Carlisle Mosquito Dines Out: (Cup)Kéyks


Kéyks, a new cupcake bakery right around the corner from Agway in Chelmsford on Route 27, will win you over with its variety of cupcakes. The things are huge and totally sharable, and the pretty colors of the luscious frostings remind me of a Disney movie. The owner, Rowena Sy Santos, grew up baking in the Philippine Islands and her gifts are on full show here.

The Pink Lemonade is a tart, lemony white cake with a huge pompadour of pink frosting, perfectly sweet/tart and refreshing. Hot Fudge Sundae, with its layers of vanilla and chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and a cherry on top, is a perfect little rendition of the soda fountain treat made cake – kids will love this. Peach Cobbler is a light moist cake stuffed with fresh peach slices and a lovely puff of peachy frosting. Mocha is loaded with a deep espresso coffee flavor, and a sprinkle of chocolate chips takes the edge off without making it too sweet.

Mango Mousse, my favorite, was a light and airy cake loaded with mango’s distinctive flavor, and the mango whipped frosting, fantastic. Italian Crème, a denser white cake, has a dusting of walnuts and some coconut flakes for a kick. German Chocolate had the signature gooey coconut laden frosting I adored as a kid – sweet, toothsome, filling.

I was underwhelmed by the Red Velvet, and Purple Yam was essentially tasteless, but for you chocoholics, the Triple Chocolate is a heart pounding masterpiece: silken, moist, dense cake topped with a thick blanket of dark, semi sweet frosting that your mouth will not forget. Eating this cake was like sneezing – you can’t do it with your eyes open – but that makes sense – love should make you swoon. Rowena adds new cupcake varieties when the spirit moves her, which invites many visits to the shop.

Kéyks also bakes ensaymadas (a Philippine pastry), a brioche stuffed with bacon or cheese for the savory ones and fruit – mango in this case – for sweet ones. There are several choices that must change with the produce availability, but the bacon-filled one was a whole breakfast in a bun. The prices are reasonable – the cupcakes are $3.50 each and large enough for two. There are also some mini cakes for a buck for those of you trying to cut back, but remember one thing – these are not the times to stop yourself from pleasure.

Kéyks also does custom baking, so come for that 6th-grade bake-sale assignment and become a legend overnight.

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