Kara's Cupcakes

About Kara's Cupcakes

Kara's Cupcakes is a small Northern California bakery chain with three shops: the original in San Francisco's Marina District, a shop at Napa's Oxbow Market and this Palo Alto bakery at Town & Country Village on El Camino Real. The Palo Alto shop sells cupcakes, layer cakes, cookies and a few other sweets. Same-day ordering makes it a practical choice for a last-minute birthday cake.

The company was founded by Kara Haspel Lind, who still runs it as founder and president. According to her biography on the bakery's site, she worked in advertising before training at Tante Marie's Professional Pastry School in San Francisco. A small catering business grew into the first Kara's bakery in the Marina. The bakery recently celebrated its 20th birthday. Kara also created Bar Lucia, a rosé wine and cocktail bar in Napa.

What Kara's bakes

Kara's says it bakes by hand in small batches every day. It names several local suppliers: fresh eggs from Petaluma Farm, flour from Giusto's and salt harvested from San Francisco Bay. Seasonal flavors change through the year, so treat the list below as a guide rather than a promise.

The regular cupcake menu includes these flavors:

• Fleur de sel: chocolate cake with a caramel filling, dark chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of sea salt.
• Meyer lemon: vanilla cake with a tart lemon filling and lemon buttercream.
• Red velvet and Kara's karrot, both with cream cheese frosting.
• Sweet s'mores: chocolate cake on a graham cracker crust with toasted marshmallow frosting.
• Banana caramel, passion fruit, tuxedo and chocolate velvet, plus vanilla and chocolate versions topped with coconut.

Most cupcake flavors also come as cakes in 6, 9 and 12 inch sizes, as single layers or tiered. The bakery says the only exceptions are sweet s'mores and flourless chocolate. Other cakes include a chocolate chip cookie cake with a piped message, a banana cake with passion fruit filling called the paradise cake and a confetti cake. The cookie case usually holds chocolate chip with fleur de sel, snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin with coconut and apricot, M&M and confetti cookies. Kara's Karamel Corn and handmade marshmallows round out the sweets. Decorating kits to go let kids frost their own cupcakes at home.

Gluten-free, vegan and allergy notes

Kara's offers gluten-free and vegan cupcakes. It is careful to say that the gluten-free cupcakes are not vegan and the vegan ones are not gluten-free, so pick the right one if someone needs both. The bakery also states plainly that it uses nuts and nut products and is not a nut-free kitchen. Some cakes, such as the sweet vanilla, contain almond extract. If a guest has a serious allergy, ask the staff before you order.

Ordering, pickup and catering

You can walk in, but ordering ahead is the surest way to get a specific flavor or a whole cake. Kara's takes online orders for pickup at the Palo Alto bakery and says orders placed by 2 p.m. can be collected the same day. The Palo Alto page notes that curbside pickup is available. Local delivery runs through DoorDash. Gift boxes, cookies and other treats can also ship anywhere in the country, which is handy for sending a gift to family out of state.

For larger events, Kara's runs a catering service for Palo Alto, Napa and San Francisco. It pitches the service at offices, school sports teams, weddings, birthdays and holiday parties. Popular orders include office dozen packs, mini cupcake platters and cupcakes topped with a custom logo. Fill out the inquiry form on the bakery's site and someone will follow up within a day, the bakery says. Gift cards are sold online.

Tips for visiting

The bakery sits inside Town & Country Village at 855 El Camino Real, a shopping center with its own parking lot. Our Town & Country Village guide covers the other shops and restaurants there, so you can pair a cake pickup with lunch or errands.

If you need a dozen of one flavor, order online or call ahead rather than counting on the case. Kara's stays open until 6 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. the rest of the week, which makes it a practical stop on the way home. For more sweet shops around town, see our bakeries and desserts guide. Our food and drink hub covers the bigger picture of eating in Palo Alto.

Location and getting there

Kara's Cupcakes is at 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301, in the Town & Country Village area of Palo Alto. Our Town & Country Village guide covers what else is around.

The nearest train stop is the Palo Alto Caltrain station, about 0.4 miles away. That is roughly a 11 minute walk.

Parking: the center's own free surface lots.

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 29, 2026.

What is nearby

• LuLu's, quick-service spot, under 0.1 mi
• Sur La Table, store, under 0.1 mi
• Ruti, store, under 0.1 mi
• Poké House, quick-service spot, under 0.1 mi
• Margaret O’Leary, store, under 0.1 mi
• Town & Country Village, under 0.1 mi
• Stanford Stadium, 0.3 mi
• Pacific Art League, 0.4 mi

Other bakeries, ice cream and sweets nearby: Antoine's Cookie Shop (under 0.1 mi); The Penny Ice Creamery (under 0.1 mi); Sweet 55 (under 0.1 mi); Manresa Bread (under 0.1 mi). Browse the full bakeries, ice cream and sweets list.

Before you go

• Popular items can sell out by early afternoon, especially on weekends. Go early for the best choice.
• Many bakeries take orders for cakes and large quantities. Allow a few days' notice for special orders.
• Seating is often limited, so plan to take treats to a nearby park if the shop is busy.

About this listing

Checked October 29, 2026 against Kara's Cupcakes official website; Palo Alto location page; Menus; About Kara; Catering. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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