Are you aware that if you live anywhere in the U.S., you can now have a box of four gooey vegan cinnamon rolls delivered to your door? Not only that, but the cinnamon rolls come with a variety of delicious flavor options. It’s a mind-blowing concept, I know. I’ll let you sit and salivate with that knowledge for a moment.
I’d been staking out Cinnaholic for quite some time. I began plotting my visit when the Bay Area foodie world was whipped into a sugary frenzy with the announcement of an all-vegan gourmet cinnamon roll shop in Berkeley earlier this summer. Baker Shannon Michelle Radke and her animal rights activist/manager husband Florian Radke created the business model together — to create sweet cinnamon rolls minus any animal products — and the blogs were rolling.
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When the shop opened, with much fanfare on July 17, stories started making the rounds of lines snaking down the block. Once customers got inside, every imaginable flavor and topping was available for their cinnamon roll needs.
They boast frosting options like butterscotch, root beer, and at least 10 types of fruit flavors. At the brick-and-mortar shop there are also toppings such as blackberries, chocolate sauce, pomegranate seeds, and shredded coconut. And then they have “specialty rolls” like chocolate chip cookie dough, oreo explosion, or s’mores.
Late last month the store confirmed that it would now be shipping its wondrous treats. No longer would Cinnaholic be solely for the Bay Area and surrounding regions. I decided the best way for me to test out the rolls for a nation of sweet-toothed vegans was to try their new mailing system. Do as the non-locals would do.
I ordered four rolls with four delicious-sounding frosting flavors — apple, pumpkin spice, coffee, and just to make sure I got the authentic experience, traditional (“old skool”). The shipments include just rolls and frostings; the toppings are available only on-site because most are perishable. They do, however, suggest adding your own ideas to the mix.
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Purchased online Sunday evening, my box of rolls was sent out Monday and arrived in my office by Wednesday.
A long tan arm slung over the top territorially, I guarded the boxed treats on my lap during the endless bus ride home. Once safely nestled in my Alamo Square apartment, I popped the rolls in the oven for 3 to 5 anxious minutes and spent the wait-time mixing the frostings. Fresh from the oven, the rolls smelled amazing. Doughy and large with dark swirls of cinnamon, they crowded the pan space. It was time to decorate with frostings.
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I enjoyed generous, crumbly pieces from all the rolls, sharing with my non-vegan friends and gauging their responses to each. Despite the lack of eggs and butter, my group of taste-testers and I unanimously agreed on our flavor preferences.
Pumpkin spice and original were tops, both had just the right amount of flavor and old-fashioned, conventional cinnamon roll goodness. Pumpkin was spiced right with warm hints of Fall. The original flavor brought a nostalgic sense of those crisp mornings I spent B.V. (before vegan) with a paper cone of bite-sized cinnamon rolls from the old Cinnabon around the corner from my high school.
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The apple frosting, however, tasted like lotion – overly tart and a tad artificial, as though it had been smeared from a jar of scented cream. But this was the only, quite minor, disappointment I had with the entire Cinnaholic experience. The coffee-flavored topping was deep brown and rich. As promised, the frosting held that undeniably addictive caffeinated taste.
It was an exciting experience for a former cinnamon roll addict, and one I am eager to try again. But next time, I’ll have to try a few more flavors and perhaps, stop in the store so I can test the toppings. Excuse me while I drool some more, I can’t stop this cinnamon swirl lust.
