Batter Chatter: Interview with Emily of The Divine Cupcake
Friday, February 26, 2010 
What happens when a midwife and a sound engineer decide to open a cupcake business? No, it's not the plot line of the latest reality show (although perhaps it should be)--it's the story of The Divine Cupcake, a custom-order cupcake business in Eugene, Oregon which is upgrading to retail storefront set to open on March 5. Want to know more? Here's an interview with proprietress Emily Downing-Moore.
CakeSpy: You are also a midwife. Do you ever offer combo specials--say, delivery and a dozen cupcakes?
Emily Downing-Moore: I wish! Maybe if I was in a small private practice, but as of now I'm in a group practice, delivering around 50-60 babies a month between us, so that would be a lot of cupcakes to coordinate! A lot of our women are also loyal cupcake customers though!
CS: How does it feel to be making the jump from custom order bakery to retail storefront?
EDM: It feels awesome! It's been our dream since we started the business, and we are so excited that its grown to a point where we can make the leap. I'm most excited to be able to offer people a variety of flavors, because up to this point if you ordered from us it was one flavor per dozen.
CS: Are your offerings going to change at all with the transition?
EDM: Yes! We will be able to offer more variety of flavors and we will also be offering Organic espresso, teas and drinking chocolate. We have a huge list of cupcake flavors to start experimenting with now that we have a bigger kitchen! We will also be making specific tea-cupcake and coffee-cupcake menus so people can see what drinks go with specific flavors the best.
CS: Because it's the question that everyone asks me, I'm curious about your response: why cupcakes?
EDM: We get asked this all the time as well! We usually say why not?! Everybody loves cupcakes! We chose them because they are fun to make, and the creativity you can infuse into cupcakes is endless. They are the perfect size dessert, and there is no better feeling than seeing people's face light up with a huge smile when they seem them.
CS: What is the first cake you remember baking?
EDM: Chocolate, of course!
CS: If you had to pick a flavor that you'd say is "very Eugene"...which would it be?
EDM: I asked Eugene what flavor they thought was "very Eugene" and the list was hilarious. I actually meant what flavor off the menu but you should check out the facebook page for all the responses. Hilarious! From that list it looks like I need to make a blackberry & a hazelnut cupcake. If I had to pick one from the current menu, I'd say the Electric Pumpkin. The name catches the eye of everyone, and they always ask me what makes it "electric." You can decide on your own why I might say it's the most "Eugene", but really... there's only food ingredients in it!
CS: Can gluten free cupcakes really be delicious?
EDM: Yes! However, the texture will always be different from a wheat cupcake, so as long as you can eat it without the expectation of that being the same, the flavors are delicious. Lemon is my favorite!
CS: Any special events for opening day?
EDM: Free Cupcakes, Live Music & the Emerald City Roller Girls will be skating around the parking lot.
Want more? Luckily, The Divine Cupcake is all over the interwebz. Check them out on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and on their website. And if you're lucky enough to live in the Eugene area, hit 'em up starting on their opening day, March 5; the retail storefront is located at 1680 W. 11th Avenue in Eugene, OR.
batter chatter, cake interviews
Reader Comments (2)
These cupcakes are so yummy and made by sweet people to boot. Our craft show has been lucky enough to be sponsored by them for many seasons. We're so proud (and anxiously excited) of them opening their own storefront.
CUTE!
love that last photo with the squash on the of the cake stand, bursting with floral fun!