Papa Ganache
“I know they won cupcake wars based on their crume brulee cupcake, but the Elvis was MAD GOOD.You have to try one (or a dozen)…”
“Everything in the shop is vegan, with a large selection of gluten free items in a separate case (makes it easy for us GF folks).”
“Creme brûlée: vanilla cake laced with custard filling and topped with vanilla frosting covered in a crunchy, caramelized, torched layer of sugar.”
Papa Ganache
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Totally random but fabulous little find on my last trip to NJ. Tried their two Cupcake Wars winning cupcakes (won April 2013) and 2 additional ones. Everything tasted really good and high quality ingredients were used. The frosting to cake ratio on some of the cupcakes is 3:1, others 0.5:1, but mostly 1:1.
The winning cupcakes:
1. Creme brûlée: vanilla cake laced with custard filling and topped with vanilla frosting covered in a crunchy, caramelized, torched layer of sugar.
2. Pretzel double chocolate: chocolate cake with a dense chocolate ganache studded with pretzels.
Other two:
3. Berry banana: mixed berry frosting on banana cake.
4. Elvis: peanut butter frosting studded with peanuts and chocolate dipped plantain chip on banana cake.
The winners were good but left something to be desired. Lack of freshness might be the cause. The creme brûlée was somewhat difficult to bite into through the hard crispy top and the cake itself could've used more custard because otherwise it's just a vanilla cake with vanilla icing covered in burnt sugar.
The pretzels were stale and that ruined the experience of the other one. The cake was generic and the ganache, while decadently rich and thick, seemed hard like it had recently been in the fridge aka not fresh. Pretzels had that post-fridge soggy/stale consistency too. Could've worked well if made fresh. Nothing mind blowing about the flavor profile however.
The peanut butter banana was yummy as you'd expect and even though I've had better, I don't have any negatives for this besides to say that the flavors didn't pack as much punch as they could have.
The most unique and memorable was the berry banana. The frosting was AMAZING to behold as well as to eat. Really a visual delight with a fluffy but slightly crunchy frosting due to the mixed berry seeds. The subtle berry flavor paired well with the banana cake of course. I think they should've won with this cupcake!
They had samples of cinnamon sugar dusted donuts (regular and gluten free) which are only made on weekends. They were good but not as soft and fluffy as I was hoping.
The employee helping me was very friendly, attentive, and helpful. The shop is tiny but does boast a few tables inside as well as outside the storefront.
I love little shops like this where you can tell from the thoughtfulness and creativity how much heart was put into the final product. These are not your generic grocery store cupcakes! High quality ingredients are used, the desserts are visually beautiful, and taste superb. All while being vegan and offering gluten free options. Just an FYI that they also serve a lot of other goodies too (cookies, coffee, savory food, etc) but why bother when there are so many varieties of cupcakes to try?!
Not 5 stars because the cupcakes are quite pricey while being relatively small (~$4) and they served me stale versions of their award winners. Not cool for the price I had to pay. Also, no signage exists in the cupcake display case so you have to ask the staff every detail about each cupcake's ingredients etc. which is a bit annoying and tough to remember when going through the entire case. Cupcakes themselves are very good (solid 4.5/5) if had fresh.
Papa Ganache offers a variety of desserts, but they're probably most well known for their vegan cupcakes. My boyfriend picked up six of their cupcakes, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed!
We tried the chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter banana, pretzel chocolate, rainbow cake, samoa, and creme brulée. All of the cupcakes had great presentation — the frosting designs were innovative and the various toppings added a lot in terms of visual eye candy.
As far as taste goes, their cakes tend to be a bit denser than other cupcakes I've tried–perhaps because of the vegan ingredients?– but that may also be because I ate the cupcakes a few hours after we bought them. They weren't overly sweet, and they all had some sort of filling related to the flavor (rainbow cake, for instance, had a fruit jam). My personal favorites were the creme brulée and the chocolate chip cookie dough (decorated as the Cookie Monster! adorbs).
