Cocoa Van Cupcake Bakery

Still my place of choice for cupcakes, but I am disappointed they moved into the mall?! It isn’t convenient to go into Wolfchase just for a cupcake, like their other location. That is the main reason I haven’t visited since they moved their location. I wished they would have opened the 2^nd location in East Memphis or Midtown… Anyway the last 2 — 3 times I visited, my cupcakes were kind of dry (reason from my 1 star downgrade). I know they make small batches, so it shouldn’t be a freshness issue. Maybe they have altered cook times? I am not sure, but with the exception of Sharland Apple, the cake in my last few cupcakes have been dry. Still a beautiful shop and great quality products. They need to hurry and resume operations at their old location of Gtown Pkwy/​Trinity.

I went into their new Wolfchase Galleria location and decided to try a ganache me twice cupcake and ate it there on one of their cute little tables inside their shop. I was really good and I liked the fact that it didn’t have a giant mound of icing. There cupcakes land locally just under Muddy’s for me on my personal cupcake ratings, but they not as close to my home. But whenever I am at Wolfchase, I will definitely stop in a grab a cupcake or a few and try some of their other flavors.

The best cupcakes in Memphis in my opinion. Unique and great flavors. Great service. Some of my favorite flavors are Sharland Apple, Mama’s Sweet Potato Pie, Two Snaps Up and Key Lime.

These cupcakes are truly some of the best we’ve ever had! They have a wide variety of flavors with their coconut, key lime, and chocolate with vanilla buttercream being my favorites. They use the best ingredients and you can tell. The staff are professional, friendly, and welcoming. The presentation and packaging are beautiful. We will be back again and again!

Stopped by the new location at Wolfchase Galleria the other day and only by the greatest exertion of self-​control have I not gone back. Tried the Sweet Potato and the Cocoa — these are cupcakes to die for. The frosting, crumb, and presentation are all superb.
Now, if you want me to help you choose between Cocoa Van and Muddy’s, all I can suggest is: «Which is closer?»

Great unique selection. Great quality. Still muddys fan all day but these are on par. Not as moist though.

Absolutely love this cupcake shop. When you walk in, you’re immediately welcomed. The cupcakes are delicious! It’s not too sugary like most franchised cupcake places.
What really sets them apart from other places is their variety of flavors they have to offer! Every flavor I’ve tried has been great, but of course red velvet is my all time favorite.

I’ve eaten all of the cupcakes in Memphis. I love all of the local cupcakes places. I probably go to Muddy’s more than any other because they are close to my house. I have also been to Cupcake Wars winner Molly’s Cupcakes in Chicago. So my «cupcake palette» is experienced if nothing else. Given that, I can say *without a shadow of a doubt* that Cocoa Van Cupcakes are the best cupcakes in Memphis, and the best cupcakes that I have personally ever eaten. The red velvet is always a winner as is the apple one. No offense to Cordova — but Cocoa Van needs to be downtown or in midtown where the food mavens of Memphis eat on a regular basis. In the meantime, it’s worth the drive.

I just discovered this place. I really like it. The strawberry cupcake is amazing. I go in planning to get a couple and always end up buying a dozen. If you buy a dozen they give you a card for a free cupcake next visit. It he apple pie cupcake is on of the best things I have ever tasted. I am not a huge fan of their chocolate but the chocolate is good when mixed with the Carmel. But the chocolate with chocolate or chocolate with vanilla frosting just didn’t do it for me and chocolate is normally my favorite flavor. I can’t wait till I can try the campfire. It is a s’more cupcake.

I went to this place today and took home four cupcakes. I’ve tried one and the wife tried one. I gave her the cupcakes while she was at work as a cheer her up gesture. Obviously, it worked. She called and told me how good the coco van cupcake was. I figured it must be good if it’s named after the business. I tried the apple strudel, with that being said it was great! She went to the website and asked that we try more. I enjoyed the flavor and the artistry that went into it design. Giving my opinion, they are a little pricey at $ 2.35 a cupcake. Maybe that’s the going rate these days, but I believe it could be cheaper or offer a buy so many get one out of customer appreciation. They got my wife sold, so I give them four stars. I took one away cause of the price. Good local spot tho!!! I wish them all the luck!

