Go Now: Cake Crumbs Gets a Facelift

If there’s one block in Denver that captures the Mile High City’s laid-back, albeit eclectic style, it has to be Park Hill’s Kearney Street between 22nd and 23rd avenues. In this stretch there’s a gymnastic studio, a gourmet restaurant, a pet store, and an outdoor gear emporium. Oh, and a cupcake shop: The venerable Cake Crumbs.

For people living in the neighborhood, this bakery has long been the go-to spot for sugar rushes. But the ever-popular space suffered from a seating shortage, which meant I got my lunch or breakfast order—and my cupcakes—to go.

That is, until recently. When I stopped by last week for a croissant, the place was transformed. Comfy booths lined one wall, a large community table was just waiting for a multi-generational family to break bread, and smaller tables were filled with laptops and Chicco car seats. The walls were freshly painted with sea foam green accents and the menu was written on black chalkboards. The counter had been moved to the side, allowing people to order in one area and eat in another. It was, well, sophisticated. This wasn’t Cake Crumbs. I must have look bewildered, because the person behind the counter approached me and in soothing tones explained that they had done a little renovation.

There’s nothing small about Cake Crumbs transformation, though. Last week, I spoke with owner and operator Denon Moore about the changes. “We did it in four days,” Moore says. “I felt like I was on a TV show.” Recently, Cake Crumbs moved most of its production to another Park Hill location (it also has a facility in Colorado Springs), which left room in the Kearney Street spot for more seating—and more food options. Cake Crumbs now offers a waffle menu with a bakery twist that boasts flavors like apple strudel and maple bacon (a play on its popular maple-bacon cupcake). For lunch, Moore is launching a slider menu (curry chicken salad, hot pulled pork, and a vegetarian option) with house-made rolls. Of course, Cake Crumbs will still sell cupcakes, but look for new sweets, like a $4.50 cake-by-the-slice option (think: toasted coconut supreme).

The treats will keep me coming back, but the new seating area is what has me most excited. There are four comfy chairs that just might become my office-away-from-the-office. That’s exactly the reaction Moore was hoping for. “When we moved to Park Hill, we went from something very small to a much larger space,” Moore says. “I didn’t change the layout. I didn’t change the color. We made it happen for the sake of money and time. This time I wanted to make it right. I wanted our neighborhood to feel like they had a place to chill.”

Bonus: Looking for cupcakes? Stop by after 11 a.m., which is Moore’s deadline for switching out breakfast goodies for frosted treats.

2216 Kearney St., 303-861-4912

Follow senior editor/digital editor Natasha Gardner on Twitter at @natashajgardner or on Pinterest.

THIS STORY WAS PART OF 5280’s 20 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS!