Hi-Line Cakes and Bakery

Opened in 2013, Hi-Line Cakes and Bakery is something like a hidden oasis of cleverly conceived and delicious foodstuffs. Many Glasgow residents don't even know it's there. Owner Melissa Mickelson's caramel rolls are popular on Saturday mornings (and any other time we can get them, for that matter), and a steady group of regulars take advantage of the lunchtime fare and free Wi-Fi. The menu items that captured our interest, however, were the cupcakes.

I was hesitant when our publisher James Walling invited me to taste test gourmet cupcakes. Memory of box-mix cupcakes at kids' birthday parties had turned me against desserts with too much sweetness and little fresh flavor. Besides, eating cupcakes at 2 p.m. on an empty stomach can't be good when I have a pressing afternoon ahead of me.

I did not want to miss out, though, and I found myself staring at a display of colorful and decorated cupcakes, not knowing where to start. The bakery is a cozy rustic-wood space. Curlicue font on white paper displays the simple sandwich menu and flavors of the cupcake selection.

Baker Cheryl Solmonsen is proud of the fact that everything is handmade at the bakery. The popular garlic parmesan bread is squishy, good and substantial, which I should have eaten before I dug into the sweets. The strawberry cupcake is a vanilla cake with a rosette of pink icing topped with a fresh strawberry sliced in half. The icing--Mickelson's creation--is made with real strawberry puree, and does taste so. Sour cream is the secret ingredient that makes the cakes rich and moist, according to Solmonsen. With six cupcake halves in my belly, I managed to power through the afternoon at my news desk and got my work done. -LY

I'm not sure why I chose the mint cupcake to review. It has a chocolate cake which is not my favorite cupcake flavor and I'm not usually a big fan of frosting. The icing was pretty, though, and I like mint. The cupcakes were presented to us on a glass, dome-covered pedestal. Although that was a nice touch, you could give me a cupcake on a paper napkin and it would still look good. Especially these cupcakes. The mint cupcake has a chocolate base complimented by swirls of cool mint frosting with a thin mint cookie tucked right on the top. The cupcake itself was moist, which is imperative to a good cupcake. Dry cupcakes suck. If you haven't had a sweet treat from this bakery, I recommend you stop in and try it out.

-Georgie Kulczyk

Hailing from the Portland Metro Area as I do, I'm somewhat spoiled by Voodoo Doughnuts and other popular confectionary offerings available there. Among the most famous of Voodoo's treats is the bacon maple bar (Anthony Bourdain tried one when he visited Puddletown). Imagine my surprise when I wandered into Hi-Line and discovered a little taste of home. Hi-Line's variation on the seemingly clashing combination of sweet and savory (it isn't clashing at all, it's magic!) is a cupcake, naturally, with vanilla nutmeg cake and maple buttercream icing topped with a generous helping of crumbled bacon. I know many people would be hesitant to sample such a counterintuitive combination of ingredients, but trust me, this one is winning. -James Walling

Hi-Line offers more substantive fare as well, including delicious open-faced sandwiches and pretty themed cookies, made with artistry, good taste and lots of love. The cupcakes are made fresh every Wednesday and sold through Saturday. Come Sunday, the cakes that are not sold are put into a six-pack and stored in the freezer, available for purchase for only $10 a six-pack. Hi-Line Cakes and Bakery is located at 233 4th Street S. Hours of operation are Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon (7:30 a.m. to noon during garage sale season).