche wonderfully. Check them out before all your friends hear about this place and snag up all the best flavors before you get there.

The Cupcake Factory
18104 Kanis Rd. (near the intersection of Kanis and Rahling)
Little Rock
501-821-9913

Hours:
10AM-6PM Mon-Fri
10AM-4PM Sat
Closed Sunday

Tags: Cupcake Factory, Cupcakes, Pies, Bakeries

        
Tweet
Share

Speaking of...

The Cake Place: You'll want seconds

April 22, 2013

by Michael Roberts

Russellville cake shop impresses with service and flavor. /more/
More »

Comments (5)

Showing 1-5 of 5

Add a comment

Subscribe to this thread:

By Email

With RSS

Showing 1-5 of 5

More by Daniel Walker

Dear Green Cart Deli...

An open letter to Green Cart Deli, who won my heart with their fabulous dogs and terrific service. Don't be a stranger, Green Cart.
- by Daniel Walker
- Apr 17, 2013
Food Feedback Friday: the popping out of Pulaski edition

For this week’s Food Feedback Friday, we’d like you to sound off on some of your favorite restaurants around the state that lie outside Pulaski Country. For today, let’s leave our comfortable confines and explore a bit more of what’s around the state. So tell us about your favorites.
- by Daniel Walker
- Apr 26, 2013
More »