Rating system:
5 stars — Must try. You’re really missing out if you don’t. I’m a regular here
4 stars — Highly recommended, but may have minor things that keep me from being a regular
3 stars — Good most of the time but not great. Will only eat here if I have a particular craving, or am unable to eat at my 4 or 5 star choices
2 stars — Do not really like it but will only eat here if I have to (e.g. forced by friends)
1 star — Avoid. Save your money, time, and stomach
I’m not much of a sweets person. In fact, I rarely go out and buy desserts and one container of ice cream may last me months. I do, however, enjoy tasty things, and if I’m going to pay money for something, I want it to taste good. Hence I began a journey to find the «best» cupcake in Memphis. After having made multiple visits (to give a fair shot) to Muddy’s, various Gigi’s, Frost, Yolo Bakes, and others that have escaped my mind, I have to say that Cocoa Van is my favorite cupcake bakery in Memphis (Cordova technically) and is a must try if you love cupcakes. A close second place is The Ladybugg Bakery & Café in Hernando, MS.
It seems that people are rabid fans of the other bakeries but have not given Cocoa Van a test. Without making a direct comparison to the other specific bakeries, I’ll just let you know why you should at least give Cocoa Van a visit.
They change their flavors daily but do have a regular set of staples in rotation. They are all good but my personal favorites are Red Vel, 2 Snaps Up, Sharland Apple, Carrot Cake, and Cookies & Milk. I think I have eaten the majority of their offerings. Cocoa Van’s cupcakes are a good size (hence good value for the money) and are usually moist. I say usually because every now and then I come across a slightly drier cupcake (but still good and still deserving of my 5 star rating), but since there are so many variables in baking, unless you load your cakes or cupcakes full of butter and have tight temperature control over everything, it is impossible to be 100% consistent (unless you have machines). From experience, the vanilla-​based cupcakes tend to have a drier crumb than the chocolate or fruit/​vegetable-​based cakes. Could just be higher fat content in chocolate or moisture from the fruit/​vegetable. But that’s probably why I tend to stay away from the vanilla-​based cakes. Although they are still tasty, just not moist enough for my standards when I can just eat one of my top 5 favorites there instead.
The two ingredients for a good cake or cupcake, are a moist, springy cake, and a good creamy topping. Cocoa Van has both. In my opinion, the other places only have one thing going for them and not the full package. Despite slight inconsistencies with the cake part (like I said, I prefer them moist but every now and then they will be slightly drier than usual), what keeps me coming for more, is their buttercream topping. If you’re going to have a cupcake, you need buttercream. Not icing. Not frosting. Not anything that is more sugar than fat. You. Need. Butter. Cocoa Van’s buttercream topping is creamy, not too sweet that you will get diabetes, and just the right amount for the cupcake. Their ganache toppings are ok, but their buttercream hands down is where it is at. Other bakeries should take note. It is not like buttercream is hard to make, but other places just simply do not have good cupcake toppings in my opinion.
This review is somewhat like a stream of consciousness with some editing thrown in. I know this doesn’t really go into detail about all the different flavors, but if I have to give a cliff’s notes, then it is «try one of my top 5 favorites and if you aren’t addicted yet, branch out and try the other flavors. If you still don’t like them, then at least you have given them a fair shot to earn your business». They are addictive and I always have to eat 2 – 3 cupcakes at a time. I know I said I’m not a sweets person but they are just that good.

The best cupcakes in Memphis! And always friendly service! What sets them apart are their unique flavors. My favorites are the Lemon Berry, Cocoa Mo, and strawberry! They have a mango one too that I’ve been dying to try. The flavors change daily but no matter what you get, it’s guaranteed to be delicious! =]

Was really craving cake and looked on Unilocal for what was nearby~ The name is was caught my eye at first along with the good reviews so I decided to make the trip.
My son picked out the Yellow cake & white frosting with sprinkles he enjoyed his, though being 5 years old his description is limited to: «Mmmm It’s so yummy». I went for the Foxy Brown which has a nice salty/​sweet (salted caramel & espresso) top paired with a moist, delicious chocolate cake. Though I have to say my Favorite was the Southern bell, it was like strawberry lemonade in cupcake form ! Nice and refreshing to eat in the summer.
The store was clean, the shelves were not loaded with cupcakes, this shows they make them as needed rather than make a bunch and put them out the next day. It’s clear that fresh, tasty products is the goal of this little shop. The décor of the store as well as the packaging was beautiful which was a nice bonus. Will be back again to try more flavors.

Their cupcakes are great. I go maybe once a week or at least once every 2 weeks. The Sharland Apple is the best. Their cupcakes are always fresh. They are the perfect size… not too big, not too small.

Okay, I thought that I would never find a cupcake as good as Muddy’s, but Cocoa Van is on the top shelf with them. Additionally, I like the packaging, customer service and elegance of the establishment. Furthermore, the extra attention to details with the garnishments gives them an additional plus.

