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Cassia Cupcakery
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
21 reviews for Cassia Cupcakery
Review Highlights
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"I opted for a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing." In 3 reviews -
"...with bases chocolate, vanilla, cheese and red velvet." In 5 reviews -
"...cake itself was perfect, not too sweet, and oh so light and..." In 4 reviews
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21 reviews in English
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Review from Tessa B.
3/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Since the first time I was ever introduced to the concept of "cupcake store" I was immediately horrified. As cute as it may seem, unless you have a selection of like 1,000 different incredibly unique flavours, it just seems like a ridiculous niche to corner yourself in.
HOWEVER, I happened to be strolling by and noticed they have Gluten-free! I am basically willing to try any gluten free desert I discover because they are so few and far between and I haven't quite mastered baking anything but crumble myself yet.
Not only are the gluten-free cupcakes quite tasty, I actually prefer them to the often overly sweet traditional cupcake! They are not too sweet, AND come in coconut flavour. They have traditional size and teeny-tiny bite-size.
Aside from the gluten-free variety, they have other interesting flavours like peanut-butter, lemon, cookies & cream, and even some vegan ones!Listed in: Gluten Free, Happy Me!
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Review from Rose C.
New Westminster, BC
3/5/2012 1 photo
At this is small place on the drive we got 3 red velvet cupcakes to go.
The cupcake was moist and rich and the icing very tasty, and I hate icing most of the time. A little bit of sprinkles on top, but nothing too fancy.
Just a plain ol' good cupcake.
Very tasty and I would recommend. -
Review from Trude H.
Vancouver, BC
2/5/2012
Cassia's mini cupcakes are delicate and tasty. I had a plain chocolate with white frosting dusted with a touch of coconut. I chose to eat in, as I had many more chores along the drive and needed a break!
The French bistro interior is a welcome respite from the busyness of the Drive. Pale blue and creamy white, clean and welcoming. I watched as customers arrived, each choosing a wide selection of 'cakes.
I wonder if some of the poor reviews are due in part to Cassia appearing so very different from the neighbouring businesses. Next visit, I will order a coffee and the regular 'cake, and chat up the friendly staff. Perhaps don a beret and read poetry! -
Review from Roanna Z.
Updated - 3/24/2012 3 photos
Today I licked the icing slowly off the top of a (vegan) cupcake while walking along the Drive. Then ripping off little pieces of that beautiful, moist gluten free cake and dipping them into the remaining frosting, I devoured that delightfully devilish treat. I made excuses to myself... it's almost my birthday. mhmm! -sounds familiar?
Also the customer server est très gentil, even complimented me on my *cough cough* French language skills. I could write on my palm all the French I can actually remember.Listed in: Gluten Free/ Dairy free eats., Fi*ve st*rs of awesomeness
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/20/2011
Sometimes I'm a masochist. I admit it. I go into pizza shops just to inhale the aroma of the thing I… Read more »
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Review from Julie F.
Vancouver, BC
5/1/2012
True Story: If you work in a store that sells only Cupcakes, and a customer walks in and asks: "Let's see, I can't decide, which is your favorite?" Do not reply with: "Uhm, I don't eat Cupcakes."
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Review from Kendra N.
Vancouver, BC
1/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been avoiding going in here because I thought it might be dangerous, but I was actually underwelmed by what was on display. The photos of their cupcakes on Yelp look way more enticing! Is this the same place? In fact when I surveyed the display case I immediately thought, "What are these guys still doing in business?".
The decorator on toppings duty must have been feeling stingy because the only mark he or she left on top of the wads of icing was a teeny sprinkle of either coconut, mini chips or Oreo crumbles. On about half of the cupcakes.
Anyways, I perked up when I saw the "gluten-free" sign beside an empty cake stand, and the woman behind the counter said they had more in the back. She iced them in the flavours of my choice (no toppings).
When it was time for dessert, we excitedly pulled out the cupcakes, but what a lunch-bag letdown. Gluten-free doesn't have to be this flavourless. The icing sort of saved the situation, especially the Vegan chocolate one.
