Retro Bakery
Hop Scotch – Vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream dipped in butterscotch ganache
Red Carpet – Red cake topped with almond buttercream and red glitter sugar
Apple Cider – Cinnamon swirl cake topped with apple cider buttercream dusted with cinnamon and sugar
Glazed Donut – Vanilla cake drenched in donut glaze
Coffee and Donuts – Vanilla cake covered in donut glaze and topped with a dollop of coffee buttercream
Brownie Sundae – Chocolate chip brownie topped with vanilla buttercream and chocolate fudge
When a co-worker suggested she was looking for ‘fancy’ cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday that evening and a large gap opened in my midday schedule a plan was hatched to finally visit Centennial staple “Retro Bakery” – a dozen cupcakes for the party that evening and six to be saved for my Saturday dining, each of the $2.65 selections proving unique and impressive…and all at a price nearly half that of other local and national cupcakeries. Locally owned & operated by Kari and Brian Haskell for the past six years and turning out no less than a dozen varieties of cupcakes daily with fresh-bakes ongoing as dictated by need it was to smiling service and a mostly full selection that we arrived and choosing a wide variety each frosted gem was carefully packed into individually slotted boxes; the total tab under $50 even after putting a few bucks in the tip jar. Having heard that the birthday cakes were a resounding success and ensuring freshness by securing my picks airtight in the refrigerator overnight it was with half-cakes after a long morning run that my Saturday began and working from lightest to most dense each option shined, both donut varieties harkening the flavor of a good cake-style ring with light glaze while the signature Hop Scotch presented the same supple vanilla base beneath rich butterscotch brimming with caramelized notes of brown sugar. Moving next to bases with more heft, the Apple Cider was selected largely because the young lady at the counter described it as a “sort of coffee cake” and true to form, the dense crumb was rich with apples and cinnamon akin to the flavor of an apple fritter and duly appointed with sharply spiced butter cream, a truly unique option that would have been my favorite of the six had the last two not been equally excellent – a rich take on the red velvet replacing traditional cream cheese frosting with rich frangipane tinged buttercream and the “Friday Only” Brownie Sundae, more cupcake than brownie and rousing fond memories of my childhood when a warm pan of brownies frequently served as a indispensable wintertime dessert.
