A Month of Cupcakes (in conclusion...)

After a month of eating the most delicious cupcakes New York has to offer, here I am, back in Oberlin with broadened horizons. I have learned that a cupcake is not merely a miniature cake with icing on top--there is much more to them than meets the eye. I went into my cupcake adventure almost positive that my favorite cupcake (from Fairway) could not be beat, but I was quickly proven wrong by all the delectable goods my home city has to offer. Overall, I must say that my favorite cupcake is from Sugar Sweet Sunshine--it was so tasty that I had to go back a second time (I highly recommend the strawberry cream cheese flavor, which I was able to try on my second visit)! Billy's was another favorite, along with my long-time love, Fairway Cafe. And let's not forget the mini cupcakes from Baked by Melissa! In the end, I have learned that there are many, many delicious cupcakes to be had in New York City and there is no way to choose one as the "best," because they are all so different. My cupcake adventure would not have been possible without some help along the way from some dear friends, so I would like to give a special thanks to Harlee Ludwig, Ruby Dienstag, Sophie Zucker, Nick Plett, Sam Asheim, Michele Harris, Emily Glaser, Jeff From, and Tybie Etoy. 

Crumbs Bakeshop

 I must admit that up until now, I was pretty positive that I did not like the cupcakes from Crumbs Bakeshop. I always thought they were too big and sweet and just not what I wanted out of a cupcake. I decided to add Crumbs to my list so that I could once and for all prove how overrated it is. My plan failed. I walked in to crumbs and saw all of their crazy, huge flavored cupcakes that I have always disliked, but then I saw a simple, normal-sized vanilla cupcake which I decided to sample. It cost $2.95 for the smaller sized cupcake that I tried, and I must say it was pretty good. The cake was pretty moist and a little bit sweet, but the icing was not so sweet, so they worked together, with a nice ratio of icing to cake. The icing itself was very light and fluffy, almost marshmallow-like, but very delicious. The shop is very cute, with a nice seating area, and the staff was very friendly. Although Crumbs surprised me with its nice vanilla cupcake, I still must say it is a bit overrated. The sheer number of locations that Crumbs has is enough to show that it is merely a chain with pretty good baked goods, but definitely not the best. While the plain vanilla cupcake was very good, I still cannot say much about their larger, sweeter cupcakes--I'm still not quite willing to go for those.

Alice's Tea Cup

 Located on the Upper West and Upper East Sides, Alice's Tea Cup is an adorable Alice in Wonderland themed tea room. It has a small, health-conscious, delicious menu and a bakery that makes delectable sweets. I have been going to Alice's Tea Cup since I was young, but recently a friend recommended their cupcakes, so I just had to try them out. Although they cost $3, Alice's cupcakes are large enough to be worth the expense. The cake is pretty moist and they have a very nice icing to cake ratio. Personally, they are almost a little too large for me (I don't like my cupcakes to give me a stomach ache), but they are still very good cupcakes. Not my favorite, but not bad--I'd say they are pretty solid. However, the actual restaurant almost makes the stomach ache worth it. It is a lovely, magical place to have a cup of tea and a baked good, while admiring the drawings and quotes of Wonderland on the walls. The restaurant also has a small gift shop of candy and other Alice in Wonderland goodies that is very fun to look around in. Overall, I'd say the enjoyable atmosphere of Alice's Tea Cup is what makes the cupcake good--it is definitely a place worth visiting.

The Cake Ambiance

A few days ago, a friend and I ventured down to Brooklyn in search of a delicious cupcake. We were planning on visiting Cake Bliss, a bakery that a friend had recommended. However, Cake Bliss (which I hear is very good, but I cannot personally attest to) was not open, so we were a little lost as to where to go next. As we walked down Flatbush Avenue we came across a small bakery called The Cake Ambiance and decided to check it out. Located at 452 Dean Street, The Cake Ambiance was a delightful surprise! The bakery only had chocolate and red velvet cupcakes, so I decided to go red velvet, and I must say it was the best red velvet cupcake I have EVER had. Costing $3 (I know, but totally worth it), it was extremely moist with delicious cream cheese frosting on top. Adding to its perfection was its excellent cake to icing ratio. We were pleasantly surprised to say the least. The store itself is pretty small and plain, with a few tables to sit at, and an extremely friendly staff. I don't believe it is a well-known bakery, so we found quite the little treasure when we discovered this small hole in the wall. Though you may never have heard of it, I'd say The Cake Ambiance makes one of the best cupcakes in New York City.

