Cake on the rise

Imagine my reaction when an invitation came through to visit a vegan cupcake factory. I was like a larger version of that dancing baby that was a viral sensation a few years back, except a bit camper.

One of the most-loved cake companies in London, Trina’s Delicacies, asked me to drop in on their production premises south of the river to see how they go about creating some of the loveliest vegan cupcakes on the planet.

When you love vegan cake as much as I do, it can be a little overwhelming to find yourself in the centre of a commercial kitchen dedicated to baking huge quantities of the stuff. Trina (along with her friendly assistant Andy) made sure I stayed focussed by talking me through how each cupcake is lovingly handcrafted, where they can be purchased and what the plans are for the future.

The company started out as a home baking concern that would see Trina selling the cakes from a stall on the Brixton market. Fast forward to 2014 and Trina is seeing her baked goods reach a much wider audience.

While she still sells each weekend in Brixton, Trina now supplies to every single Whole Foods Market store in the London area. This is a huge operation and when it is coupled with the personal delivery service Trina offers to online shoppers, it is no surprise that the new commercial kitchen is frantically busy all week.

The flavours that Trina creates are the perfect combination of classic and modern. Of course you get the obligatory Chocolate Overload (which I discovered is the biggest seller), but the company is also rolling out exciting summer flavours such as Mojito and Raspberry Lime.

(In case you are curious, Trina and Andy both named Banana as their favourite variety of cupcake.)

With a solid following built up by selling at the market and Whole Foods, Trina is now setting her sights on expanding her wholesale business even further. I believe talks are already underway with some outlets, but of course Trina is open to meeting with any potential stockists. Get in touch with her via the website or tell your favourite grocery stores and cafes they should stock these cakes.

Pick up some cupcakes from Trina’s Delicacies either online, at Brixton market on the weekend or from your nearest Whole Foods Market store.

Follow Trina on Twitter

Disclaimer: Trina gave me a box of six cupcakes. It is the box of six you can see in the photos above. I didn’t write this post because of the gift. I wrote it because Trina and her vegan cupcakes are fabulous. And Andy is nice, too.