Smallcakes - Winter Park

Before Christmas break, my family visited Smallcakes in Winter Park, after having grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch at Toasted.  

Smallcakes has gluten free cupcakes available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but they can bake a dozen cupcakes for a special order any day of the week.  (update - gluten free cupcakes are now available every day!)

My blog readers frequently message me about where they can get great gluten free cupcakes in Orlando.  I usually refer them to my private Facebook group, Gluten Free in Orlando, because I seldom buy cupcakes, preferring to make them instead.  Baking cupcakes from scratch is not my thing, but there are some great gluten free mixes that my whole family loves, and I always make my own frosting.  Smallcakes did not have any gluten free cupcakes on display, but they put together a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting for me in the back.  

At Smallcakes, they always make their gluten free cupcakes first thing in the morning with clean pans, in an effort to protect against cross contamination, which seems to be the standard practice for the bakeries in Orlando that have gluten free and gluten-filled cupcakes.  I have had gluten free cupcakes locally from Sweet by Holly, Gigi's Cupcakes, BabyCakes (reopening soon with a new name in Downtown Disney), Raphsodic Bakery, All from Scratch Bakery, Jillycakes, and Mattie's Delectable Desserts.  Smallcakes has one of the best cakes, rivaled only by Gigi's and Sweet by Holly.  All three cupcakeries make incredibly moist chocolate cupcakes, but their frosting is very different.  Sweet's is definitely sweeter than Gigi's or Smallcakes.  I feel that less is more when it comes to frosting, and I don't like it to be overly sweet.



If you are worried about cross contamination, BabyCakes is the only bakery in Orlando that is 100% gluten free.  I have never had an issue with feeling glutened by any of the bakeries I mentioned above.  They all take precautions to keep those with celiac and gluten intolerance safe, but the potential for cross-contamination always exists in a facility that makes both gluten-filled and gluten-free baked goods.

Smallcakes makes gluten free chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, and they can add any topping/frosting except the cookies-n-cream or the cannoli, because they contain gluten.  My family sampled some of the gluten-filled cupcakes and really enjoyed them, so we will definitely be going back next time we eat at Toasted on the weekend.

Smallcakes is located on Aloma Avenue in Winter Park, a couple of doors down from Whole Foods.

February 1, 2014 Update

Smallcakes in Winter Park is now offering gluten free cupcakes every day.  They will have their regular size "Smallcakes" cupcakes, and also minis in a pack of 4, 6, 8, or 12.  

I stopped in today to pick up 12 chocolate mini cupcakes with chocolate frosting.  It took a couple of minutes for them to be made up in the back.  Minis are usually $2/each, but a dozen is discounted to $21.  Gluten free standard size and mini cupcakes are 25 cents more per cupcake than their gluten-filled counterparts, which I think is reasonable, considering the higher cost of gluten free flour.  At home, I like to make mini muffins for portion control, so I was really excited to hear that Smallcakes will be making mini cupcakes daily.  The chocolate cake was nice and moist, and my whole family enjoyed them.

Have you been to a Smallcakes cupcakery?  What are your favorite gluten free cupcakes?