A&M: A cupcake haven!

By Cheranka Mendis

The cupcake craze that started somewhere in mid 2011 has still not subsided. The number of home bakers advertising the many flavours of cupcakes on Facebook has only increased and this lighter version of muffins with frosting has now become an everyday snack, a popular dessert at pot-luck parties, and even a substitute for birthday cake and wedding cake!

Moving beyond the usual chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, cupcakes have now evolved into many flavours, some with more kick than others.

While all these places need pre-ordering, unless you want to pick some up from widely-known coffee shops or a pastry/snack shops on the way, Colombo today has its very own cupcake shop offering fresh, soft and absolutely delicious cupcakes.

A&M Cupcakes – a tiny, pink and black outlet on Galle Road, right opposite Barefoot – serves some of the best of cupcakes in town, along with surprising delights like cake pops and Indian cookies.

The cupcakes at A&M are really quite delicious – and like its owners Mufaddal Yousufally and his wife want them to be, they are soft, light, and not too sweet. Having started only in October last year, A&M has risen to quick fame and has become a cupcake hotspot – so much so that the A&M crew is at the oven 24/7 baking around 250 to 300 cupcakes on a daily basis.

Plans to expand are already in the pipeline, with the opening of the shop with in-house dining options serving coffee and such beverages being considered. “We are working on a small scale now and can hardly cope with the demand,” Yousufally said. “But in another five months’ time we will expand and give our customers the opportunity of having a seat and enjoying cupcakes and coffee over conversation.”

Having started the store thanks to his wife’s passion for baking, A&M offers 13 varieties of cupcakes so far and has plans to add many more in the near future. “We have tried to create a cupcake which is light. A lot of cupcakes in Colombo are pretty heavy. You eat one and then you are full. What we want to promote is a meal with cupcakes.”

Towards this end, A&M has introduced a six pack and a 12 pack. The bundle packs are affordable and can be shared between two to four people, he said. “After all this is what people like now!” he added. From the original vanilla cupcakes topped with frosting and the fast-moving chocolate cupcakes, to Almond Rose – vanilla glazed and topped with roasted almonds, and Strawberry Dream – vanilla topped with strawberry cream, to Choco Addict – a gloriously chocolaty concoction of chocolate on chocolate, A&M is a cupcake addict’s haven.

The rich taste of creamy white chocolate cupcakes, orange (Tangy Orange), and espresso topped with sugar glaze (Coffee Burst) are also on offer. For those who love mint and chocolate chip induced goodies, there is the chocolate with mint frosting ‘Mint Condition,’ chocolate chip topped with rich chocolate ‘Choc Chip,’ and the ultimate chocolate chip with mint frosting and more chocolate chip ‘Mint Choc Chip’ – all of which must be sampled.

The Red Velvet cupcake is one that is fast growing in popularity, easily one of their best offerings.

“We make everything here in our in-house kitchen. This way it is fresh and we can cater to the demand.”

Asked which flavours move fastest Yousufally says: “For Sri Lankans chocolate is the best. That is what they pick most often. But for the foreigners and tourists, it is almost always the mint or the coffee.” Watch out for the fruity flavours A&M is currently experimenting with – lemon and passion fruit are some that seem to have come out just right, he said. More ‘nutty’ products with almond and cashew will also be out soon.

Having started serving brownies now, the target is to “work out the cupcake on the brownie,” he explained. “We are trying our best to incorporate the two. We will hopefully see very positive results soon.”

Yousufally added: “We are pretty new in this industry. There are lot of home bakers that are famous. We have tried to keep the quality level high. Our price range is affordable as well. We want even the lower-middle class to be able to afford a cupcake and enjoy it.” A&M is open Monday to Saturday and can be contacted on 0722 442244. They undertake orders and have started a delivery service within Colombo as well.

 Pix by Lasantha Kumara