Just Call Me Cupcake is a local company that makes the most amazing cupcakes this pugnacious vegetarian has ever put in her mouth.
Just Call Me Cupcake is a mother-daughter team comprised of sisters Sarah and Janna Belser-Ehrlich, with their mother, Ona Belser. These three gals are baking dynamos.
I try to hit Plattsburgh Farmers and Crafters Market every weekend if I can. On one Saturday during the 2010 season, I was walking through, my eyes fell upon some delicious looking, and as I was soon to find out, delicious tasting, cupcakes. Cupcakes! Cupcakes of all sizes! The first cupcake I had that day I think involved peanut butter, but I can’t remember. The thing that stood out most for me was the different sizes that I could buy at this booth. See, I don’t eat a lot of sweets. If anything I have a salt tooth, not a sweet tooth, so I really don’t like to eat normal sized cupcakes, because that is a little too much cupcake for me. But, Just Call Me Cupcake offers three different sizes: Cuties, Classics, and Colossals.
The Cuties are my favorite, because they are a bite sized cupcake, which is the perfect amount of cupcake for me. Also, because they are small, you can try a few different flavors Just Call Me Cupcake has to offer on market day.
The Classic size is a normal sized cupcake and the Colossal is a bigger sized cupcake. But really, no matter what the size, all of the cupcakes are delicious.
I found Just Call Me Cupcake’s facebook. page which enabled me to find out what flavors they were going to bring to the market that weekend. This was great, because I could plan on making a trip to the market to get my Cutie cupcake treat. It’s was really a nice ritual to end the work week, which for me, ends on Saturday and I am looking forward to picking this habit back up when the Market begins in the spring.
After eating many cupcakes, I finally got the courage up to talk to the gals who run Just Call Me Cupcake and I asked if I could interview them for the Pugnacious Vegetarian blog. They agreed and the following is an email interview I did with them.
What made you decide to start “Just Call Me Cupcake”?
Our idea for Just Call Me Cupcake stemmed from a long-time love of baking. After observing the cupcake trend in metropolitan cities we realized that Plattsburgh was sorely lacking this perfect-sized treat.
What is the story behind the name?
We brainstormed for a couple months, but had no luck until one day Ona was standing in the kitchen and the name came to her. There was no discussion, we all felt the name fit the business perfectly. Our friend, Kelly Chilton, designed the logo with our little cupcake girl.
What are your best sellers at the Market?
Our best-sellers at the Market this season were strawberry cupcakes made with local strawberries, cookies and cream, snickerdoodle, and triple chocolate brownie. We also found a lot of success with carrot cake and red velvet.
How long does it take to prepare the cupcakes for market?
The preparation for the market began while we were selling each weekend. We would decide together which four flavors we wanted to do for the following week. We tried to choose one new cupcake and three with which we were already familiar each week. The beginning of the week consists of testing recipes, and preparing the buttercreams and batters. The craziest day is Friday when we do the actual baking and frosting. We rarely do any baking prior to the day before the market to allow for the freshest cupcakes. Every week, our dining room table would be covered with hundreds of cupcakes.
Could you tell me the favorite flavors of cupcakes from everyone who is involved?
We all have our personal favorites that change week to week. Ona’s favorite is the vanilla latte cupcake, while Janna’s is cookie dough and Sarah’s is S’mores.
Now that the market is closed for the season, you will continue to take special orders. How much notice is needed for a special order?
Of course! We take orders at any time. We prefer about a week’s notice, but we are generally able to be flexible enough to fit everyone’s schedule.
Please check out Just Call Me Cupcake’s website or find them on Facebook.
Locals, if you are looking for the perfect dessert for your pot luck, get-together, dinner party, or book club meeting, contact Just Call Me Cupcake. Or, how about just treating yourself to a dozen of the best cupcakes ever? You won’t regret it! It’s important to note that they also make gluten free and vegan cupcakes too!
In case you were wondering, my favorite cupcakes Just Call Me Cupcake makes are the Mint Chocolate Chip and Strawberry Cuties. They are amazing!
Have a great night everyone and keep cooking!