Kupcakz

Icing on the (Cup)cake

Life in T-Town just got sweeter as couple prepares fine, gourmet treats

"Making the world a sweeter place...One cupcake at a time," is the philosophy at Kupcakz, a small culinary establishment specializing in creatively designed cupcakes, all with a personal touch.

Owner and designer Doreen Durano is no stranger to the business; she studied pastry baking at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, and she has 15 years experience in Las Vegas working at the Ritz-Carlton. She and her boyfriend, and business partner, moved to Tulsa to be closer to Durano's daughters who live in Glenpool.

A new concept to Tulsa, cupcake shops are "popping up all over the country," according to Durano's business partner. The duo developed Kupcakz themselves and opened shop September 6.

Durano said she came up with the recipes for the business. "It took us 11 months from start to finish," she said, including creating the menu of 14 cupcake varieties.

The cupcakes are made from scratch--by hand--with individual care and insight baked into each one. The attention to these cupcakes transcends the basic cupcakes from a box or even from a bakery. Each has its own special ingredients, and some, said Durano, even exhibit their own individual shape because of the ingredients and how it bakes. The final product is a culinary treat that satisfies customers' sweet cravings.

Kupcakz's menu includes the following: Vanilla Beanie, creamy vanilla cake topped with real vanilla bean buttercream; Peppermint Maddy, bittersweet chocolate cake with green mint buttercream and sprinkles; Not a Carrot in the World, walnut studded carrot cake with mascarpone cream cheese frosting; Morning Buzz, espresso soaked chocolate cake with mocha buttercream and sprinkles; Lemon Drop, zesty lemon cake filled with lemon curd with lemon cream cheese; A Cupcake Named Mackenzie, dark chocolate cake with a creamy chocolate center topped with bittersweet ganache and chocolate jimmies; Pretty in Pink, creamy vanilla cake with pretty pink buttercream and a pink flower; Cheeky Monkey, fresh banana cake with caramel cream cheese frosting candied pecans and caramel drizzle; Sooner than Later, silky red velvet cake smothered with mascarpone cream cheese frosting; Tropical Bliss, luscious coconut cake with mascarpone cream cheese frosting sprinkled with sweet toasted coconut flakes; My Peanut Buttercup, dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting with sprinkles and peanuts; Boston Dreamer, fluffy yellow cake with pastry cream capped with bittersweet ganache; Dirty Blonde, creamy vanilla cake with white chocolate cream cheese and shavings, and the Cupcake of the Month, which for December is I Dream of Ginger, ginger cake with eggnog cream cheese icing.

Durano said that each cupcake is made with the best pastry ingredients from across the world, and there are no trans-fats or preservatives. "All are made from scratch. I don't believe in opening a can," when it comes to making these cupcakes, she said.

For example, they roast their own pumpkin; they prepare their own lemon curd and fresh zest; they roast their own peanuts for peanut butter; and they prepare their own icing, with a 48-hour rotation on the pastry cream. "It's not that cost effective, but it is worth it, and the customers say they can tell the difference," Durano said.

Cupcakes are $2.50 each, $14.50 for a six pack; and $28 for a dozen.

Creating each cupcake is sometimes an arduous process. But some flavors, however, Durano said were perfect on the first try. The Tropical Bliss is one such cupcake. Durano buys coconut chips with no preservatives, and she prepares a mixture of simple syrup to soak the coconut, which sweetens the flakes, and then she toasts the coconut. This particular cupcake comes highly recommended.

The Pretty in Pink is a basic cupcake that Durano makes especially for the little girls who come in. They are attracted not only to the color, but also the glitter adorning the buttercream frosting.

The three most popular cupcakes are A Cupcake Named Mackenzie (named after one of her daughters), Sooner than Later and Dirty Blonde, which Durano said men enjoy ordering; she thinks they just enjoy saying the name. "Can I get three Dirty Blondes?" Probably true.

"I love what I do," said Durano, but her ultimate dream is to open a French restaurant. For now, she busily prepares and sells some of the best gourmet cupcakes in town.

Published December 3rd, 2008 by Urban Tulsa Weekly