Soulcake: How competing Instagram bakers became Oslo’s hottest cupcake duo

When two Oslo home-bakers, Ragnhild Gaarde and Sunniva Thorisdottir, both became unexpected Instagram sensations, the pair decided to join forces. They launched Soulcake – a modern bakery that focuses on delicious, creative cakes and cupcakes.

Although the initial Soulcake journey began with tall, designer cakes, everything changed when the lockdown started, and all the parties were cancelled. Back then, they were just getting started – but it was about to blow up. “In the lockdown, we started baking as many cupcakes as we could and selling them individually,” explains Gaarde.

Through personal Instagram promotion and mouth-watering photos, the two bakers created a trend within the city. Soon enough, everyone wanted a bite of their cupcakes! Queues of people were gathering around the block before the opening hours, just to get a taste of these delicious, great looking, cupcakes.

“Soon enough, the demand for our cupcakes was so high, that we managed to hire a team of amazing bakers and open our first shop right in the middle of Oslo. Our dream was becoming reality! We wanted to create a space where we share joy, happiness and deliciousness through our products,” says Thorisdottir.

Flavour with soul

What makes the Soulcake cupcakes special? “Well, our biggest strength is that we love to come up with amazing flavour combinations – think chocolate and freshly made salted caramel, passion fruit and white chocolate, chocolate and Nutella – and we never skimp on the filling!” says Gaarde.

Today, there are 25 flavours in rotation. The bestseller is the Soulcake Signature, a super-soft chocolate cupcake, filled with freshly made salted caramel, and topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting. “The secret is in our salted caramel, which we make in very small batches. People can´t get enough of it!”

“We make our cupcakes soft and flavourful with a lot of filling, all based on the best ingredients,” explains Thorisdottir. “Norwegian milk-chocolate, salted caramel, carrot, lemon… We make all the classics, but often our most playful combinations are the most popular.”

Beyond the cakes, Thorisdottir and Gaarde strive for quality in every aspect. “We don’t compromise on food safety, fair pay or business ethics. We hope to be a role model for the food industry in Norway,” says Gaarde. Soulcake’s bakes are as full of soul as they are of sticky caramel filling. Foodies in Oslo, listen up: these cupcakes take the biscuit.

Ragnhild Gaarde and Sunniva Thorisdottir

Web: www.soulcake.no
Instagram: @soulcake.oslo
Facebook: soulcake.oslo