Sprinkles Cupcakes

Last updated
Sprinkles Cupcakes
Company type Private
IndustryBakery
Founded2005 in Beverly Hills, CA, United States
Founders Candace Nelson, Charles Nelson
Headquarters,
United States
ProductsCupcakes
Cakes
Cookies
Chocolates
Website sprinkles.com

Sprinkles Cupcakes is a bakery chain established in 2005. It is considered the world's first cupcake bakery. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History

Sprinkles makes real celebrations taste better with premium, baked-fresh daily cupcakes, cakes, chocolates, cookies and more. Since 2005, Sprinkles has innovated their way to an ever growing, loyal fan base for their unexpected flavors, on-demand Cupcake ATMs, convenient online ordering and steadily expanding footprint of design forward bakeries coast to coast.

Today, the brand proudly leverages its platform to support the empowerment of women and continuously put their guests first.

In 2002, Candace Nelson and her husband Charles Nelson, both investment bankers, [4] visited Candace's sister in New York and tried the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. Candace decided that it was "time for cupcakes to stop being the backup dancer to cakes." [5] Having started a custom cake business after attending Tante Marie's Pastry Program in San Francisco, she set her sights on cupcakes. "I was taking orders for special occasion cakes which I came to realize are, by definition, reserved for special, infrequent occasions," she said. "I wanted to create an artful and handcrafted dessert, yet one which people could eat on a daily basis...which led me to reinvent and elevate the lowly cupcake." [6] [7]

Although starting a cupcake bakery was a "high-risk venture" [1] and the bakery business was in a four-year no carb decline, [8] the Nelsons pursued their dream. Their "sleek, minimalistic" store was designed by an architect from Vienna [9] and the logo and packaging were created by a former Martha Stewart employee with design help from graphic designers Kevin Hagen and David Irvin. [9] On April 13, 2005, [9] the Nelsons opened Sprinkles' first store on Little Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills. On the first day, the cupcakes sold out in three hours, [9] and 2,000 cupcakes were sold the first week. [4]

Candace is described as taking a "sophisticated" twist on the classic cupcake, using ingredients like sweet cream butter, pure Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, Callebaut chocolate, fresh bananas and carrots, real strawberries, and natural citrus zests. [10] She also creates products such as vegan and gluten-free cupcakes [11] and even cupcakes with dog-friendly ingredients. [12] The cupcakes are baked fresh daily and are free from preservatives, trans fats, and artificial flavors. [13]

In 2018, Sprinkles began offering layer cakes in varying flavors.

Locations

Sprinkles has 25 locations throughout the United States (Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Georgetown, The Grove, Downtown Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Houston, La Jolla, New York City, Palo Alto, Scottsdale, Las Vegas, Tampa, San Ramon, and Newport Beach), [14] with plans to open in 15 more cities including London and Tokyo. [9] The Nelsons also started a traveling "Sprinklesmobile", a Mercedes Sprinter van designed by Sprinkles architect Andrea Lenardin and built by "Pimp My Ride's" West Coast Customs. [15] In February 2011 Sprinkles released an iPhone app that features free cupcakes and virtual gifting. [16]

Sprinkles Cupcakes opened its first New York City store on May 13, 2011. [17] In late 2016, a location opened in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. [18]

Cupcake ATM

Sprinkles Cupcake ATM in Las Vegas, Nevada Cupcake ATM - Sprinkles Las Vegas Strip (22475703785).jpg
Sprinkles Cupcake ATM in Las Vegas, Nevada

On March 6, 2012, Sprinkles Cupcakes opened the world's first Cupcake ATM in Beverly Hills. The second opened a few months later in Chicago. A third is at the company's bakery in Dallas, and the fourth outside the Lexington Avenue branch in New York City. The Cupcake ATMs dispense cupcakes and doggie cupcakes (pupcakes) 24 hours a day and are continuously restocked with freshly baked cupcakes. Each can hold up to 600 cupcakes at a time. [19] Sprinkles currently has 30 ATMs located in areas such as malls and airports.

Ordering Cupcakes

There are 3 ways to order based on your zip code – 1. Local Bakery Pickup, 2. Local Bakery Delivery, or 3. Nationwide Shipping. Orders can be placed via website, Sprinkles App, by phone, or in-bakery. Via website, Sprinkles offers local and national shipping. Sprinkles LOCAL is the fastest way to order cupcakes, cookies, and brownies for pick-up or delivery from any of the local bakeries. Sprinkles NATIONAL is perfect for sending orders to addresses outside of the local bakery delivery radius. They ship to all U.S. states excluding Alaska and Hawaii.

Sprinkles Chocolates

Sprinkles has launched a new line of premium chocolates inspired by some of their iconic cupcake flavors. New Chocolate Bars and Mini Chocolates are now available at all bakeries. The chocolates are also currently sold in Walmart and Targets across the country. Chocolate bars are made with real chocolate from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. They are offered in four flavors including Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, Sprinkle, and Milk Chocolate. The Sprinkles Mini Chocolate Bites include Red Velvet and Salted Caramel. Embossed with the Sprinkles logo and its signature modern dot, the chocolate bars and the minis make for easy snacking and sharing.

Sprinkles Ice Cream

On May 24, 2012, Sprinkles expanded its dessert brand with the opening of Sprinkles Ice Cream next door to its cupcake bakery in Beverly Hills, and later in 2013, in Newport Beach's Corona del Mar Plaza and in Dallas in The Plaza at Preston Center. Ice cream is no longer available on the menu except at the Disney Springs location. However, they do offer other delicious treats in addition to cupcakes like freshly baked cookies, brownies, layer cakes and chocolates.

