The ex-teacher behind Ms. Cupcake
Did you know that Mellissa Morgan AKA Ms. Cupcake was a primary school teacher before she ran this hugely successful bakery!
If you know Melissa, you will know that she takes pride in providing decadent treats! There's no short-cuts when the indulgence is the aim! Find out more about how and why Ms. Cupcake came about below.
Outside of cupcakes what does Ms. Cupcake specialise in selling? Are there variations of the cupcakes or do you make other things too?
We have a full offering as a bakery, although we are best known for our cupcakes! Our foundation has always been the cupcakes but we’ve been building up our range ever since we swung open our doors. We’d like to think our cookie sandwiches, milkshakes and sandwiches are some of the very best vegan treats around! We also bake savouries such as puffs and scones, as well as a range of tray bakes, cookies and muffins.
Where is Ms. Cupcake based?
We’re based in Brixton, London. It’s been our home for five years – but we also ship all over the UK.
Does Ms. Cupcake exclusively serve those who are local to you or can others who are further away access your products too? If so, how?
Certainly not! We have a base of local customers, but also have people come into the shop who have travelled hundreds of miles just to visit. We also offer delivery of our cupcakes and layer cakes to most areas of London through our website, as well as, a UK-wide ‘Bakes By Post’ service from our site. We also have a range of cupcakes available to purchase in all nine UK Whole Foods Market Stores!
What inspired you to create a business that solely focuses on vegan cupcakes?
When I was making the change from being a vegetarian to a vegan many moons back, there were no bakeries in the UK that offered vegan cake. As someone who loves cake, the only way I was going to get some was baking it in my house! That’s where it all began. In Canada where I’m from there are loads of vegan bakeries, I wanted to bring this magic to the UK. Overall my biggest motivator was to offer cake that can be eaten by absolutely everyone.
How easy is it for you to source cruelty-free ingredients for your products?
Over time it has become much easier to source vegan ingredients. Many of the major supermarkets and wholesalers have realised that there is a growing demand for plant-based ingredients.
Do these ingredients effect the outcome in comparison with non-plant-based cupcakes?
They have a hugely positive outcome! Many of our customers are non-vegans who come to us because they like our cake more than non-plant-based cakes!
For someone who hasn't tasted your goodies before and is indecisive about what to buy; is there a particularly popular one you can name?
Our Ambassador Cupcake (Chocolate and Hazelnut) is massively popular. It has a luscious chocolate sponge infused with hazelnuts, a home-made Nutella-like ganache hidden under our decadent chocolate/hazelnut icing. We finish it off by rolling the whole thing in loads of roasted hazelnuts. Absolutely decadently divine!
Is Ms. Cupcake owned by, or in partnership with, another company that tests on animals or sells non-vegan products?
No.
Tell me a bit about yourself before you launched Ms. Cupcake?
Previous to launching Ms. Cupcake I was teaching in primary schools – quite different to running a bakery!
What is your vision for the future of Ms. Cupcake?
We want to continue to bring free-from cake to the masses! We hope to expand our distribution into more stores around the UK and open more kitchens to make more cake. We also have a new book on the way!
Related content
Marchpane and Medlar
Naturally Kind Food
Conscious Cakes
Kizzy's Cookies
The surprise party where most of the guests were not vegan, yet they ate, and enjoyed, lots of different vegan cakes