A one-woman cupcake shop in Portland opened in May 2025 and sells only mini cupcakes. The flavors include both traditional and experimental options, all topped with silky buttercream. The cupcakes are secretly vegan, with no store or website messaging about vegan status. The baker avoids promoting vegan identity and instead lets the cupcakes speak to prevent bias from non-vegans. The mini cupcakes have a spongey base with controlled sweetness that balances the frosting. The buttercream closely replicates dairy depth of flavor, leaving non-vegans confused and impressed. The baker aims to appeal to omnivores as well as the loyal local vegan community.
"Located on Hawthorne between sandwich shop Devil's Dill and futbol bar Gol, Likely Ivy opened its doors in May 2025. The shop exclusively sells mini cupcakes, covering a range of traditional and experimental flavors and topped with a luscious, silky buttercream. But they're also secretly vegan. There are no signs in the store or on their website advertising their vegan status."
"I tried the cupcakes having no clue they were vegan, and even after learning they were, I was convinced this was a mistake. But no-everything in the case is indeed plant-based."I don't push or promote it," Ivy Nacol, a self-taught baker and chef explains, adding that she prefers to just let the cupcakes speak for themselves to avoid any bias from non-vegans."
"Appealing to omnivores is in Ivy's wheelhouse-prior to opening her cupcake shop, she worked as a private chef making vegan versions of dishes that her clients, who had gone vegan for health reasons, missed most. These skills are evident in her mini cupcakes, as the base cake is spongey but not crumbly, with just enough sweetness to counter the unclockable buttercream frosting on top."
"The frosting in particular is a real-life magic trick. As anyone who has looked for vegan dupes, especially for anything dairy-based, the quest can leave a trail of disappointments. However, Ivy's buttercream frosting so immaculately replicates that depth of flavor, non-vegans will come away confused and bewildered."
Read at Portland Mercury
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