By Gabriel Rom
Queens residents can indulge their sweet tooth at a new cupcake shop in Glendale.
Brooklyn Cupcake celebrated the grand opening of its newest Queens location last week at the Shops at Atlas Park, located at 80-00 Cooper Ave.
The independently owned, family-run business was founded in Brooklyn, by sisters Carmen Rodriguez and Gina Madera and their cousin, Michele Caballero. After being laid off from her job during the recession in 2009, Rodriguez decided to turn her love of baking into her new career. Rodriguez’ family members donated funds to help launch Brooklyn Cupcake. She raised a total of $85,000 with $40,000 coming from Rodriguez’ mother. Brooklyn Cupcake’s flagship store opened shortly after.
In 2012, the Daily News named Brooklyn Cupcake one of the tastiest cupcakes in the New York. They were also named Brooklyn Small Business of the Year by Deputy Mayor Robert Steel and Small Business Services Commissioner Robert Walsh.
In 2013, Brooklyn Cupcake appeared on the hit Food Network show “Cupcake Wars,” in which the company competed for the chance to cater an exclusive cast-and-crew party celebrating the 10,000th episode of the soap opera “The Young and the Restless.”
“There could be a Brooklyn Cupcake in every state,” Rodriguez said on the show. “But I’m from Brooklyn and I become more resourceful under stress.”
The menu at Brooklyn Cupcake represents both the family’s Puerto Rican and Italian heritage and will feature most of the same flavors offered at their Brooklyn location. Guava con Queso is a guava paste baked into yellow cake topped with vanilla frosting and guava jelly and Flan de Queso is a vanilla cake stuffed with homemade flan and topped with their signature vanilla frosting.
More traditional offerings include Tiramisu, espresso and vanilla cake injected with marsala and coffee, topped with mascarpone whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa, and Red Velvet, a classic buttermilk cake with a hint of cocoa topped with traditional vanilla cream cheese frosting. One of the shop’s most popular flavors is Classic Vanilla, which has a signature frosting that can be adorned with sprinkles and M&M’s frosting available in colors.
In addition to its new Atlas Park location, Brooklyn Cupcake treats can be found at the flagship Williamsburg store, located at 335 Union Ave., as well as at Whole Foods Markets throughout the city.
Reach reporter Gabriel Rom by e-mail at grom@