I'm hoping their regular cupcake has more of a personality than the GF ones did. I might try their cupcakes one more time - ensuring that the topping decorator has properly made their mark - otherwise, I'm sticking buying cupcakes from the big guys (Cupcakes and Whole Foods). -
Review from Renee P.
Vancouver, BC
9/29/2011
If at first you don't like it, try it again!
I had a couple of mediocre experiences with this place - mediocre, that is, compared to what you'd expect from it's good service and clean-retro look. The first couple of cakes I bought were the red velvet, and I think I just assumed I'd love that flavour when I didn't. Then I tried the chocolate mint, which was also sort of mediocre.
But yesterday I tried again and had a cupcake-gasm. Serious. I decided to buy six minis (yes, ate them all..oops), each a different flavour. What I learned is that the flavours I hadn't tried were better than the two I had. I also just think I like the 'mini' format in general.
My recommendations are the coconut, the peanut butter, and the vanilla. -
Review from Reena M.
8/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Such a pity the reviews here are so negative. On the contrary, my experience here was quite nice. They don't charge HST if you order 6 cupcakes or more. I got a dozen mini cupcakes for my sister's birthday. They looked cute and adorable and I think she was excited to see them. We tried the mint and chip, red velvet, oreo, white chocolate, regular chocolate, and a chocolate lemon (not a good combo btw).
We liked them! The cake was not as dry as the Cupcakes shop but weren't super moist either. I liked that. It held its form, and was dense enough. The frosting wasn't too sweet which both my sister and I found pleasant. The thing I hated about Big City Cupcakes (before they closed down) was that their frosting was toooo sweet and artificially flavoured.
It's amazing that they have gluten free and vegan cupcakes! Of course, if you're ultra gluten sensitive, I wouldn't recommend trying their products due to cross contamination. It's inevitable. That being said, i didn't try those two products so I can't vouch for their quality. But the other good thing is that you're not paying more if you opt for one of those because all the cupcakes are the same price--conventional or not.
All in all, it was a pleasant experience. I like their plastic clamshell because it prevents the cupcakes from getting messed up. Ideally, it'd be a paper or corn plastic clamshell but who is going to source that for the company for an economical price?
P.S. it's cash and debit only. -
Review from Jenny H.
Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, BC
11/14/2011
I have had the chance to pick up cupcakes from cassia a few times. Generally they are very standard cupcakes, nothing fancy here. The good part about there cupcakes is they are not overly sweet and they tend not to be dry or crumbly either.
I have always purchased the mini cupcakes, which to most people would be bite sized but to me they are three bites. Perfect for a little sweet snack on the go.
I have heard mixed reviews about the regular sized cupcakes, I assume because they are larger, the cake seems more dense, and probably too much icing for most. I usually pick up a dozen mini's to go for the boyfriend and myself to share. We can be glutenous and eat them all in one day, or take a couple days to eat them. I would suggest not getting more than you can eat in two days, as the cakes tend to dry out past that time.
The staff have always been friendly and efficient on all my visits. The location is great for me as it's not too far from my home, and it's right next to the pet store I frequent on commercial drive. All in all Cassia is a good stop for a sweet tooth craving that you want to fix quickly. Sure there are better sweet treats out there, but realistically we are dealing with cupcakes. -
Review from Joyce D.
Burnaby, BC
6/20/2011
Unfortunately Cupcakes, (the original) ruined it for everyone. Cassia Cupcakery is a quaint, retro style storefront and clean and very appealing when looking in from Commercial Drive.
The staff was polite and very nice,,,,answered all my questions and rhymed off all the names of their cupcakes.
The cupcakes looked cool and had that cute retro factor going for them.
The aftertaste of the icing was what the real problem was. The cake itself was very moist and good tasting but the icing had a slicky, non-butter taste to it which ruined the whole effect. I liked everything before I tasted the icing and that would be the reason I wouldn't go back.
Hopefully they will realize this and change the icing soon rather than later. -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
3/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Even after the spate of unflattering reviews newly-opened Cassia has suffered on Yelp, I had to try it out for myself. They are, after all, the only (!!!) cupcakery in town that offers vegan cupcakes, so even though I'm not personally a huge cupcake fan, I knew it was my duty to review Cassia.
