Gallery and Press

Not to toot our own horn, but our Grand Opening was a smashing success.

NJMyWay likes cupcakes:

Another Jersey cupcake star is Sweet Avenue Bake Shop in Rutherford, where a neat website trick (www.sweetavenuebakeshop.com) lets you pass the mouse over each brightly photographed cupcake to get its name and resume. The S’more cupcake, the Root Beer Float, and the Pink Snowball all look fabulous.

Brides New Jersey (Spring 2008; print only) are just too kind:

If you like cupcakes, Sweet Avenue Bake Shop, a brand-new bakery in Rutherford, has your number. Started by husband-and-wife team Danielle and Jake Vance, Sweet Avenue offers more than 30 different flavors, from the traditional yellow-cake-and-chocolate-frosting combo to the "Fluffernutter" (vanilla cake topped with peanut butter and marshmallow frosting), to the "Sexy Sadie" (Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting).

New Jersey Bride thinks we're awesome:

If food allergies are a concern, look no further than Rutherford's Sweet Avenue Bake Shop (201-935-2253; sweetavenuebakeshop.com), which specializes in cupcakes, both traditional and dairy- and egg-free vegan versions.

Gourmet News wrote about us:

A husband-and-wife team opened Sweet Avenue Bake Shop here in August. While the shop offers traditional cupcakes, the house specialty is vegan cupcakes with no animal ingredients. For walk-in customers, the shop offers brewed coffee by the cup and soymilk alongside traditional dairy.With a strong focus on catering, Sweet Avenue creates custom-designed cupcake tiers for events ranging from baby and bridal showers to birthday parties.

The Star-Ledger included us in an article about cupcakes (and misspelled Jake's name):

In Rutherford last summer, the Sweet Avenue Bake Shop opened -- offering not just time-honored favorites but an assortment -- and a generous one at that -- of vegan cupcakes. Reviews so far have been more than favorable.

Amanda from The Aquarian wrote about us (paper edition only):

Somebody better tell the cake to step up its game because its one and only rival, the cupcake, is about to take over the world... It's such a cute shop--pink and girly and full of sugary, sweet treats!... This amazing little cupcake boutique is the newcomer to a block lined with history and sustenance... So don't be scared to step out of the box and go for a vegan treat--it's just as good (if not better, and better for you) as the traditional cupcake.

The New York Times did a Quick Bite on us:

Cupcakes are inherently cute, but at Sweet Avenue Bake Shop in Rutherford they’re also playful and sometimes even slightly psychedelic. Of the 30 types of cupcakes on the rotating menu at this funky shop, nearly two-thirds are strictly vegan, made without dairy products or eggs. (Anywhere from 10 to 18 flavors are available on a given day.) It’s nearly impossible to distinguish the vegan cupcakes from the others. They are all charming and artfully arranged on cake stands in the display case. A taste test won’t betray the difference, either... The vegan cupcakes are appealing even for those who eat dairy products.

Cupcakes Take The Cake interviewed Danielle:

Cupcakes are inherently cute, but at Sweet Avenue Bake Shop in Rutherford they’re also playful and sometimes even slightly psychedelic. Of the 30 types of cupcakes on the rotating menu at this funky shop, nearly two-thirds are strictly vegan, made without dairy products or eggs. (Anywhere from 10 to 18 flavors are available on a given day.) It’s nearly impossible to distinguish the vegan cupcakes from the others. They are all charming and artfully arranged on cake stands in the display case. A taste test won’t betray the difference, either... The vegan cupcakes are appealing even for those who eat dairy products.

Rosie's Food Bites posted a blurb about us:

Vegans can have their cake and eat it too as traditional and vegan cookies and cupcakes are featured at Sweet Avenue Bake Shop ( www.sweetavenuebakeshop.com) on Park Avenue in Rutherford. Try the simply delicious vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting or go the fancy route with a chocolate cupcake with marshmallow frosting topped with graham crackers and melted chocolate.

dB from FoodCandy sat down to interview Danielle:

dB: Cupcakes are taking on the cake! We noticed a trend of a traditional wedding cake being replaced by cupcakes. Is it a wise choice?

Danielle: It absolutely is! We love cupcakes-as-wedding-cakes here, and we love creating glamorous cupcake tiers. The thing that makes them so great is that everyone gets their own individual serving, and you can have TONS of different flavors in one tier, as opposed to 2 or 3 flavors in a traditional wedding cake. Plus, they can look every bit as grand as a tiered cake. You can see the latest example of one of our wedding tiers here..

The Bergen Record wrote an awesome article about us:

Look at the cupcakes side by side, and you'll never guess which are vegan. Taste them, and you'll still have trouble... At Sweet Avenue, vegan takes the shape of blueberry muffins, chocolate-chip cookies and cupcakes. Half the cupcakes and cookies and all the muffins are vegan... The Vances had a little fun with the menu, naming the cupcakes after enduring songs. There's the "Cherry Bomb" (chocolate or vanilla with chocolate icing and a maraschino cherry), the "White Room" (vanilla on vanilla), "Strawberry Fields" (vanilla with strawberry frosting and a halved berry) and even "Sexy Sadie" (a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting).

Mike from Leafygreen.info stopped by and said:

Sweet Avenue Bake Shop sells handmade delectable cupcakes, cookies and muffins and coffee too. They offer vegan and regular varieties. They have soy milk for you coffee and regular too. The friendly, inviting decor is covered in pink and brown, reminiscent of cupcakes and icing. Their website has some nice pictures... There’s always time to try the great food and the fun, cozy atmosphere. These handmade delights are baked right in the store, so it’s always fresh and that reflects in the taste!

PETA's Vegcooking.com interviewed Danielle and said:

Although Danielle has created a full line of vegan desserts, she is still known by family, friends, and customers as The Cupcake Queen. Danielle sees each mini-cake as "a little canvas." At a recent "cupcake meetup" in New York's Central Park, Danielle designed a series of New York City subway cupcakes that were decorated to match the red, blue, green, and yellow subway lines, featuring the subway lines' ubiquitous letters and numbers. Whether it's a dozen individually packed snickerdoodles or lemon-iced ginger cookies or a box of Dark Side of the Moon cupcakes, you can count on Danielle's vegan treats to be as tasty as they are compassionate to animals.

Bill Pitcher's Second Helpings blog said about our first week:

Sweet Avenue Bake Shop is open. And thriving, after its first few days. "It was a good first start," said Jake Vance, who owns the little Rutherford bakery with his wife, Danielle. The bakery features a healthy selection of both traditional and vegan cupcakes and cookies. Cookies can also be ordered online. Cupcakes can only be ordered for local delivery.