Babycakes Bakery

Located in downtown Manhattan on Broome Street, Babycakes Bakery is an all vegan bakery that uses all-natural, organic alternatives for wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, and eggs. Also, instead of using white sugar, Babycakes uses agave nectar, a natural syrup that comes from a cactus. Although I am not a vegan or allergic to any of these things, I thought I would check out Babycakes for those who cannot enjoy the buttery goodness of a regular cupcake. However, I was a little put off when I saw the prices of the cupcakes--$3.75 for a regular vegan cupcake and $4.50 for a gluten-free cupcake. I decided to try the regular vegan vanilla cupcake. While the cake was pretty moist, it was a strange consistency and both the cake and icing had a strange taste. Though they tasted a bit weird, the cupcake had a nice cake to icing ratio. Because of the alternative ingredients used to make it, the cupcake is not sweet at all, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but an interesting one. My friend got the vegan chocolate cupcake, which I tasted and must say was much better tasting than the vanilla (even for a vanilla girl, like me). Yet, it still had that strange, almost tough, consistency. Let's put it this way: usually when you think of a cupcake, you think light and fluffy and soft, right? Well this cupcake was not any of those things. I don't want this to sound like I hated the cupcake, because I didn't. I was more simply intrigued by the new taste and consistency and believe that it is more of an acquired taste than the usual cupcake. The store itself is very cute and pretty small, with a few stools and benches to sit on. While it is undoubtedly an adorable bakery, I do wish it was a bit bigger or had a few more places to sit, because it tended to get pretty crowded in just the few minutes I was there. Overall, while Babycakes was not my favorite, it is a great option for those who are unable to eat a regular cupcake or for those who prefer a less sweet treat.

Hill Country BBQ Market

 It may seem odd that the title of this post has "BBQ" in it, but it's true--I got a cupcake at a barbeque restaurant. I was told by a family friend that Hill Country, located on West 26th Street, makes delicious specialty cupcakes, so I decided to check it out. Unfortunately Hill Country stopped making their specialty cupcakes a while ago, but they still make one! Peanut butter and jelly. For $4 (I know, I know), you can get a pretty large and darn good peanut butter with a little bit of jelly cupcake. Yes, I know the name of the cupcake is peanut butter AND jelly, but there was only enough jelly in that cupcake for maybe one bite! However, besides the disappointing amount of jelly, the cupcake is delicious. It is moist and flavorful and very tasty, but a little bit overwhelming and extremely filling at the same time. The peanut butter flavor is quite good, but also a tad bit rich, so I would recommend sharing this cupcake with someone else. My mom and I took advantage of being at Hill Country by also getting dinner there, and it is extremely good food. A perfect place to get some good old-fashioned barbeque, topped off with a hearty peanut butter and (bit of) jelly cupcake.

Billy's Bakery

Located in Chelsea, Nolita, and Tribeca, Billy's Bakery is another winner! Although a little pricey ($3 each), the cupcakes at Billy's are moist, have delicious not-too-sweet icing, and a pretty excellent cake to icing ratio (although there could possibly be a tiny bit too much icing). However, while I sampled a classic vanilla/vanilla cupcake as I have been doing, my mom tried a red velvet, which I must say was a little underwhelming. The cake was a little too dry and the icing a little too sour, even for red velvet. But overall, I'm still a big fan of Billy's. The store itself is adorable: pretty small and very cute with a couple tables to sit at; not to mention, it is located in three great neighborhoods (particularly the one in Chelsea, which is where I went). Besides taste itself, the cupcakes at Billy's were also very beautiful to look at, with a perfect dollop of icing on top of the fluffy, moist cake. Billy's is definitely a bakery to check out!

