Ciao Cupcakes

(back in late November) I rolled up to the North Park Farmer's Market to get my pumpkin hummus from one of the vendors there and to say hello to the folks at the Food Farm truck who are usually there, and lo and behold there is a mini green truck parked right next to them!

While the Recess truck is the largest truck in the city, the Ciao Cupcakes is easily the smallest! I knocked on the side and introduced myself to a lovely young lady named Misty who told me all about the cupcakes they make!

Having opened their truck in June of 2011, their vision was to create a place where while the eats were sweet, they were also healthy. There is absolutely nothing artificial in these cupcakes!
Misty told me that while their menu changes from week to week, they aren't ones for buying their products in bulk in advance. She jokingly admitted that hey do a lot of shopping just to keep things as fresh as possible. They don't even have time to refrigerate anything, they just make it and go!


To start off, I was given their version of a Red Velvet (you know I love them!) Since nothing artificial goes into them, Pomegranate juice was added to the batter to give the cake it's delicious dark red color. It was fluffy and light with a good Pom flavor. The icing was a whipped Marscapone cheese with pomegranate seeds on top. The Marscapone has a slightly sweet flavor of it's own so when paired up with the bittersweet of the pom, it was the perfect combination. This cupcake is a winner!

Next up, I was given their best of the season, the Pumpkin Spice with Ricotta and Walnuts. This cupcake was not only flavored with my favorite seasonal gourd, but hidden within strewn throughout like chocolate chips was bitty chunks of Ricotta. Every bite was full of flavor and texture and while I felt totally bad for eating 2 whole cupcakes, I took comfort in the knowledge that Ciao Cupcakes' creations have ABSOLUTELY NO TRANS FAT!!!!!

If I wasn't stuffed, I would have gone back for more. These cupcakes are seriously huge! No skimpy mini cakes for these gals!