First impression: the place is really cute. I love their standing cupcake trays. For a newly-opened business, it doesn't look too shabby, even if there is a spelling error on the menu (oops). Charming? Also, they had multiple flavours of vegan cupcakes available, which was pretty lovely.
The girl working the counter was... awkward. She seemed kind of overwhelmed, possibly flustered to have a customer. I opted to stay in to eat my cupcake - it was pouring rain - and have a coffee. When I asked whether they had soy milk, her instinctive reply was "no", when in fact the answer was "yes". Charming?
As for the cupcake itself, I had a vegan peanut butter one. The icing was fantastic - light, fluffy, flavourful, and not too sweet. The cupcake was mediocre. It tasted like carrot cake minus the carrot, and it was very dense and oily. Being a vegan of some cred, I have eaten plenty of fluffy, delicious, perfectly-textured vegan cupcakes in my time - the recipes for which can be found quite easily - and this was not one of them.
I am very, very happy that Cassia has chosen to cater to specialty diets. I think that's wonderful, and we really needed it in Vancouver, especially on the Drive. That said, I really think they ought to step it up a notch. I have friends who are hobby bakers who can make better vegan cupcakes. In fact, one of them needs a job. Ha.
I will visit Cassia again in a couple of months to see if anything has changed, at which point I'll update my review. I'd like this business to succeed.Listed in: Vegan Vancouver
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Review from Linzi M.
2/17/2011 3 photos
My new favourite street in Vancouver is Commercial Drive, though I'm not sure it is technically a street?
One of the joyous places on The Drive is Cassia Cupcakery. Unassuming and quiet, it just sits with a nice sign outside 'try our new vegan cupcakes'. You don't have to ask me twice. They have a beautiful display of cupcakes with bases chocolate, vanilla, cheese and red velvet. I had three mini ones so that I could write an informed Yelp review (the sacrifices I make for you, the reader).
The cakes were unassuming too, a little bland actually. Which is a shame because they are so pretty. All the bases tasted the same. Like, nothing. The toppings of peanut butter, cream cheese and Oreo cookie just tasted bland, no 'wow factor' at all. No hit of sugary goodness or flavour.
I had a nice pour over coffee, which took a while to create, but was worth the wait. There was a good stream of customers coming in and out, showing that it is a neighbourhood fave.
But I just found it disappointing, the cakes tasted like nothing. Cassia, I'd love if you tried harder or maybe some different recipes because you have very nice staff and deserve to make a good go of it. -
Review from Isabelle G.
Vancouver, BC
6/20/2011
Cassia Cupcakes
1706 Commercial Dr.
Atmosphere: It was clean and decent, certainly not over done and elaborate on the decoration side as the Cupcakes franchise, however, it was simple yet appealing in it's own way. The location is on Commercial drive which is convenient enough.
Service: It was decent. It's not rocket science to ring up two mini cupcakes to be honest. They weren't charging HST today since it was Car Free Day.
Prices: The price of the mini's is $1, same as Cupcakes. The large regulars are around $2.99 which is cheaper than Cupcakes, much more reasonable for the what a cupcake should be.
Food: I am not sure why everyone has been giving this place such low reviews in terms of the cupcakes themselves. I find the batter and the frosting to be better than the Cupcakes franchise. The mini's that I got today were moist and the frosting was awesome. Perhaps I had better luck since I bought mini's rather than a regular size. -
Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
2/2/2011
I LOVE CUPCAKES! So much... Unfortunately when I decided to finally enter this new shop after walking by it twice a day for a few weeks now, I got myself confused fumbling service and a stale $4 cupcake. The cream cheese icing was hardened and the cake part was old and boring.. sweet though, maybe too sweet.
I know they are a new business and I will definitely give them a second chance because as I said.. I LOVE CUPCAKES!!!!Listed in: The LOST list
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Review from Nicolb T.
2/13/2011
Dry and crumbly cupcakes, overly sweet icing with awkward fondant decorations? No thank you.