Celebrity endorsements

Sprinkles has gained many celebrity endorsements. [20] [21] Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, Tyra Banks, Katie Holmes, Paris Hilton, [22] Blake Lively, Ryan Seacrest, Tom Cruise, [23] and Jake Gyllenhaal are among its customers. [24]

Barbra Streisand was one of Sprinkles' first customers and introduced Oprah Winfrey to the brand by sending her a box of cupcakes. Only eight months after opening Sprinkles, Charles and Candace received a call from Harpo Studios that Oprah needed 300 cupcakes for her studio audience in Chicago the next morning for Breakfast with Oprah, wherein she showcases her favorite delicacies. The couple managed to catch an overnight flight, and the cupcakes were featured on Oprah's show. Soon after, sales in their Beverly Hills location increased 50%, to 1,500 cupcakes daily. [25]

Sprinkles has also appeared on The Today Show and Nightline , [26] as well as Entourage [21] and The Girls Next Door . [1]

Sprinkles played a role in Tom Cruise's courtship of Katie Holmes. [1] At Christmas in 2007, the Cruises sent out boxes of holiday-themed Sprinkles cupcakes to friends and associates. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookie</span> Small, flat and sweetened baked food

A cookie or biscuit is a baked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat, and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, or nuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dessert</span> Sweet course that concludes a meal

Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create desserts. In some parts of the world there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cake</span> Flour-based baked sweet

Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate and which share features with desserts such as pastries, meringues, custards, and pies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Icing (food)</span> Food producing method

Icing, or frosting, is a sweet, often creamy glaze made of sugar with a liquid, such as water or milk, that is often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, cream cheese, or flavorings. It is used to coat or decorate baked goods, such as cakes. When it is used between layers of cake it is known as a filling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprinkles</span> Tiny multi-colored candy topping

Sprinkles are small pieces of confectionery used as an often colorful decoration or to add texture to desserts such as brownies, cupcakes, doughnuts or ice cream. The tiny candies are produced in a variety of colors and are generally used as a topping or a decorative element. The Dictionary of American Regional English defines them as "tiny balls or rod-shaped bits of candy used as a topping for ice-cream, cakes and other."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupcake</span> Small single-serving cake, often frosted

A cupcake, fairy cake (BrE), or bun (IrE) is a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations such as fruit and candy may be applied.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entenmann's</span> American baked goods manufacturer

Entenmann's is an American company that manufactures baked goods and delivers them throughout the United States to supermarkets and other retailers for public sales. Often, they are known to have display cases at the end of store aisles. The company offers dessert, cup, loaf, and crumb cakes, and donuts, cookies, pies, cereal bars, muffins, Danish pastries, and among other baked goods, buns. In the past several years, they have added designer coffee flavors along with scented candles to their product line in an effort to broaden its appeal.

Almond bark is a chocolate-like confection made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter and with coloring and flavors added. It can be bought in packages, blocks, or round discs where candy and baking supplies are sold. The confection is commonly used to cover or dip fruits, caramel, oats, granola, nuts, cookies, or crackers, in place of real chocolate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepperidge Farm</span> American commercial bakery

Pepperidge Farm Incorporated is an American commercial bakery founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's 123-acre farm property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which had been named for the pepperidge tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Grahams</span> Snack brand owned by Mondelez

Teddy Grahams are bear-shaped graham cracker snacks created by Nabisco. Introduced in 1988, Teddy Grahams come in two distinct shapes: bear with arms up and legs closed, and bears with legs open and arms down. When first introduced, Teddy Grahams were available in honey, cinnamon, and chocolate flavors. Since then, they have added chocolatey chip as one of the four main varieties. They also had vanilla, banana, birthday cake, mixed berry, strawberry banana, and apple flavors but they have been discontinued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow cookie</span> Italian-American cookie

Rainbow cookie or rainbow cake usually refers to a three-layered almond-flavored Italian-American cookie, but can also refer to any of a number of rainbow-colored confections.

<i>Mamón</i> Traditional Filipino chiffon or sponge cakes

Mamón are traditional Filipino chiffon or sponge cakes, typically baked in distinctive cupcake-like molds. In the Visayas regions, mamón are also known as torta mamón or torta. Variants of mamón include the larger loaf-like version called taisan, the rolled version called pianono, and ladyfingers known as broas. Mamón also has two very different variants that use mostly the same ingredients, the cookie-like mamón tostado and the steamed puto mamón.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cake balls</span> Piece of cake coated with chocolate or frosting

Cake balls are small spheres of reconstituted cake crumbs, coated with chocolate or frosting. They are made by blending cake crumbs with icing, shaping them to form a ball and then dipping them in a coating, such as melted chocolate. Cake balls were originally created from the crumbs of leftover or stale cake to prevent waste.

<i>Cupcake Wars</i> 2009 American TV series or program

Cupcake Wars is an American reality competition series that premiered on December 27, 2009, on cable television network Food Network. The show, which is based on creating unique and professional-style cupcakes, was hosted by Justin Willman and later by Jonathan Bennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candace Nelson</span> Pastry chef

Candace Nelson is an Indonesian-born American pastry chef and judge on the television series Cupcake Wars and Sugar Rush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostess CupCake</span> American snack cake brand

Hostess CupCake is an American brand of snack cake produced and distributed by Hostess Brands and currently owned by The J.M. Smucker Company. Its most common form is a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and vanilla creme filling, with seven distinctive white squiggles across the top. However, other flavors have been available at times. It has been claimed to be the first commercially produced cupcake and has become an iconic American brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dozen Bake Shop</span> Restaurant in the United States

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