ManCakes Bakery (Cupcakes for Men)

Secret Home Operation: ManCakes Bakery
Cuisine: Desserts/Cakes/Cupcakes/Bakery
Last visited: n/a
Location: Vancouver, BC (Gastown/Downtown)
Address: Online ordering
Train: n/a
Price range: $20/box of 6

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Baked fresh day of delivery
• Online ordering only (here)
• Sweet/Savoury cupcakes
• Original/creative flavours
• 100% nut free
• Available in Metro Vancouver
• Catering available
• Tues, Thurs, Sat Delivery
• Special delivery upon request

**Recommendations: Buffalo Wing ManCake & Breakfast ManCake

Birthday Cakes, Cupcakes, Mini Cupcakes, Angels Food Cakes, Devils Food Cakes, Fruitcakes, Ice Cream Cakes, Baby Cakes, Upside Down Cakes, Shortcakes, Rice Cakes, Nut Free Cakes, Gluten Free Cakes, Flourless Cakes, Egg Free Cakes, Dairy Free Cakes, Vegan Cakes and now ManCakes!

There seems to be a cake for every occasion and every freaking dietary need, and it’s about time we’ve had a ManCake! Traditionally, men are supposed to be the most simple, with few dietary concerns, so what the heck took so long to create a cupcake for them?

Okay wait, before I even get there I have to give the disclaimer that I know the owners and creators of ManCakes Bakery really well. Not only are Geoff and Jeremy good friends, but I was actually part of their focus group/test market when they were still developing recipes and debating on the name. Yup! I was a ManCakes Taste Tester not once, but twice! Actually three times! Jealous? Well just wait until you sample 12 cupcakes in one sitting… you might not be so jealous. But in small doses (maybe 3 at a time), yes be very jealous.

Anyways I actually believed in them so much (the product and the boys) that Sherman and I featured them as one of our selected 12 vendors for Vancouver’s Foodie Feast in March last year. I also listed their Buffalo Wing ManCake & Breakfast ManCake in my Top 15 Most Memorable/BEST Restaurant DESSERTS in Vancouver in my Follow Me Foodie Favourites, BEST of, Memories & Recap of 2011! That’s right! I got my hands on these boys, no I mean ManCakes before they got famous!

ManCakes Bakery specializes in cupcakes for men. So just when I thought cupcakes were so 5 years ago, they make a comeback! Personally I never thought they stopped being good, but they just stopped getting exciting.

Not only are these cupcakes new and improved, but they’re almost more fun. And I thought girls had all the fun? Well boys, this one’s for you! With very original and creative flavours (that are actually quite gourmet), sweet and savoury combinations, and good quality ingredients, this is a cupcake for men, by men, but equally as enjoyable for women. And ladies, or gentlemen, the hard part is getting HIM to share.

Okay, so heads up! They don’t really look like the professional pictures. I guess “too pretty to eat” doesn’t apply to a ManCake. They look kind of ugly and some of them contain alcohol while others show some meat. It’s like a mixed crowd at a nightclub, but whatever you choose, it won’t require your buddies approval because they’re more or less all delicious! It’s a cupcake that turned my “mmmm” to a grunt like Tim Allen’s on Home Improvement.

To be honest, the concept of cupcakes for men is not really new. Butch Bakery is probably most known for starting the trend in Manhattan, New York in 2008. But now it’s our turn Vancouver! And “may the better Man-Cake win!” 😉

Note: For the reasons stated in the intro, I’m not going to “rate” these cupcakes or go in my usual detail about them.

On the table:

 Night Pack/Day Pack

• Night Pack: Buffalo Wing, Breakfast, Rum & Coke, Whiskey Lime, Tequila Pineapple and Chocolate Red Wine $20
• Day Pack: Buffalo Wing, Breakfast, Pink Peppercorn, Apple Brie, Bacon Chili Chocolate, King Kong $20
• $6 shipping. Order 3 or more 6-packs and receive FREE shipping. See delivery locations here.
• Baked fresh daily upon order.
• I’m all for “pretty factor” and presentation. You know that “good from far, far from good” thing? Well in this case it’s more of a “taste better than it looks” thing.
• They have quite a bit of icing and I’m happy to say they actually taste like what they’re supposed to.
• They may sound unusual, but they are quite gourmet flavours and each recipe is created by a professional pastry chef.
• My favourite is the Buffalo Wing ManCake and the Breakfast ManCake, which are also the two signature flavours offered in both packs.

Buffalo Wing ManCake (Night Pack & Day Pack) – Spice base filled with tangy baked blue cheesecake mousse, topped with a hot sauce buttercream and crispy chicken sprinkles. Move over bacon and make room for crispy skin! The cupcake base is spiced and sweet, but it’s not spicy or too sweet and there’s good crispy texture from the crispy chicken skin sprinkles.

Breakfast ManCake (Night Pack & Day Pack) – Vanilla base filled with bacon and egg custard, topped with a maple syrup buttercream and crushed sweet granola tuile. This is definitely my other favourite. I don’t really need an excuse for having dessert for breakfast, but if you do, then here it is!

Rum & Coke ManCake (Night Pack) – Vanilla base filled with strong cola cream, topped with rum buttercream.

Whiskey Lime ManCake (Night Pack) – Spice base filled with whiskey ganache, topped with white chocolate lime icing and lime sugar.

Tequila Pineapple ManCake (Night Pack) – Spice base filled with pineapple cream, topped with tequila buttercream and roasted pineapple sprinkles.

Chocolate Red Wine ManCake (Night Pack) – Chocolate base filled with mascarpone mousse and red wine gelée, topped with vanilla buttercream and a dark chocolate disk.

King Kong ManCake (Day Pack) – Chocolate base filled with a banana cream, topped with marshmallow and chocolate shavings.

Bacon Chili Chocolate ManCake (Day Pack) – Chocolate base filled with ancho chili chocolate buttercream, topped with vanilla buttercream and crumbled bacon.

Apple Brie ManCake (Day Pack) – Spice base filled with a sweet apple cider jelly, topped with brie buttercream and pretzel brittle.

Pink Peppercorn Grapefruit ManCake (Day Pack) – Vanilla base filled with a blast of pink grapefruit, topped with vanilla buttercream, a french macaroon, and ground pink peppercorn. Definitely way too girly for a ManCake and this is the one that’s meant to be for “the girlfriend”. I actually really liked it, but then again I would.