I
didn't really believe it, at first. A vegan cupcake? Yet there they were, almost glistening in the rainy late morning
light. If any place is going to have a delicious vegan cupcake, I suppose, it would be here, in Portland,
Oregon, at this strangely gourmet cafeteria where everything is vegan. The space used to be a the lobby of a grand
downtown hotel, but now it's Veganopolis. I've tasted their almond pate, and
it was wonderful, so I dared to try the cupcake.
And, yes, it was lovely. I picked the cranberry orange variety 'cause the waitress got teary-eyed in her description. It was fruity, it was pleasingly sweet, the frosting (most importantly) tasted just like buttercream. I still haven't had a chance to call and ask what was in it - silken tofu, maybe, or (yikes) shortening perhaps. Either way, the huge mound of frosting was even more than I dreamed. Too much more, in fact; it was so rich I couldn't finish.
[Photo Sarah Gilbert]







