(left) Livin it Up in the Keys, Sin Is In, and Lemon the Dream cupcakes at Not Your Grandma's Cupcakes in Broken Arrow, OK, Aug. 15, 2013. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World
It wasn’t exactly “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” but there was a fun, fairy tale kind of innocence about the place with its lime and pink walls, a clothes rack of children’s tutus, pink daisies in vases and a display case of colossally colorful cupcakes.
I was inside Not Your Grandma’s Cupcakes in Broken Arrow, a year-old business operated by Sheila Hulsman.
“I make the cupcakes and the tutus,” Hulsman said. “We’re doing OK. I have four employees, and we have some great regular customers.”
Hulsman has about 20 cupcakes in her repertoire and bakes and decorates about 10 each day to put in the display case and to deliver to catering jobs.
She has come up with whimsical names for each cupcake, such as Sin Is In, Lemon the Dream, Crimson and Cream (red velvet), Livin It Up in the Keys (Key lime with a slice of lime garnish), Cha Cha Cherry Cheesecake, It’s Hula Time (pineapple), Slow Poke (turtle cheesecake), 24 Carrot Baby (carrot cake) and Espresso Yourself.
We ordered four — Sin Is In, Cha Cha Cherry Cheesecake, Espresso Yourself and Slow Poke — for $10.50. They are $2.75 individually, $10.50 for a four-pack, $14 for a six-pack and $27 a dozen.
The frostings on all of the cupcakes had thick textures and rich flavors.
Sin Is In was all chocolate, starting with a chocolate fudge cake that was topped with chocolate glaze, chocolate fudge frosting and Twix crumbles. I scurried to the kitchen for some hot tea to balance the richness of this cupcake.
Slow Poke featured a chocolate fudge cake with a cream cheese filling, topped with a cream cheese icing, drizzled with caramel and chocolate and sprinkled with pecans.
Espresso Yourself had espresso mixed in with French vanilla cake, topped with cream cheese frosting, a caramel swirl and a Whopper.
Cha Cha Cherry Cheesecake had a cream cheese filling in a cheesecake cupcake and was topped with cream cheese icing and cherry pie filling.
Hulsman said she will be putting out three special cupcakes for the holidays — Don’t Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle (white cake with peppermint), Holiday Spice & Everything Nice (pumpkin cake) and The Eggnog (yellow cake with eggnog).
She said her most unusual cupcake probably is Bringing Home the Bacon.
“It’s a butter pecan cake topped with maple frosting and bacon crumbles,” Hulsman said. “It tastes like a pancake. Try it, and you’ll like it.”
She said she is going to have a contest to name her newest cupcake, one featuring salted caramel.
“I’m all named out,” she said. “I’ll have a contest to name it, and the winner will receive a dozen cupcakes.
“I’m also going to start doing a cupcake of the month so I can try out a lot of different ideas.”
Hulsman said she “never had been into cooking” but started bringing cupcakes to co-workers in the hotel industry, where she had a computer job.
“I started with chocolate, then started doing different things, and they went crazy over them,” she said. “Then I started taking some requests for parties from friends and family.
“After my position at the hotel was eliminated, people still kept calling me to make cupcakes. My husband said we should go ahead and find a place for a retail store.”
In addition to the store in Broken Arrow, Hulsman’s cupcakes can be found in Lolli & Pops candy store in Woodland Hills Mall, 71st Street and Memorial Drive.
Find this and other restaurant reviews and news at tulsaworld.com/food.
Not Your Grandma's Cupcakes
1810 S. Main St., Broken Arrow
918-251-7346
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; accepts MasterCard, Visa, Discover.
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