Downtown Gainesville is in for a sweet surprise with newly opened Sakara Sweets bringing their handcrafted cupcakes to the diverse downtown scene. Maybe there is something nostalgic about eating a treat as simple as a cupcake, but whatever it is, people can’t seem to get enough of the shop’s sugary sweets.
Previously known to the Gainesville community as Yum Cupcakery, Sarkara Sweets has mastered the art of flavor combinations. While the shop offers a variety of cleverly themed cupcakes just waiting to be chosen off the self-serve shelves by the cash register, the custom cupcake bar is where all the fun takes place.
Sakara’s unique ordering process is similar to a check box sushi menu, where customers can choose the type of cake, filling, frosting and toppings they want in their cupcake before seeing it made right in front of them.
Seems simple enough, right? Wrong.
When faced with an entire wall (that’s right, wall) of ingredient options, it’s hard to stick to your tried-and-true favorite flavor combination. Flavors for the cake itself range from caramel banana rum to confetti cake batter to strawberry and of course include the classics like red velvet, vanilla and chocolate.
While I had previously not thought filling to be a necessary component of a good cupcake, my opinion was forever changed after my first bite of Sakara’s blueberry filling from my Gator-themed cupcake. You can’t go wrong with any of the 16 decadent filling options. The flavor is just enough to balance with the rest, never overwhelming to the cake. Frostings range from classic to fruity to exotic, and you can finish your treat with over 47 different available toppings.
The custom bar is perfect for everyone from the adventurous to the vanilla-minded, and with so many choices, it’s hard to go wrong. Whether you’re craving chili chocolate or bacon bits, Sakara’s got it all.
They also offer vegan, gluten free, sugar free and raw cupcakes for diet-conscious customers.
The red and teal-themed sweets shop offers a comfy setting to end a first date or even as a starting point for a girls night out. Also worth checking out is the soon-to-be-opened champagne and wine bar. What’s classier than champagne and cupcakes?
Sakara Sweets
201 SE 2nd Ave., across from the Hippodrome
http://www.sakarasweets.com
HC Recommends: Vanilla Cupcake with Raspberry Filling and Key Lime Frosting, Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting and the Monday Monday Cupcake (topped with espresso beans)
DETAILS: Sakara’s is open Wednesday through and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; cupcakes start at $3.50 and additional toppings cost an average $0.50 more; street parking and the downtown parking garage are available.