Lunar New Year commences on Feb. 10, ringing in the Year of the Dragon and Sprinkles has partnered with the Bruce Lee Foundation and Gold House for the second year to create a limited edition cupcake for the holiday.
Sprinkles CMO Michelle Wong admired Gold House’s efforts to amplify and honor the AAPI community. For the partnership’s second year, Sprinkles and Gold House, which seeks to connect and empower AAPI leaders, creators and entrepreneurs, wanted to reach a wider audience so they joined forces with the Bruce Lee Foundation, which made sense for so many reasons.
Lee’s birth year is the Dragon and his iconic 1973 martial arts movie, “Enter the Dragon” revolutionized action movies of the era. Wong, whose heritage is Chinese American, worked closely with Shannon Lee to have this cupcake bring awareness for the foundation.
Inspired by almond cookies, the cupcake is layered with a base made of Twin Dragon almond cookies topped with classic red velvet cake dotted with slivered almonds. The red hue symbolizes good fortune and the almond cookies also have a Southern California connection. According to the company’s website, JSL Foods started manufacturing Twin Dragon cookies at its Commerce plant in 1952. The almond cookies’ shape resembles coins, which symbolize good fortune. Beyond the Twin Dragon almond cookie crust, the cupcake is topped with an almond-infused cream cheese frosting and a dragon candy decoration.
“Would Bruce Lee have eaten cupcakes, you might ask?” said Shanon Lee, CEO of the Bruce Lee Foundation. “Well, ‘Yes!’ My father loved to celebrate and indulge in sweets from time to time! But beyond that, culturally and personally this partnership is extremely meaningful to us. … (The Bruce Lee Foundation’s) goal is to pass on my father’s teachings and practices to our young people to create more resilient and empowered individuals and communities.”
The Gold Dragon Bruce Lee cupcakes are available nationwide and regardless of sales, Sprinkles will make a donation to the foundation.
The cupcakes are $6 at Sprinkles bakeries through Feb. 11. In Southern California, Sprinkles has locations in Beverly Hills, Irvine, La Jolla, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach and Westlake Village.
A bundle for $88 includes a trifecta of flavors including strawberry, dark chocolate, and the almondy Gold Dragon Bruce Lee cupcakes. The nine-cupcake assortment also includes eight Sprinkles x Bruce Lee x Gold House red envelopes, which are traditionally gifted during the holiday.
“Food is a primary gateway to accessing new cultures while honoring our heritage and ancestors,” said Rose Yan, Gold House VP of marketing. “Gold House is excited to collaborate for a second year with Sprinkles Cupcakes to celebrate Lunar New Year. For the Year of the Dragon, we are honored to join forces with the Bruce Lee Foundation to create the Gold Dragon cupcake to honor the indelible legacy of Bruce Lee and our joint commitment to honest self-expression in alignment with mind, body, and spirit.”
