A Puyallup bakery’s move means a much better dessert selection

In its earliest days, Puyallup bakery Wanna Cupcake was a tiny stand at the Puyallup Farmers Market.

That was back in 2011, when Jim and Karie Romano started the Puyallup business named by their daughter (who is now 17).

In 2012, they moved to their first retail space, a standing-room-only bakery that sold one thing: cupcakes.

In September, they packed up everything and moved. It was a short one. Their new location is on the opposite side of the same building. Anyone familiar with the business simply needs to look to the left to find the bakery’s new home, which comes with a drive-thru window.

Their new space is about the same size as their former location, but instead of most of the space comprising a commercial kitchen, the new location was designed with a dining area for 24 and a much bigger display case. They’ve also expanded their hours to 7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and are now open daily.

Since their move, they’ve expanded their offerings in an effort to become more of a full-service bakery. They also now sell espresso with beans from Sumner’s Dillanos Coffee Roaster.

The bakery case spans much of the dining area. Half the display features their daily selection of more than a dozen cupcakes, while the other half is a constantly changing selection of scones, muffins, cookies, cookie bars and biscotti.

I took a tour of the display case and found a blueberry-lemon muffin ($2.50), dense and moist, with a crunchy sugar topping. Two scones beckoned: a sturdy lemon-blueberry and a spiced pumpkin scone with a smooth glaze ($3.25 each). The peanut butter cookie ($1.50) is one I’d return for. It was as sweet as it was crunchy.

Cookie and fruit bars will change frequently, said Karie Romano. I tasted my childhood in the magic bar ($2.75), a layered cookie bar that is Romano’s take on the old Eagle Brand condensed milk recipe with a buttery graham cracker crust, chocolate and toasted coconut ($2.75).

Fruit bars will join the bakery case with a focus on seasonal and fun flavors (think lemon, blueberry and key lime). When fresh berries are featured, the Romanos use berries from their East Main neighbors, Spooner Farms.

For all those gluten avoiders, here’s a tip: The Romanos have daily offerings of cookies, muffins and scones minus the wheat.

The bakery has partnered with two local companies. Cascade Bagels, a Lakewood bagel bakery, provides bagels for sale at Wanna Cupcake. Tacoma Cheesecake (formerly called D’Lectable Desserts) now sells its cheesecake at the bakery by the slice (or whole cheesecake by order). It’s probably the largest selection of cheesecake by the slice I’ve seen in a local bakery.

As for the former home of Wanna Cupcake, that’s been filled by another bakery. Danelle Bentley, owner of Tacoma Cheesecake, is using the space as a commercial kitchen to make her cheesecakes and frozen cheesecake bars, which are stocked at a number of local grocery stores.

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 10:35 AM with the headline "A Puyallup bakery’s move means a much better dessert selection."