If you're the type that likes to have their cake and eat it too, you'll be able to do just that when Tru Tru Cakes opens sometime this summer in Brickell. The brainchild of Bolivian-born, Miami-based sisters Alejandra and Daniela Calbimonte, Tru Tru Cakes will offer cupcakes, cakes, savory goods, fresh juices, and Intelligentsia Coffee.
"Our goal was to open a bakery along the lines of what you see in New York, Boston, and Chicago," which just so happens to be where coffee-roaster Intelligentsia is based. "We'll be the first purveyor in Miami, so we're very excited to introduce people to their product."
As for Tru Tru's product, it will be supplying everything for its sliver-of-a-glass-cube space at 909 Brickell Ave. And while the sisters don't have a formal culinary or baking background, they say Tru Tru stemmed from their great grandmother's recipes.
And they want to empower the community. "Our warehouse facility is located in Miami Gardens, where one in ten residents are currently out of work, so we're actively employing people and opportunities for local growth."
They've brought on the Mandarin Oriental's former assistant pastry chef Julian J. Belon to oversee all production, although many of the recipes are sticking true to their Bolivian roots. "Our main focus is quality of ingredients. My husband is celiac so it’s hard to find cakes he can eat." Thus, Tru Tru Cakes will bake up vegan and gluten-free treats upon request. Hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. "Everything will be produced the day of. Our bakers start at 4 a.m."
As for their saccharine offerings, expect copious amounts of cupcakes and mini cupcakes, cakes in a jar and cake bites, Tru Tru Cakes, as well as savory treats such as saltenas (a distant cousin to the empanada), pan de arroz, and cunapes (Bolivian yucca and cheese bread). "We feel Brickell is perfect for what we are trying to do and bring some of our stuff from back home that was missing.
"We're catering to young professionals who are health and ingredient-conscious, too." Which is why they're offering conscious bite-size cakes and cupcakes. As for the flavors of said cupcakes, think caramel, Key lime pie, Oreo, carrot, and red velvet among others. "They'll be served in shots. So if you want a key lime pie but don't want a whole slice of key lime pie you can get a shot of it."
As for the price, the sisters assure the range falls within "what's already offered in the market."
"The only difference is the quality of our product. We bring our chocolates from Belgium and vanilla beans from Tahiti, but the other thing is we're big into fresh and seasonal flavors for cupcakes so we'll be doing a lot of that."
In other words, it's all about real flavor, hence the name Tru Tru Cakes. "They're real cakes made out of real ingredients."
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