By Keshia McEntire
If you ever catch a sweet tooth in the Broad Ripple area, consider visiting Smallcakes, a cupcake and ice cream shop that bakes and decorates all 18 of their signature flavors every morning, from scratch.
I first stumbled upon Smallcakes while looking for a treat for a family members 13th birthday party. I ended up dropping in while the neighborhood was experiencing a power blackout due to wind (oops!). The owner and employees were extremely kind to my husband and I, even while dealing with a lack of power in their shop. The cupcake shop had a trendy, industrial vibe balanced by joyfully, bright colors. The friendly employees made me feel right at home.
I am very picky when it comes to cake. As such, I typically prefer mine to be homemade, still warm from the oven and with a glaze of cream cheese frosting slowly melting on top of it. The cupcakes at Smallcakes were on par with anything I’ve ever made at home, making me reconsider my preferences. I especially enjoyed their icing, which was sweet without being overly surgery, and was distributed with the perfect cupcake to icing ratio. Even flavors that I typically avoid, such as chocolate cake, seemed to melt on top of my tongue.
What’s most impressive is the gluten and dairy free cupcakes, which my husband grabbed to treat his mother who is gluten and dairy intolerant. She couldn’t stop talking about the GF cupcake, saying that most GF cupcakes taste grainy, like cornbread, but these were exceptions to the rule.
Today, I stopped by again to experience the shop with full power. I had a chance to talk to the owner, Aaron Evans, about what inspired him to open his shop in Broad Ripple.
Evans first visited Small Cakes with his wife on their honeymoon, and the pair feel in love with the shop. When the couple moved to Indy, they decided to open franchises locations. Two and a half years ago they opened a Smallcakes location in Greenwood, which has been extremely successful. The Broad Ripple location is the pairs first expansion to Indy, but they hope to open more locations in the future.
He says the most popular cupcake flavors are chocolate almond cake, lemon drop cake and red velvet cake. The wedding cake flavor is another favorite. I personally tried the salted caramel cupcake and the cake batter ice cream, which were equally delicious.
The shop offers a variety of homemade ice cream flavors in addition to the cupcakes. If you can’t decided between cake and ice cream, try the “Smallcakes Smash” which is ice cream topped with a cupcake. They even have pupcakes for dogs, so none of your family members need be left out. The majority of items range from $3.50 to $5.
Visit Smallcakes at 930 Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220, and find them online at facebook.com/smallcakesbroadripple.
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