It feels a bit like in a fairy tale room – lots of pink, white and beige, from the upholstered armchairs to the pleated lamps to the wallpaper. A modern oil painting of King Ludwig hangs on the wall; tins with silver pearls and colored sprinkles are stored in a showcase. But the first thing you notice: It smells of cake. The name of the café at Viktualienmarkt says it all: “We make cupcakes”.
They already sound like sweet seduction: “Vanilla Cloud”, “Strawberry Kiss” or “Chocolate Decadence” for example. They also look like this: The cupcakes have a white cap sprinkled with coconut flakes, a rose-shaped cream or a chocolate topping. Twelve varieties are available on the rustic counter.
The large selection of cupcake creations makes the decision difficult.
Image: Catherina Hess / Catherina Hess
The café also makes cronuts, which is a mix of croissant and donut.
Image: Catherina Hess
There are also cake pops and macarons.
Image: Catherina Hess
Maria Tumini-Chroboczek is the manager of the café. Cupcakes were completely alien to her ten years ago. Born in Argentina, she worked in restaurants and made desserts. But in 2012 she fell in love with the small cakes: At that time, she started as a pastry chef in the cupcake café, which at that time was still on Utzschneiderstrasse. “I created new things, tried new tastes and designs,” she says, “I had found my dream job”. When the opportunity arose in 2017, she and her husband took over the café and moved to a larger store on Frauenstrasse in the heart of the city. It’s still very cozy there – there is only room for four tables. The highlight of the new location: the bakery is now integrated into the café. If you let your gaze wander over the cupcakes, you can see how they are made.
Owner and confectioner Maria Tumini Chroboczek comes with fresh cupcakes from the bakery.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
While pop music is playing from the speakers, there is sometimes a clink in the background, the mixer hums or the alarm clock beeps. Only an open curtain marks the transition from the café to the rear area with the bakery. There the guests can see how the four pastry chefs mix dough, roll out fondant or place sugar pearls on the cake. This is laborious manual work. Managing director and master confectioner Tumini-Chroboczek is thrilled that she can look into the café from the bakery. She says: “We see the joy when guests eat the cupcakes. That’s really nice!”
What is there?
Unusual and aesthetic delicacies are the hallmark of the café. If you want an individual cake, you can get one with a filigree decor, preferably three-tiered. The café also offers cake pops, macarons and cronuts – a mixture of croissant and donut. As the name suggests, the focus is of course on the cupcakes. They cost EUR 3.50 each, and there is also a vegan version.
Whatever works, is the “Cookies & Cream” variety: The fluffy frosting refreshes the juicy chocolate cake and the biscuit crumbs on top make it crisp when chewed. Seasonally, for example, there is the “Pumpkin Chai Latte”: the fluffy, mild batter with pumpkin puree is topped off with a creamy, sweet and spicy chai latte topping.
Who do you meet there?
Men usually only come to the “We make cupcakes” shop to bring their partners or daughters something sweet. The guests are mostly female and young. Many people take something with them instead of sitting down – then it doesn’t matter that there is only one public toilet on Viktualienmarkt. It gets crowded especially on weekends, so it’s worth reserving a table.
Freshly baked cupcakes | We make cupcakes, Frauenstraße 11, 80469 Munich, opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., [email protected]