Passions Pastries

Seriously, if I could give NO STARS I would!!!
I first learned about this establishment from The Taste of Soul. At the bite of their sweet potato cupcake I instantly fell in love. I took the business card they gave me because I wanted to share this with my friends and family. At the time I lived in San Diego and one of my friends wanted the cupcakes for a wedding tasting. I drove from San Diego to Studio City in hopes of purchasing some of her delicious cupcakes.
If I remember correctly the card stated a opening store date, I came a few weeks after the opening date. Once I arrived, I noticed there was no establishment. It was not open yet. There wasn’t even a sign on the building. Can you say false advertisement!!! I called the number on the card and the «owner» informed me that they would not be open for a few more weeks. I was extremely upset however, I calmly explained to her that I had driven extremely far for these cupcakes… she offered me a 0.25 cent discount on each cupcake!!! WTF!!! Can you say INSULT!!! After I drove all this way to an establishment that isn’t open after they advertised that they would be open only to find out that I will be compensated so little for the inconvenience???
The crazy part about it is these cupcakes would have been for a celebrity wedding tasting. However, because of the horrible customer service I would never recommend them to my clients.
Thereafter, once the owner got her act together and opened up the store, I visited the establishment purchasing cupcakes many times, specifically, the sweet potato cupcakes! Yes! You’d think after all the BS the owner has taken me through I’d never return but the sweet potato cupcakes are THAT good!
Yesterday I called to order cupcakes for Father’s Day. I was informed that the establishment was Closed. NOT A SURPRISE considering their ««outstanding» customer service! I asked the owner what I’d have to do to purchase a half a dozen of sweet potato JUMBO cupcakes and that iIwas willing to meet her anywhere. (This is how bad I wanted them for my Father!!!) Guess what the owner said after I asked to order the cupcakes? «THAT’S NOT EVEN WORTH TURNING MY STOVE ON!» Are you KIDDING ME? This is the exact reason this store is out of business because of their horrible customer service!!! They cannot recognize a loyal customer! After following this establishment for the past THREE years this is how they treat me? They don’t even realize that customers are their bread and butter to a successful business and this is the exact reason their closed.
In short they now only take orders over $ 50 and they charge $ 20 for delivery! Ridiculous!
I am now a new loyal customer to Cake Man RON!!! Food Network Cake Boss Winner! His prices are extremely reasonable compared to other MONEY HUNGRY Bakery’s! I called him this past Friday (after being insulted multiple times over the phone by Passion’s Pastries) I ordered One Dozen Sweet Potato Cupcakes at a total of $ 23.50 and he made them same day and they where ready for pick up a few hours thereafter! Cake Man Ron also has amazing customer service and is willing to meet his customers wherever! I was sure to tip him a healthy amount for delivering quality cupcakes at last minutes notice!
Moral of the story CUSTOMER SERVICE is EVERYTHING!!!

werekrjweoinovhiowiejrlek

My favorite cupcakes ever! They are just the right amount of sweet. The sweet potato is the best but every single one I’ve had has been really good. I highly recommend this place.

The cupcakes were pretty dry and expensive at $ 3.50 for a regular-​sized one. Only thing memorable was the sweet potato cupcake, which the lady was so kind to frost and sell to me, even though they weren’t fully ready to be displayed yet.

I popped in to this cute little bakery in Sherman Oaks recently and while it was pretty late in the evening, they still had a few options to choose from. Not too many because the day was almost over but what they had was to die for!!! I got a half dozen of the mini cupcakes (sweet potato, strawberry balsamic reduction and red velvet). They were all soooo good!!!
The place is super cute, the owner was super sweet and the cupcakes are delish! What more can you ask for?!

Passions Pastries is an adorable, family owned business with plenty of charm.
I ordered the Snow Angel, which was INCREDIBLE and also ordered a Vegan Sweet Potato cupcake, for my brother who does not eat anything with dairy (Have not had) (Any place that serves GF or Vegan already rates highly in my book)
I will definitely be going back again, especially to try the Seafood Gumbo on Friday and Saturdays.

I really, really wanted to like this place. The lady who helped me was SO friendly and even threw in a free cupcake because it was my first time. I love cupcakes and was excited to find a new place. Honestly, they were the worst cupcakes that I have ever had. Every flavor that I tried had a strong liqueur flavor. I was not a fan. They were also a bit dry. The frosting was the only redeeming part.

