Love in a Cup Delicious, heavenly — and vegan — desserts WORDS BY AMANDA BURHOP | PHOTOS BY TODD COOPER Everyone — or at least almost everyone — loves a cupcake. They're adorable, playful, sweet and the perfect size. But for bakers, the cupcake biz can be a bittersweet labor of love. No one knows this better than Emily Downing-Moore and Thaddeus Moore. Emily Downing-Moore and Thaddeus Moore The Divine Cupcake founders devote about 25 hours a week to their recently opened 'cake business, and during festival time, that number goes way up. The two, each of whom already has a career, wanted a business they could run together. Moore owns Sprout City Studios, and Downing-Moore is a nurse midwife; they germinated the idea for The Divine Cupcake while vacationing in Hawaii. They considered a coffee shop, or a coffee shop with a music venue, but the idea of a cupcake business kept creeping into conversation. Not long after the vacation, their budding idea came into fruition. While their careers don't usually leave much together time, the couple now bonds over all things cupcake. Together, they conceive of ideas for their product, buy and choose ingredients — and do the work of baking. "Some people have kids; we have cupcakes," says Downing-Moore. The business name was going to be Simply Divine, but they decided that wouldn't suffice. The Divine Cupcake, on the other hand, says it all. The couple takes their baking seriously, striving for the highest standards in their ingredients and flavor. And if anyone has a complaint about a cupcake, they want to know about it. Both are big believers in using organic and local ingredients. The Divine Cupcake's website says, "Organic food is good food. Good to eat, good for the environment, good for the farmers and farm workers who produce it." Their cupcakes are not only organic but also vegan. The two experimented with a variety of products until they found what they believe is the best egg and dairy substitute. Both believe that no one would ever notice the difference. Now about those divine cupcakes: Flavors range from classic chocolate to chai latte, and they're always tossing new ideas around. According to Downing-Moore, the crowd favorite is chocolate, which falls close to perfection in my book. It's light, fluffy, not too sweet and seductively buttery — though of course it doesn't contain any actual butter. But the gourmet flavors really perk my interest. Thai Me Up is a peanut butter coconut cake filled with tamarind/lemongrass jelly, topped with coconut cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with mild chilies. "It's kind of a science," says Moore, who thinks in terms of portions, ingredient combinations and dueling flavors. But in the end, he says, "It's hard to mess up a cupcake." While they test most recipes on friends and family, there's one group that the couple is most concerned with: non-vegans. Because they don't use the eggs and dairy that are typically found in baked goods, Moore and Downing-Moore want to make sure their made-from-scratch desserts are approved by even the harshest of critics. And across the board, The Divine Cupcake gets two thumbs up. Whether it's the mother who wants a small, healthy treat for her child or the eco-conscious consumer who's trying to cut back on animal products, everyone can agree that these two take the (cup)cake. Divine Cupcakes can be found locally at Novella Café, The Kiva, Cozmic Pizza, Gary's Coffee, Island Juice, Midtown Marketplace, Milky Way Tea & Pastry, Café Perugino, Red Barn and SeQuential; special order large quantities at www.divinecupcake.com   PARADISE CITY CAFE | KEKAU CHOCOLATES | LESSER KNOWN FOOD CARTS | THE DEVINE CUPCAKE KOBE BURGERS | THE FORTUNE COOKIE CHRONICLES | BRENDAN MAHANEY | CHOW SHORTS | WORD IS …