They're definitely a great place to try the next time you have a hankering for some sweets. From what my boyfriend told me, the service was impeccable, and they even took the time to write the names of the cupcakes on the plastic container so we could tell them apart. As a final note, the cupcakes do keep for a few days in the fridge, but they definitely taste best when fresh. This is an occasion when it's totally okay to go for that second cupcake. Enjoy!
2 cupcakes are $7.50. Pricey but good. This cupcake place isn't anything spectacular or special compared to other ones we've been to, so we'll leave it at that with a solid 3 stars.
There's very few times in my life where I've been impressed with a bakery; cake is cake, amirite? Wrong. In a time when cupcake shops are opening up left and right, Papa Ganache sets the rest of them straight.
When you walk into the shop, you get that warm and cozy feel with a beautiful display case of so many delicious baked goods.
First off, they win on variety alone, there was so many different types of cupcakes; I seriously wanted to buy them all. They even had a Snozzberry cupcakes (and the snozzberries do taste like snozzberries).
After buying a half dozen cupcakes and a black & white cookie, I had to sit down and try one of these delicious looking treats immediately. After taking the first bite I felt like crying because it was sooo damn good; just perfect in all aspects. (I finished the other five in one sitting later that day, and there's no shame about that statement ;-P)
They also serve lunch with these amazing looking strombolis, but unfortunately it was a little too early for lunch. There's always next time!
Ohh, I forgot to mention one last thing. What makes this place even better is the fact that all of their food is cruelty free. That's right, it's vegan, as in "no animals were harmed in the making of this food."
Even though it's an hour away from me, I won't need an excuse for driving down this way. This is clearly a destination bakery!
*Shout out to my fellow vegan, bro Michael W. for giving me the heads up on this place!
Really delicious vegan and gluten free bakery. I was shocked to find it in this area, it looks like it was plucked up out of Brooklyn and dropped in suburban Jerz. We sampled mostly from the gluten free case including donuts, pumpkin loaf, and brownies. For the truly celiac like my sister it's not an option since the kitchen isn't truly gluten free, but for the more lax like myself it was a nice treat. Will definitely stop by when we're in the area.
I cant say one bad thing about this place I had a muffin and it was fabulous. The coffee was much better than I expected since most bakeries have great baked goods but horrible coffee. C'mon you guys know what I'm saying. I wasn't certain it was totally vegan and that's where they lost the 5th star from me but every bit tasty even from the meat eating butter glutton.
This bakery gives a point (or two) in the yes column of reasons to eat vegan. Home of over a dozen varieties of cupcakes, several flavors of biscotti, and possibly the best blueberry crumb muffin I've had in my life, Papa Ganache is a winner.
I sat enjoying my blueberry crumb muffin with a cup of coffee on a chilly Saturday afternoon. Neither bad weather nor off-hours deterred the steady flow of patrons, and I could understand why. The brew was strong and delicious, although remember that soy milk will be your add-in option vs dairy based milk (vegan – remember?). The small bistro tables inside and out were inviting and comfortable for people flying solo or in small groups. One larger table could probably fit 6-8 comfortably.
I'd like to order a cake from here in the future, and could see the fun of hosting a "cupcake wars" birthday party for little ones (or myself!) with one of the package deals. This is not the Italian bakery I normally lean toward, but with such fresh, well executed buns and cupcakes – I'm in!
Note to self – not all things vegan are necessarily low in calories. While soy and almond milk are great substitutes for dairy, shortening and oil are hearty replacements for eggs and butter. But I'm not at a bakery to be skinny!
Delicious gluten free and vegan goodies to satisfy your sweet tooth. Just be advised to those who have celiac the kitchen is not designated gluten free. I did eat here several times and never have gotten I'll.
They also have Mac and cheese if you are In need of some comfort food. Today I treated my myself to pumpkin cheesecake, pizza and delightful ice tea. Off my diet but wow was it worth it. The cheesecake was beyond fantastic! I liked the crunchy pizza crust and the vegan cheese was surprisingly tasty. What a treat for me and anyone else who is gluten free. This isn't my first visit to this wonderful place that is tucked away in Matawan. My family has also bought me goodies from here on special occasions. The tarts and cup cakes are so good. It's a cute little place that has some tables to sit and eat.