It is unfortunate that the cupcakes from this shop is so .. lackluster. Even though I'm not a huge cupcake fan, I will indulge in one every now and then (especially if work decides to give me one for free.) However, I could not get past the nauseating sweetness of their icing. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, since it was the first day they opened.
2 weeks later, we gave them a second chance and went back. I opted for a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing. A fail-safe, if you will. Safe no more, as the cupcake was bland, and the cream cheese icing was discerningly solid.
What's more, is that both times, I've almost slipped and fallen on their tile floor. It's Vancouver, for god's sake - put a mat down when it rains!
Alas, I hope they can improve their cupcakes. -
Review from Annika S.
Vancouver, BC
2/10/2011
If I can quote a review I just read on Urban Spoon... "Worst Cupcakes in Vancouver".
It was my first time there last night, and my last. I was excited that they were right next to Red Burrito - what a treat!
The cupcake I had was dry, crumbly and undersized for the price. To top it off, they slapped a big, slimy gummy heart on the top... just what I want with a mouth full of crumbs is to get them stuck in my teeth with a stale gummy.
On the upside, the service was very friendly, I'm almost sorry to say such horrible things about these horrible cupcakes. -
Review from Sandra G.
Vancouver, BC
3/3/2011
It's too bad all the previous reviews for the the only cupcakery on Commercial Drive haven't been great. I went postering up and down on the Drive one afternoon, and the sign that said "Vegan Cupcakes" caught my eye for that afternoon treat.
My boyfriend would say, "Don't get them! They won't be as good!" But since they had a chocolate vegan cupcake (and a lemon one as well) and I'm taking steps to become vegan, I couldn't resist.
The cake alone was not very sweet, but that can be a good thing. Very moist, and a bit crumbly, but good if you take a big bite of the sweet icing. Tres delicieux!
The space is small, but they have a cute display. Wish there were more vegan flavours - at least a vanilla would be nice, and then maybe a red velvet sans cream cheese icing - but for the only cupcake bakery on Commercial Drive, I'd definitely go back. -
Review from Giovanni A.
Vancouver, BC
3/27/2011
Pretty horrible. Both oreo and and chocolate pb cupcakes were dry, crumbly and bland. As for the the frosting - nasty. That horrible film on your tongue after eating it - some kind of cheap shortening.
Charge an extra $0.25 and use butter for your buttercream!
Layout of the shop was rather lovely tho. -
Review from Megan G.
Vancouver, BC
2/27/2011
sad. I wanted them to be awesome, since they are right in my neighbourhood, and their shop is cute. But no, they use plastic clam shell packaging for to go cupcakes, and the cupcakes themselves are dry, with bizarre unpleasant icing slapped on the top with a kitchen knife. Making a boxed cakemix batch of cupcakes would be a thousand times better.
It's not this hard to make delightful baked goods, I swear! A little practice, and research, and listen to feedback. Come on now! -
Review from Cream J.
Vancouver, BC
2/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
yummy and cute cupcakes!!! and it's close to my home~~
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Review from psylocke r.
Langley, BC
5/24/2011
So, I finally broke down and bought myself a new camera. Well, its used really, but I got a skookum deal on craigslist. I needed something to take those close-ups shots of food, and my quick snap just wasn't working for me. Learning how to use my new baby, well, thats another matter. Anyway, I digress. What better place to try out my new gear than at Cassia cupcakery. I have been searching for gluten free cupcakes north of the border, but have only found those of the chocolate variety. Being allergic to chocolate, this would not do. Well, as it turns out, there is a new kid in town located on Commercial Drive. Walking into Cassia is a feast for the eyes, the cupcakes all look so delicious. Gluten avoiders need not be tortured, they offer something for you too!! On this particular day, they had vanilla gluten free cupcakes with your choice of icing. I chose coconut. Oh boy, was I in for a treat! The cake itself was perfect, not too sweet, and oh so light and fluffy! The coconut icing was scrumptious. I will definitely be back to try all the other icing flavours. Save me a seat!
Listed in: Best of Gluten Free