I would never have seen nor heard of Cocoa Van if I wasn’t visiting another establishment, Churchill Studios, that is in the same complex. My daughter was with me, and, as it was next door, she begged to go inside «just to look». (Right, like I’m getting out of there without buying a cupcake?)
A «100» on their health inspection score tops my list of compliments. It’s one of the first things I look at in any restaurant. I loved the décor. Very clean lines… whoever did the decorating in the store gets an A in my book. The cupcakes were beautiful and, in my opinion, had just the right amount of frosting. My daughter chose some kind of chocolate/​caramel/​pecan concoction (typical) and I got the white cupcake with strawberry frosting.
Both were very moist and delicious. It’s a shame that they either have no signage on G’town Pkwy or, if they do, I didn’t notice it. If you’re in the area, though, and get a sudden urge for a cupcake fix; it’s in the shopping center on Trinity where the McAlister’s is.

It’s taken me a long time to write this review because I thought maybe if I sat on it for a bit I’d feel differently. I’ve sat on it for plenty long, and sadly I’m just not impressed with this cupcake joint.
The good– this place is adorable. It’s hidden in an odd strip mall on G’town Parkway next to Target and Walmart. There isn’t your typical, run of the mill bakery display case you’ll find elsewhere. Instead, there are cake plates with glass domes housing each of the flavors available for the day. I’m not sure if they have extra cupcakes hidden away in the back. If not, there isn’t a huge inventory on hand so make sure you call ahead if you want a larger order. Also take note that there’s one table inside the store front as it’s pretty tiny. So if you are looking to dine on your cupcake creations before leaving, you might have to fight for seating.
I’d been wanting to stop in for quite a while, but never had an excuse till my husband’s birthday. I made a special trip for these bad boys and had perused their online menu so I had some idea of what I wanted. Luckily, most of the flavors I was craving were available when I arrived. I got two coconut, two sweet potato, two chocolate something or other (seriously I have no idea what it was even after eating a bite) and two apple. I was so excited to try these that I almost dove in before reaching home. I managed to hold myself back and wait until my husband’s got home from work– I mean they were for his birthday and all.
That’s where it ended for me. it pains me to write this, really it does. I’m all for local and local bakeries are so up my alley. I was so underwhelmed by these cupcakes I don’t even know where to start. The frosting was so odd. It wasn’t like any butter cream I’d ever tasted and it was thicker than whipped cream. It had a sour taste to it– on every cupcake flavor I bought. It was very off putting. The cake portion of my cupcakes was just okay– nothing spectacular. I couldn’t taste the apple or sweet potato in any part of those cupcakes. The chocolate just had nuts and chocolate syrup drizzled on top. Basically, they all tasted exactly the same. My husband felt the same. Maybe we’ll be in the minority on this one, and I hope for Cocoa Van’s sake we are. I would love nothing more for them to be wildly successful. It should also be noted that the gal who waited on me was a doll. Very friendly– a sweetheart really– which makes this review taste even worse in my mouth as I write it. Why the three stars? Because if they could work the kinks out in those cupcakes this place could be spectacular– and I can’t bring myself to give them anything lower.

Cocoa Van has delicious and inventive cupcakes. We finished lunch and decided we needed some cupcakes. Cocoa Van in located on Trinity in same shopping center as McAlister and First Tennessee in Cordova.
I had a hard time deciding on my delicious cupcake. Pretty sure you can’t go wrong but picked PB&G and Sharland Apple. Both were fantastic but Peanut butter cupcake with chocolate ganache in middle was as good as it get.
My girlfriend and I are both loyal Muddy cupcake. She says she prefer Muddy’s. I do think Muddy’s has more moist cake but Cocoa Van is more inventive cupcake. Next cupcake craving, will I prefer the tried and true Muddy or more adventurous Cocoa Van? Hmm…

This newly opened bakery in Cordova has some of the best cupcakes in the city. They offer unique flavors: key lime, sweet potato, turtle and salted caramel as well as more traditional options: chocolate, vanilla and red velvet. Cocoa Van offers 7 – 10 flavors which change daily. Check their Facebook page for the daily list of flavors.
There is a 3 dozen walk-​in limit (anything more and you have to pre-​order), and if you pay by credit card, you have the option of having your receipt mailed to you.
They’re still working out how much stock to make everyday and have sold out before 6:30 on occasion. They will set cupcakes aside if you call ahead and ask nicely.