Catherine Forlasto, general manager of The Toasted Mallow Cupcakery, said both stores in Chandler and Gilbert sell upscale cupcakes and marshmallow treats.
(David Minton/Staff Photographer)
A Chandler cupcake store is changing its name, but not its focus.
Sweet Daddy Cupcakes is changing its name to have the same name as a sister dessert shop in Gilbert – The Toasted Mallow Cupcakery.
While the Gilbert location focuses primarily on marshmallow treats, the Chandler store still puts cupcakes first.
The Gilbert owner “said ‘let’s just have a bit more symmetry, and make people aware of the name,’” explained Catherine Forlasto, who manages both locations.
She said the owner of both locations for the past six years has been slowly adding a few marshmallow treats to Chandler, such as homemade marshmallow flow and milkshakes with toasted marshmallow.
But, the stores remain different.
The Chandler location has a huge selection of cupcakes that are made from scratch. The most popular are chocolate.
“There are times I want to rename the place Toasted Mallow Chocolate Cupcakery or something, because people are just, ‘Oh, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate,’” Forlasto said. “But we have so many other amazing flavors. There’s banana, there’s strawberry. We change it up, so in the summer we have lemon.”
In addition to regular-size cupcakes, the bakery also sells cake bites.
Some cupcakes currently being offered include banana foster, red velvet, carrot cake, strawberry cream and cookie butter. And of course, triple chocolate.
There is also a Happy Camper, which has toasted marshmallow fluff on top of a chocolate cake. Individual cupcakes are about $4 each. Customers can order a mix of six cupcakes for around $24, or a dozen for $47.
The Gilbert location does have some cupcakes, but mainly focuses on the marshmallow treats, such as the Brookie, which has a layer of homemade vanilla bean marshmallow fluff between two fudge brownies.
“[Gilbert] has maybe 10 versus our 16 to 18,” Forlasto said of the types of cupcakes offered at both shops. “That’s why my boss is like, ‘OK, we really need to get our name out there, Toasted Mallow Cupcakery,’ and hopefully there’s a little bit more understanding what’s a cupcakery.”
Forlasto said her locations offer upscale cupcakes that customers can’t find at their favorite grocery stores.
“When you look at the cupcakes that you’ll get at Walmart, or Fry’s, they all look the same, just different sprinkles,” she said. “When you look at our case, they all look a little different.”
She said the bakery also will try to meet special requests if someone brings in a photo of one they’d like to have made.
“There’ve been a few different things that they want that are like a 3D image,” Forlasto said.
Regardless, she added, “Everything is buttercream and we do everything by hand.”
With the Chandler location at Arizona and Pecos near downtown now under the Toasted Mallow name, Forlasto said the owner is open to expansion.
“That would be amazing. We just need to find the right location,” she said. “And people need to come visit us. Shop local!”