Frequently
Asked
Questions
1) Is your kitchen a dedicated gluten free facility?
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My home kitchen is not a dedicated GF facility, as my partner is not gluten free - there are some processed or premade foods containing gluten in our home. However, it's been over 3 years since any baking was done with gluten, and most of my pans & tools have only been used for GF baking. I do not use ingredients if they mention being processed in shared facilities or shared equipment with gluten. I take precautions to avoid trace and cross contact - but I understand that this may not suffice for everyone!
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2) I want to order an item but it may contain an ingredient I can't have. Can you help me with that?
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Please contact me and let me know what item you'd like to order, and what ingredient(s) you need to avoid. Some items can easily be adapted to avoid using certain ingredients (but this may involve an increase in the fee), other ingredients/allergens are more challenging and I may not have perfected a substitute yet. I'm happy to go over options with you!
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Please also read FAQ #4 with regard to allergens in my kitchen
3) Do you do weddings?
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Yes, we do! However, we're generally best for smaller weddings of under 30 people (including the wedding party). Please see our Weddings page for more information.
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4) Is your kitchen an allergen free facility?
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My home kitchen is not a dedicated allergen free facility. My fridge and pantry contain common food allergens. While I take precautions to avoid trace and cross contact, this may not be sufficient for those with severe allergies. I make options for those with mild to moderate sensitivities and dietary restrictions that are by choice; if you have a severe/life threatening allergy to an ingredient I use, please do not purchase baked goods from me.
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5) Do your baked goods need to be refrigerated?
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Nope! In fact, as a CFO (Cottage Foods Operation), I am only allowed to sell goods that do not require refrigeration, and are “shelf stable” for a few days.
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That said, gluten free goods tend to get stale or dry out faster than gluten filled foods - so if you don’t plan on eating all of the goods you’ve ordered within a few days time, you may want to put them in the freezer to keep longer. Please note that most baked goods will actually dry out faster in the fridge, so freezing (in an airtight container) is a better way to save them for later.
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6) I'd love to get something that isn't on your menu - will you be adding more items?
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Yes! I definitely want to expand the list of offerings, and will be adding more to the menu as I test out and perfect other recipes. Contact me with your ideas and requests - I’d love to know what the community is craving!
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7) What type of frosting is used on the cupcakes and cakes?
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Most of my frostings are made using a Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe. At room temp, the frosting is fluffy and soft, a bit like a whipped cream. It has a light sweetness to it. If put in the fridge or freezer, the frosting becomes firm.
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Swiss Meringue Buttercream frostings are very different from American Buttercream frostings. American Buttercream frostings are primarily made using butter and powdered sugar in very large quantities. Swiss Meringue Buttercreams use egg whites or meringue powder along with melted cane sugar to form a whipped meringue, and then butter is added to it. The resulting frosting is lighter and softer than an American Buttercream, with a light sweetness.
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I use meringue powder instead of fresh egg whites in the frostings, as that keeps them shelf stable so they do not have to be refrigerated.
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My vegan cupcakes are either made with a vegan swiss meringue buttercream (using aquafaba instead of eggs), or with an american buttercream (using vegan butter, organic powdered sugar, and other ingredients for flavoring).
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Vegan whoopie pies are usually made with an American Buttercream filling.
8) Can you ship items to me, or deliver locally?
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At this time, I'm unable to offer shipping. All orders are for local pickup only, at my home in Santa Cruz near Capitola.
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For weddings, we may be able to offer delivery for an additional fee.
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9) What does "allergen friendly" mean?
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My allergen friendly items are made without the top 9 major food allergens (gluten/wheat, dairy/milk, eggs, soy, sesame, nuts, peanuts, fish, or shellfish). As my home is not an allergen free facility (see FAQ #4), I can not guarantee any items to be allergen free, as there is a potential risk of cross contact.
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10) How do I place an order?
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Please visit my Special Orders page for details on how to place an order!
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Once an order inquiry form is filled out, I will follow up with you via email to ensure everything is in writing and to keep track of all order details in one place.
While you are welcome to contact me with questions on Instagram, please know that I will ask to move the conversation over to email if you decide to move forward with an order.
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11) Do you have any low carb or keto items?
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Most of my menu items are neither low carb nor keto, but I do have a few keto options, and I hope to eventually work on developing more keto/low carb options for those who need or prefer to have a reduced sugar intake. As I work on experimenting with keto options, I'll be relying on taste tester feedback. If you'd like to be a keto taste tester, please Contact Me!
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Keto options (under 10 net carbs per serving) will likely contain eggs, dairy, coconut, and may contain nuts (almond flour is very commonly used in keto recipes, but I am also looking at nut free alternatives, such as tigernut flour and sunflower seed flour). I will mainly be using Allulose to sweeten keto items, as it is excreted rather than metabolized, so it does not impact blood sugar or insulin levels.
Future low carb options (10-20 net carbs per serving) might use allulose and/or natural sweeteners that have a lower glycemic index, such as coconut sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar, and date sugar.
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12) Is everything you make vegan?
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Everything I make is gluten free. Many of my items can easily be made dairy free, but I do not yet have a vegan option available for everything. I do have a number of vegan options (on my Menu, be sure to check out the Amazing Allergen Friendly section and the Vegan Options section, as both of those categories are suitable for vegans), and I'm actively working on expanding my vegan offerings.
At pop up markets, I try to make sure that most of the items I bring are dairy free, many are vegan, and a few are completely allergen friendly.
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13) Are your baked goods organic?
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I use some organic ingredients (for example, I only use organic sugars to ensure they are vegan), but many of the other ingredients I use are not organic.
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Gluten free ingredients are more expensive than conventional ingredients, which often results in gf items being priced significantly higher than their conventional counterparts. I do my best to minimize this "gf tax" to keep my pricing closer aligned to other non gf bakeries. But in order to do this, I often don't purchase organic ingredients as those also cost more than conventional.
I absolutely use organic ingredients any time the difference in cost is negligible!
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14) What types of sweeteners do you use?
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I mostly use organic cane sugar, organic brown sugar, and organic powdered sugar. While I understand there are many people who prefer to use alternative/unrefined sweeteners (such as coconut sugar, maple syrup, date sugar, etc), those sweeteners are much more expensive, and to keep my prices reasonable, I opt to use organic refined sugars.​
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I do have a few keto items that use allulose instead of conventional sugar. Eventually I hope to have more keto or low carb options on my menu, but I'll need to do more experimenting first. As I work on experimenting with keto options, I'll be relying on taste tester feedback. If you'd like to be a keto taste tester, please Contact Me!
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