I love this place!
Darlene made my wedding cake and it was beautiful and delicious! I swear people were eating the crumbs!
We also had cupcakes to accompany the cake which were just as good as the cake!

Came in and tried the only four minis that weren’t doused in crayons food coloring: strawberry balsamic, ebony, red velvet and sweet potato. All were hits except the ebony was a little too bitter of a chocolate for me. The sweet potato and strawberry were definitely the two favorites. I never had a sweet potato cupcake before, so it was a very nice surprise and the strawberry had a true berry flavor to it– also very light and moist. I will definitely return for those two!

Cupcakes were pretty moist, but the store owner did wrong by randomly throwing on an extra $.25 than what was on the menu for the German chocolate cupcake mini. She said, «cause you know, the ingredients cost more for German chocolate.» Are you kidding me?! Like an extra quarter is worth a lifetime customer. You’ve got your business model backwards.
They have a tiny display case area if you can even call it that with barely any options to choose from. :/​Thank God the cupcakes weren’t dry or I would’ve been doubly pissed.

A friendly little place that has the ubiquitous cupcake. These are excellent, perfectly moist with good flavor. I’m not big on cupcakes, but this place has a super variety and the two I had were very well executed. I can’t wait to eat my way through the bunch!
I actually went to experience their gumbo. I get tired of driving from the Valley all the way to Marina del Rey on Friday afternoons just to get gumbo at Uncle Darrow’s on Lincoln (the best gumbo in the city). Well, Passions Pastries gives um a run for their money. An almost perfect savory gumbo, complete with shrimp, crab, chicken and sausage. Very very close to the quality of Uncle Darrows’. VERY close. And actually you get a much more generous portion. So I don’t know if I’ll be driving over that hill any more (90 minute round trips, ugh). Passions does it right on the gumbo and has earned my business!
Ever though they are a cake place and not officially a Creole eatery, I would have like some french bread toasted with butter to complete the culinary experience. And a Diet Coke. They had neither. Hence only 4 starts.

We stumbled on this place by accident because we needed to get something for a brunch date. Boy were we surprised. It doesn’t look like anything special but I was completely blown away on how good these are. The flavors are legit. My fave is the white angel and the carrot. Well, they were all very good. They all made me happy.
Come on down and enjoy this place and you will not be disappointed.

I’ve been here a couple times, and I’ve tried about four different cupcakes.
The service is good, they have always been nice. And they don’t seem to busy.
The things I didn’t like, is that I’ve been here during the middle of the day. And they always have a small selection. I like having my options.
For some reason, I didn’t like the cupcakes here. First time I came in I got different chocolate ones. It was kinda bitter. Came back a second time and tried red velvet and a vanilla one. And still felt like I had better. I might try one last time if I’m the area, to see if they might change my mind.

Found this small mom and pop type bakery on Unilocal when I was looking for gluten-​free cupcakes nearby and I am so glad I did! Cupcakes are fresh baked on site and DE-​lish! I hate overly sugary frostings and this place hits the spot. Creamy delicious frosting and moist cakes to go with it. I have yet to try the gluten free I bought (I had the mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Tango and loved every second of it). I’ll be back to review the gluten free once I eat it (tonight!). Other flavors: Strawberry Balsamic, Chocolate, Vanilla, Lemon Drop, Red Velvet and Sweet Potato (the Chocolate, Vanilla, and Sweet Potato were all available in GF). They also have cakes and take custom orders just a few days in advance.
Just didn’t want to write a review about the pleasant service, very reasonable prices ($ 15/​dozen minis, $ 3.50 a cupcake, slightly more for GF). And it’s hard to find cupcakes these days that don’t taste like just sugar and butter. I will be back when I need birthday cupcakes in the future!
It’s located in a small shopping center with it’s own parking lot. Easy to find. That’s a plus, too!

Even though I’m not a big cupcake person, I’ve tried just about every cupcake shop in this area, from Ralphs to Yummy Cupcakes. I have a list of favorites, but I’m not sure Passions makes the cut. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised by the near perfect ratings for this spot. (Please note that this is based on a one time visit.)
I paid $ 10.25 for 3 regular sized cupcakes — pretty average pricing. All three were strawberry balsamic flavored. I bought one for me and two for my coworkers, who did NOT come back an hour later telling me how awesome they were… I couldn’t blame them, because I was pretty underwhelmed, too. The cake was moist, sure, but the frosting was so tart and thin that I ended up tossing what was left. I would probably come back to try the sweet potato, though.

