World Vegan Month Spotlight: Ms. Cupcake

It's World Vegan Month! To celebrate, we've been highlighting some our favourite vegan brands – including Ms. Cupcake, the first vegan retail bakery in all of the UK!

Ms. Cupcake make delicious vegan cupcakes, cookie sandwiches cakes and more, and try their best to cater to all sorts of dietary needs. Read on to find more about this amazing vegan business!

1. Tell us a bit how Ms Cupcake came to be.

When I was making the transition from being veggie to becoming vegan back in 2010 I was shocked to find that there were no vegan bakeries anywhere in the UK!  As cake is my favourite food group, I figured I had to start making cake for myself – and everything snowballed from there! I started a home business selling cupcakes at market stalls in and around London in 2010 and then on April 1st 2011 we opened the doors to our bakery in Brixton South London. Ms. Cupcake was the first vegan retail bakery in the whole of the UK.

2. What sets you apart from mainstream, non-vegan bakeries?

Inclusivity is key for us at Ms. Cupcake. We firmly believe that everyone deserves great cake and that it is our job to create naughty and indulgent treats for everyone regardless of what a person can and cannot eat. We cater our bakes to the dietary needs of our clients and can come up with a yummy cake regardless of what allergens a person might need to avoid. We even have a diabetic-friendly sugar-free line of treats!  No one goes without at Ms. Cupcake! 

3. What values are most important to you when making your vegan goods?

Our company is led by compassion and love and was born out of a want to cause as little harm in the world as we can. We believe that every living thing deserves the right to live without being used as a commodity.

4. What has been the biggest challenge Ms Cupcake has faced so far? Biggest achievement?

A huge achievement for us has been our cookbook ‘Ms. Cupcake: The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town’. It has been in constant print since it was released back in 2013 and has been published in multiple languages. We love hearing from people all over the world about how they love baking from our book!

In terms of challenges faced, I would have to say ensuring we stay current in the ever changing landscape of veganism in the UK. Things have changed so much over the last 10 years! When we first opened, we had to explain what veganism was to customers and break down a lot of misconceptions that vegan baking was ‘less-than’ or ‘not as good as’ traditional baking. Now that veganism has gone mainstream, we are constantly fighting to ensure that small independent vegan businesses like us don’t get swept aside by bigger non-vegan companies who see the potential in the ‘vegan pound’ and are trying to capitalise on it.

5. I see that you make cupcakes, layer cakes and your delicious cookie sandwiches – which range of vegan goodies is your most popular? Which flavours?

We’ve always been known for our cupcakes first and foremost, but we offer a full range of American style baking influenced by British flavours. Our cookie sandwiches are crowd pleasers and so are our muffins, brownies, squares and cookies as well! Our customers love the classic flavours – chocolate, red velvet, strawberry and such, but are also daring to try flavours influenced by floral ingredients like elderflower, rose and lavender. There’s something for everyone!

6. Have you noticed an increase in demand for your vegan cakes and cookies over the past few years?

Absolutely!  People have finally clued into the fact that you can please everyone with a vegan cake – it’s great for vegans and ‘not-yet-vegans’ alike! Cake is always nicer when shared and we believe that the easiest way to introduce someone to a cruelty-free diet is through vegan cake!

7. Have you introduced any new flavours recently? Do you have any seasonal flavours to enjoy in the run-up to Christmas?

Innovating new products is something we are passionate about and we always have a ball planning our seasonal menus! You’ll find American influence with our ‘egg nog custard’ cookie sandwiches and of course lots of warming holiday flavours in our ginger and cinnamon spice products. Candy canes, Turkish delight and marzipan also feature heavily in our Christmas menu this year – so it’s a super mash-up of traditional sweets and a great deal of fun!

You can find delicious Ms. Cupcake vegan cookie sandwiches at TheVeganKind Supermarket. Just a click of the button and we'll deliver these fresh vegan goodies right to your door!