Small Kitchen, Big Love

After a morning of baking, Jessica Spritzer answers the phone in a sweet, bubbly tone amidst chatter and white noise. I immediately envision her scurrying around a lively bakery, whipping perfect butter-creams and whisking eggs and sugar.

It turns out this is not exactly the case -- Spritzer runs a cupcake bakery out of her very own kitchen. “I’ve been baking since I was a child," she says. "I’ve always liked to experiment in the kitchen.” And she’s usually not whisking eggs with her sugar – Spritzer’s bakery, The Cupcake Tree, specializes in vegan cupcakes.

Taking example from her mother’s baking, Spritzer’s artistic and curious nature led her to do some experimenting on her own. “[There were] lots of mistakes along the way, but that’s how you learn,” says Spritzer.

After Spritzer graduated with a degree in liberal arts, she began working with special needs children, but soon felt like she needed another creative outlet. “I love lots of different things in life, and I don’t see why I can’t try them all,” she explains.

Baking had always been her passion, but now she was beginning to see it as more of an opportunity. “I always have fun baking and do it for all my friends’ birthdays, and I just thought, why not make a living out of it.”

After just two years of business, The Cupcake Tree has developed a loyal clientele and scrumptious repertoire. This is all thanks to the woman behind the cupcakes and her friendly, eager-to-please persona. “Absolutely, whatever anybody asks for, I’ll probably make it,” says Spritzer. Often, she gets special requests for sugar free, fat free, and other less-than-generic baked goods, and is always willing to take on the challenge. “I want to be able to let everybody have great desserts.”

As it turns out, even vegan cupcakes can taste great! “I think that’s a common misconception,” says Spritzer. “The taste is very similar [to non-vegan], but the texture changes.”

Maybe that’s because vegan cupcakes have just as much sugar and fat as regular cupcakes. “I don’t think vegan is necessarily equal to healthier living,” Spritzer points out.

But, no matter the health factor, Spritzer gives vegans the opportunity to indulge in sugary delights.

Spritzer has catered several events such as birthday parties, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and even a couple of weddings. “I have a couple more [weddings] coming up and I would really like to do more of those because it’s really fun to go over the top and do the super fancy decorations!” she adds.

To place an order, you can contact Spritzer personally or taste her cupcakes at various trade shows and markets across Toronto. “I like to do trade shows every now and then. It’s just nice to meet so many customers,” she says.

Next up on the roster is the Vegetarian Food Festival, held at Harbourfront in Toronto. “I’ve done that for the past two years. It’s a huge weekend for me.” But she loves that it allows her customers to “try lots of little things” instead of one larger order.

If you’re looking for vegan or special request cakes and cupcakes that are cute as a puppy dog (literally…she can make you a puppy dog out of icing), then Spritzer’s your gal.

Out of her small kitchen come desserts with lots of love.

To make an order, visit www.thecupcaketree.ca.