Both alike in nature, for they are vegan. Now, before you go running off screaming “But I love and adore my butter!” hear me out: for I am about to tell you a story of two vegan cupcakes where you won’t even miss the butter-on-egg action. To begin our tale we start at the beginning: for each cupcake is born to a very different set of bakers on opposite poles of the Nation. One, in Orlando, FL, boasts a small, independently owned bakery with 100% naturally derived vegan and gluten free sweet treats sure to satisfy even the pickiest of hipsters. The other, a small start up chain in Detroit, MI, is famed for their success and enjoyed by thousands including Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay and Michigan’s former Governor Jennifer Granholm. They started their bakery with an array of sugary, butter, and egg filled options, and recently expanded their menu to serve up some the best vegan cupcakes in the north. Neither of these cupcakeries bake your mom’s average batch of Pillsbury Cupcakes: both bakeries start from scratch, bake with love, and are on my “must-indulge” list whenever I find myself traveling on I-75, headed either above or below the Mason/Dixon Line.

We’ll start in the south, where the Raphsodic Cooperative Company in Orlando is serving up Vegan and Gluten-free options by the dozen.

Every time I go and visit they always have something new to try: from their gluten-free scones to their new vegan mini pies, I wish I could leave with everything in the store. Usually, as predictable as I am, my choice comes down to the tried and true: gluten free vegan cupcakes. And if you’re even the slightest bit curious and want to try one, Raphsodic Bakery is the place to do it. With over 15 original flavors to chose from that rotate based on the season, and change daily, you will never have a problem filling up a box. On a recent trip I indulged in 4 (yes 4!) Cupcakes including: Double Pumpkin (top right), Apple spice (top-left), Chocolate Ganache Pumpkin (bottom-right), and Blueberry Pancake Espresso (bottom-left).

All four cupcakes were baked perfectly achieving a wonderful flavor and a melt in your mouth sweetness – trust me, you won’t even miss the butter, if you can even tell that it’s gone! (And especially not when a cupcake offers a kick of espresso! This may be the first cupcake on Earth I wish I was enjoying during breakfast with a cup of coffee… [insert caffeine addiction here])

The Raphsodic Cooperative Company is located at 710 North Mills Ave, Orlando. Please visit their website at: http://www.raphsodic.com/index2.php#/home/. Open Monday through Thursday from 11am-7pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am-8pm, be sure to stop in; with their eclectic flair and unique café atmosphere you might just want to hang out a while. (Plus, all their baked goods are just begging to eaten with fork off a plate and at a table….) And, in lieu of a coffee or baked good (though how could you resist?), you can always indulge in a fresh brewed tea: Fairytale is my personal favorite. I think it’s quite sweet without sugar; though I have been told I only believe this because I hail from the north.

Which brings me up I-75 where, eventually, (after a 22ish hour drive…) you’ll find the The Cupcake Station: a small chain with several locations throughout metro Detroit. Though sweet tea may not be on tap here, you will find many other ways in which to indulge your sweet tooth. Beginning in 2006, The Cupcake Station was the first Cupcake shoppe in Metro Detroit and they now boast four locations: Birmingham, Ann Arbor, Ferndale, and Plymouth.

These guys bake up 24 delicious flavors a day, featuring a new flavor every month, and even beckoning their fans to submit flavor suggestions. This is how they began serving up their Vablous Vanilla Vegan and Vabulous Chocolate Vegan cupcakes, topped with vegan buttercream frosting – of course!

Perhaps vegan cupcakes don’t suit your palette? (because, let’s face it, I’m the only one crazy enough to be a on vegan baked good kick…) Don’t worry! Don’t Panic! Cupcake Station has you covered. This month you can also indulge in their Mystery Bump-a-lious flavor of the month (I heard there’s chocolate involved but it’s a mystery- shhhh… don’t tell!). Or maybe indulge in their Sweetie Pie flavor for December: Mom’s sweet potato pie cake, filled with marshmallow butter cream, frosted with brown sugar butter cream, and topped with a brown sugar crumble. YUM! Want more yummy flavors? Be sure to check out their website at: http://www.cupcakestation.com/featured_new.asp#thumb