Más Que Bakery, Corralejo

Gelateria, Italian, Chinese, Gelateria, Italian....this is the general pattern of restaurants to be found down the main street of Corralejo. Whilst two of the three are generally agreeable, it does get a repetitive, so fans of sugar at a higher temperature will be pleased to learn of the existence of Más Que Bakery, the only cupcake shop in Corralejo, maybe the only one in Fuerteventura, and possibly the only one in the Canary Islands.

Initial impressions suggest it to be an industrialised version of the American influenced cupcake bakeries that have been popping up in England like a sugar-germinated rash for the past few years; the white wooden chairs are a nod to the white picket fences of middle class longings.

This is a Spanish take on cupcakeries; the cake is an accompaniment to the piece d’resistance, the coffee, rather than the reverse being true as it is here in Britain. Americans, never missing a chance to demonstrate their superiority, no doubt do cupcakes and coffee to equally delightful standards. Alongside the cakes, a wider variety of sandwiches, wraps and paninis are sold, suggesting that the cake-centric branding is a technique to lure the masses in, rather than a statement of purpose.

The sidelining of the cupcakes was demonstrated by the disappointingly meagre selection of flavours- five to choose from. However, each of these flavours was well stocked, so you could probably visit later in the day and not be greeted by the disappointment of an empty display cabinet, suggesting a nod towards the quantity rather than quantity end of the spectrum, which, when coupled with the lack of attempt at ambience further alienated any attempt at the personal touch.

The appearance of the cupcakes was somewhat deceptive- not in a malicious way, mind – and if you don’t speak adequate Spanish to clarify before ordering, you may end up surprised. The pink iced cupcake, for example, was not strawberry or raspberry as you might expect, but vanilla. The white, then, was not vanilla but coconut. Other flavours available were two variations of chocolate, and lemon. Opting for a vanilla and a coconut cupcake accompanied by a cappuccino and an orange juice (fresh, naturally –when in Rome Corralejo...). We had to wait for about 15 minutes before our order was brought over, but the layout and low bar means you can watch your order being prepared – and there’s nothing like watching a native Spaniard freshly squeeze your orange juice to make the end result more enjoyable.

The cakes were pretty standard, more like a fairy cake than a cupcake. The icing is where the real treat lies. It is the thickest, creamiest icing you will ever taste- more like a very smooth, flavoured custard (and none of this lumpy, school canteen regulation custard either). In hindsight, you may find it difficult to fathom how the icing ever stood up in the perfectly formed peak before you devoured it, such is the creaminess.

These were good cupcakes, but in typical Spanish fashion they didn’t have to try too hard.