Kickass Cupcakes: No Fork Required

Photo courtesy of Kickass Cupcakes

It’s not uncommon to hear voices of seasoned cupcake patrons begin to plan their attack for which of the nearly 20 Kickass Cupcakes flavors they would try that day, whether or not they should buy one for their spouse, or whether or not they should take one for the road.

Fortunately for them, taking one for the road just got a lot easier than heading the whole way to Somerville.

The Kickass Cupcakes Food truck, a supplement to the Kickass Cupcakes store on Highland Avenue in Davis Square, is one of the 15 trucks that began hitting the road in Boston after Mayor Menino launched his “wicked good food” initiative last month. The truck has already gained quite a following — on its busiest days (which are usually when it is parked in front of the Boston Public Library on Boylston Street), the truck sells about 550 cupcakes.

That’s right. 550 cupcakes. That’s 100 pounds, $1650, and more calories than I’d care to count worth of cupcakes. And it’s not that I can’t see why — the chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting is absolutely delightful — but, dang, that’s a lot of cupcakes.

Sara Ross, owner of Kickass Cupcakes, attributes the volume of cupcakes sold on Boylston to the high amount of foot traffic in the area. Throughout the truck’s long 3-10 p.m. shift, it’s always busy, and sometimes refills of 100-200 cupcakes have had to been brought in when demand is especially high, according to Ross.

“Every week [the truck] gets busier and busier as more people are finding out about the food trucks and seeking them out … they are becoming destinations as well as attracting the passersby,” she says.

So what is it about seeing cupcakes while walking down the street is so irresistible to pedestrians?

Ross thinks it is because they are the perfect portable snack. “[Cupcakes are] an appealing impulse item, instant gratification in a small inexpensive package that’s easy to eat — no fork required as we say.” — Rebecca Klein

(For complete schedule, hours, and locations, visit kickasscupcakes.com.)