Not too far away from the U-District, the small town of Ballard hides one of the sweetest treats to hit the blistery season. Cupcake Royale and Vérité Coffee are a local chain of specialty bakeries located in Ballard, Madrona and West Seattle, which produce quality cupcakes and coffee that will warm up the most frostbitten of UW students.

The shop opened in Madrona in December 2003, when owner Jody Hall came up with the idea to serve delicious coffee and freshly baked cupcakes made from scratch. The idea was an immediate hit and thus Cupcake Royale was born. Since then business has expanded to Ballard and West Seattle.

Cupcakes are offered in a variety of delightful flavors, including the Mo Fro, a soft vanilla or chocolate cupcake dazzled with mocha-flavored frosting, and the Coconut Bunny, a treat with vanilla or chocolate cake topped with vanilla frosting and coconut dustings.

Cupcake Royale also serves seasonal cupcakes, with flavors such as the Gingerbread, Candy Cane and Red Velvet cupcakes.

"I actually have lots of favorite cupcakes," said UW alumnus Andrew Geske, manager of Cupcake Royale in Madrona. "The Chocolate Mint, the Classic (vanilla cake, chocolate frosting) — but currently I'd say my favorite is the Red Velvet. We just started making it again along with our other winter flavors."

Students across campus are readily taking notice of these scrumptious cupcakes.

"My favorite cupcake is the carrot cake one," said freshman Christina Torres. "Not a lot of people like carrot cake, so there's more for me, and I usually don't have to share with anyone. The chai accompanies the carrot cake really well too."

Besides cupcakes, the equally incredible espresso is also a crowd-pleaser.

Geske said he enjoys learning about the different types of coffee beans, where they originated from and how they were roasted. Vérité Coffee offers Stumptown Coffee, a Portland-based roaster known for paying the highest prices to coffee farmers in Guatemala and Sumatra for top-quality coffee beans.

"Our coffee often gets overshadowed by the cakes because most of our first-timers are only there for one reason," said sophomore Elaine Han, Ballard assistant manager. "The cupcakes deserve all the hype they get ... but I think the majority of our regulars come back for the coffee."

What sets Cupcake Royale apart from other specialty bakeries is its charming appeal to college students. The café has a collection of local art, music and free Internet. The café is open until 9 p.m. for students needing to get in a last-minute study session or just in need of a satisfying sugar high.

"We have free WiFi at our cafés so we have lots of students at night studying and drinking coffee and eating cupcakes," Geske said. "If we have lots of cupcakes at night, the last hour of business is 'cupcake happy hour' when we sell six cupcakes for six bucks.All our leftover cupcakes are donated to the food bank the next morning."

Cupcake Royale also possesses a laid-back, urban environment in all of its locations.

"I think it's a really upbeat environment for customers as well as behind the counter," Han said. "All the people I work with are really awesome, and I've gained some great friends out of my time here. There's also a lot of interaction between all parts of the business, from the baristas and frosters to the bakery staff to everyone in the office. I think it's good for everyone to be able to see how everything works, and [it] makes everything run a little more smoothly."

Customers tend to agree.

"It's very relaxed and happy," Torres said. "It's a place to have good, quiet, quality conversations."

Cupcake Royale also includes merchandise to keep hardcore cupcake lovers looking stylish and warm while munching down on cupcakes and sipping coffee.

"Our 'Legalize Frostitution' T-shirt is popular," Geske said. "We also have a 'Rock Out with your Cupcake Out' T-shirt we made for the Ballard Music Festival and a green T-shirt with an El Camino with a big cupcake in the back of it that we made when we opened our West Seattle store."

Although cupcakes and coffee are satisfying, Cupcake Royale is more than just a warm place to stop. It's a place where people can get together and share their cupcake love.

"A lot of our regulars live in the neighborhood or work nearby, and there's this real solid sense of community that develops," Han said. "I would say that the best part has to do with the people."

Contributing writer Vicky Yan: development@thedaily.washington.edu