By Kathleen McAleese and Lauren Cullen
Staff Writers

The Sugar Cupcake Shoppe, located near the “four corners” on 110, is a sweet new treat for Westford. As business skyrockets, the shop has gained more and more popularity from locals.

“Business is unbelievable,” said the owner Kate Kelly.

Kelly and her baking assistant Andy were both up at 2:30 AM to start the day baking and get the shop open for 9:00 a.m. Recently, they have changed their week-day hours, so they will now be open at 11:00 a.m. and close at 5:30 p.m. The business does not have a kitchen on-site and all the baking is done in a rented Billerica kitchen. So in the afternoons, cupcakes are usually sold out.

The extreme popularity started for the Sugar Cupcake Shoppe when they were featured in the Westford Patch and an annual chocolate festival. The shop also has a Facebook page, on which Kelly posts daily flavors and opening times. Both social media and cupcake shows on television have all helped bring in customers.

Going into the opening of her shop, Kelly had minimal expectations. She knew, however, that she always wanted to own her own business. Prior to baking, Kelly had experience in finance, law, and then small culinary jobs at country clubs and restaurants.

Kelly said she came up with the name of Sugar Cupcake Shoppe herself.

“I knew I wanted a ‘u’ to be a cupcake,” she said. “I pondered about it for a while, and then it just came to me.”

Our first visit to Sugar Cupcake Shoppe was less than satisfactory. The vanilla-based cupcakes didn’t taste quite right, with a gummy texture.

“We’re still trying to get the vanilla recipe down,” said Andy. “We are playing with three recipes, still searching for the right one.”

However, the second trip over-compensated for the first batch blunder. The cupcakes were fantastic.

Our favorite cupcakes were the cream-filled chocolate cupcake, a chocolate based cake with vanilla cream in the middle, almost like a Hostess cake. It had a fluffy texture but remained moist. The sweet filling was just the right amount and the smooth chocolate ganache on top added a rich touch.

Another favorite was the S’mores cupcake, a graham cake with oozing chocolate in the middle and toasted marshmallow topping. Although the marshmallow topping was slightly gummy, the cake had excellent flavor and texture. The chocolate filling complemented, not overpowered, the delicately flavored cake. This cake was even better put into the microwave for fifteen seconds.

Other good ones included Apple Spice, Blueberry Crumb Cake, Concession Stand, and the Almond Joy cupcakes.

A sweet vanilla frosting with just the right amount of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top was found on the Apple Spice. The cake was spiced just enough and had sweet pieces of apple incorporated in the batter.

The Blueberry Crumb cake had a yummy vanilla butter cream with a delicate fluffy cake with fresh blueberries inside.

M&M’s and Snicker candy pieces were fun surprises in the Concession Stand cupcake. It was topped with a vanilla frosting and a Cracker Jack accent.

The Almond Joy cupcake was a fluffy chocolate cake with coconut in the batter. The cake was not overly sweet but still remained chocolatey. It had a vanilla frosting and almonds on top. This idea was both creative and yummy.

The shop carries the same basics everyday: vanilla chocolate, chocolate vanilla, peanut butter cup, mocha, chocolate squared, and vanilla squared. They also offer different intriguing flavors every day.

Although a little on the pricey side at $3.25 per cupcake or $34.00 for a dozen, these delicious cupcakes are worth every penny.

Overall, the experience was  positively delicious.