Moist, sweet perfection! Strawberry balsamic, sweet potato, lemon, orange kiss! Cupcakes, just call me cupcake that’s my new name. I tryed to stay away but I seem to stop by every month n holidays. I need a spanking!

Best cupcakery in the Val, thats for sure! I only get the mini’s but they are always so flavorful, moist, and satisfying, thats all I need. I have tried almost all the flavors… my favorite is the angel coconut cupcake. The prices are very reasonable compared to other places, too.
This place could definitely use some redecorating, but Im not coming for the ambiance… Im coming for the incredible baking!
Also, the woman who owns it is beyond kind and you can tell she named this place «Passions» because thats what she has for her business. I truly love supporting independent locals who put in the work to make their dreams come true.

Passions Pastries, which seems to specialize in cupcakes, can corner the market with their well-​made, delicious, perfectly crafted cupcakes. After chanting OMG a few times and singing the praises of, in particular, the strawberry balsamic and sweet potato cupcakes, I tried some other flavors, as well. Words like intense, amazing, and devine popped into my head. I NEVER thought that anything with balsamic vinegar, especially in the form of a cupcake, would taste even remotely good, and Passions hit one outta the ball park with the Strawberry Balsamic cupcake. Combined with an intense and perfectly strawberry flavored icing (with real strawberry in it), well, it was outstanding. And then, the sweet potato, holy moly, it almost tasted like a spice cake, but it was much better, and it was definitely sweet potato pushing on through. To allow myself to try multiple flavors, I bought the little junior bites, and now I’m sorry I didn’t buy the big size of each. They were soooooooooooooooooo good. I also tried the lemon and the kick-​ass orange… really intense on the orange cupcake, which I LOVE. Lemon was really good, too. Everything was. The icing was almost too sweet, but when eaten with the cake (I never separate the two), it was a perfect balance. By the way, every cupcake was very moist and dense, not to mention, flavorful. No threats of being dryed out or tasteless… these cupcakes were perfect in every way. They also bake gluten free and vegan cupcakes, but I didn’t try any of those.
These ladies can bake… and I am the ultimate baking snob !!! I love their creativity with flavor combinations as much as the quality of their baked goods !! Yummy deliciousness.

I wanted to LOVE this place b/​c the owner was super nice! Let me first off start by saying, I’m the type of cake eater that scrapes off the frosting and eats the cake with as little frosting as possible. So when tasting cupcakes, the cake itself has to stand out.
The cupcakes here are more for people who take whole bites of their cupcakes, frosting and all in one. The lack of sweetness in the cake is balanced by the sweet sugary frosting on top. If you’re a frosting person, you will love this place. If you’re more of a cake person, like me, the cupcakes may not stand out to you but will still satisfy your cupcake cravings!

We literally stumbled upon Passions Pastries (& Cupcakery) in the parking lot. We were headed for Sattdown Jamaican Grill (awesome, btw!) and parked right in front of the door to Passions and made a point to save room for dessert after our meal so we could check it out.
The storefront and décor are pretty minimal, but I don’t think that ultimately matters when the service and baked goods are stinking good, which they are!
We were greeted by Darlene (I think…) who offered us a sample since it was our first time there. We tried the sweet potato mini cupcake (with cream cheese frosting) which was REALLY good. Though the menu has quite a few items on it, she was sold out of a lot of flavors, so it made it somewhat easier to choose the ones we tried/​bought that day.
–Red Velvet: yummy. classic red velvet with the cream cheese frosting
–Lemon: I didn’t even get to try it – my husband liked it that much. He loves lemon bars and lemon desserts and LOVED this cupcake because it wasn’t as overwhelmingly sweet as others
–Carrot Cake: yummy! i loved being able to see the bits of carrot in the actual pastry
If we lived closer, I think we’d order more than a few at a time and take them to gatherings and/​or as gifts… but hopefully we’ll be back in the area again soon. If you live closeby, we’d super recommend Passions to you! :)