Salted caramel cupcakes on demand at vegan vending machine in Cape Cod Mall

HYANNIS – Wave your payment card at Herbivore Patisserie’s big pink vending machine in the Cape Cod Mall food court and you can choose ― for the next three months ― from a dozen desserts made without animal products like milk, butter or eggs.

Some of the options are also gluten-free, said Brandy Walsh, owner of the South Yarmouth bakery she runs from her home.

“The machine has the logo with the business name, Herbivore Patisserie: a Cape Cod Vegan Bakery,” said Walsh. “I just call it a vegan dessert ATM machine.”

The machine will be at the mall for a three-month trial and is near the food court as you come in past Barnes & Noble bookstore. The "ATM" can hold a rotating selection of up to 100 choices depending on the size of the individual dessert and the cardboard box it comes in.

“The cool thing is it has the ability to dispense a seven-inch pie or six-inch cake. I will open with cupcakes, cookies, brownies and scones and then add pies and cakes for the holidays,” Walsh said.

One holiday pie being considered is a mixed berry pie with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries that are soaked in red wine and simmered to cook off the alcohol and deepen the berries' flavor and color, she said.

Jenn Christian, program manager for EforAll Cape Cod, said Walsh was chosen this fall as one of 15 participants in the free three-month business course with volunteer mentors.

“Her passion really shone through,” Christian said. “Her flexibility but also her commitment to the course which takes eight to 12 or more hours per week.”

And her vegan baked goods tasted good when she shared them with the class, Christian said.

How much do vegan desserts in the Cape Cod Mall vending machine cost?

Prices for individual vegan treats, including cookies or a small cupcake, start at $4.50 to $6.50. The machine only accepts cards, no cash, and the temperature-controlled device will be restocked every day or two as needed.

(Walsh said the high-tech vending machine can alert her cellphone when a row is emptied.)

One of the most popular cupcake varieties is Brown Sugar and Salted Caramel, nicknamed the Samara, after Walsh’s 24-year-old daughter because it is her favorite.

The cupcake is moist and chewy with a ribbon of caramel threaded through it and a dollop of sweet frosting.

What ingredients are used in Herbivore Patisserie's vegan baking?

Every baker customizes to get the desired effect, Walsh said, noting she prefers oat milk, a blend of four vegetable oils instead of butter and, perhaps lesser known, apple cider vinegar instead of eggs.

Ingredients are listed on the box, but nutritional values are not. Walsh said the ingredients may be nutritionally better for you, but a cupcake of any sort is not usually low-calorie.

When did Cape Cod Mall get a vegan vending machine?

Walsh said she, like many, was curious when she saw a cupcake vending machine from Sprinkles Cupcakes (which opened the first a decade ago in Beverly Hills) and wondered about the possibility of a dispenser for vegan desserts.

The entrepreneur hit a few bumps on the road. She started with a used vending machine in July, but it sprang a leak, she said. So, she decided to try a new high-tech version with some hefty programming requirements.

The new machine went online Oct. 27, a week later than planned. But like any baker worth her salted caramel, Walsh improvised that first Friday when she found herself at the mall with 75 vegan treats.

"We held a pop-up sale," she said. "I put one of each of the five varieties in a bag and we sold them for $20 a bag. They were gone within two hours."

Gwenn Friss is the editor of CapeWeek and covers entertainment, restaurants and the arts. Contact her at gfriss@capecodonline.com. Follow her or X, formerly Twitter: @dailyrecipeCCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Vegan vending machine gets holiday try-out at Cape Cod Mall