Fairway Cafe

Before starting my cupcake adventure, Fairway's were always my favorite. While I can't still say the same (Sugar Sweet Sunshine has taken that spot), they are quite delicious cupcakes! Not all of you may know that on the second floor of the Fairway supermarket on 74th and Broadway is Fairway Cafe, a superb breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot (one of my family's favorites). Mitchel London, the chef of Fairway Cafe, also makes a fantastic cupcake. For $2 each, the cupcakes are fluffy and light, with semi-moist cake and usually a pretty good cake to icing ratio. Occasionally, there can be a little bit too much icing for my liking, but overall, it's a delicious cupcake and a perfect light dessert after a satisfying meal at the cafe. I highly recommend the cupcakes at Fairway, as well as the cafe itself (specifically the Big Boy Special for brunch). The restaurant is reasonably priced, in a great location (my own Upper West Side neighborhood), and creates delectable cupcakes. Nice job, Fairway!

Magnolia Bakery

 Located at Bleecker St., Bloomingdale's, Columbus Ave., Grand Central Station, and Rockefeller Center, Magnolia Bakery is a widely-known, extremely popular bakery. While Magnolia's cupcakes are no doubt delicious, I must say they are a little overrated. I believe the popularity of the bakery has taken away from its original goal to create delectable sweets. Very often the bakery is filled to its brim with customers (many of whom are tourists) looking to buy overpriced baked goods. That's right--one cupcake for $3. If this were the best cupcake in the world, I would possibly be willing to pay that much, but for the high price, Magnolia's cupcakes are a little disappointing. The cake itself is always a little dry and its cake to icing ratio is very inconsistent. I have had cupcakes there with the perfect cake to icing ratio, but I have also had cupcakes there with WAY too much icing for its cake. The icing is very sweet, but the cake is not, so it is balanced out pretty nicely. The Bakery itself is very welcoming and cute. There are usually a few tables to sit at, if not more, and the decor is old-fashioned and inviting. While the atmosphere of the bakery is just right, I just don't think its cupcakes are up to par. Don't get me wrong though--Magnolia makes very good (and beautiful) cupcakes, but let's just say I wouldn't sell them for $3 each.

Baked by Melissa

Although Baked by Melissa isn't your average cupcake bakery, I decided I had to through it in there for all of those bite-sized lovers. For those of you who are not familiar with Baked by Melissa, located at Soho, Union Square, Grand Central Station, 7th Ave., the Upper West Side, AND Times Square, it is a bakery that solely produces baby-sized cupcakes, meant to be eaten in one or two bites. They have a variety of flavors, ranging from tie-dye to classic red velvet. Since Baked by Melissa has no classic vanilla flavor to taste, I decided I would just have to try every flavor they do have. I bought a box of twelve for the price of $10 (a little pricey if you ask me), while one cupcake goes for $1 (again, pretty expensive for one bite). Overall, the cake is very moist and most of the cupcakes are very sweet, but most are also very delicious. To be more specific:
Chocolate chip pancake: not my favorite. The cake and icing on this one are both a little too sweet for my liking.
Cinnamon: delicious! If you like cinnamon, you will LOVE this baby bite.
Tie-dye: simple and satisfying! This is the closest to classic vanilla you can get--it's vanilla cake and vanilla icing dyed a rainbow color.
Peanut butter & jelly: solid (not in the physical way). One of the only cupcakes you can get here that is not too, too sweet.
Red velvet: A+. Delicious cream cheese icing and the cake itself is just right, not too sweet.

Peanut butter cup: a little bit rich, but still very good and not too sweet.
Cookies & cream: a little bit plain, but fine. A pretty basic chocolate cupcake, with some Oreo on top.
Mint chocolate chip: VERY minty--in almost a toothpaste-type way...
S'mores: the chocolate in this one is a little overpowering for me--it could use a little more marshmallow and graham cracker in my opinion.
Cookie dough: again, this one has a little too much chocolate going on for me and not quite enough cookie dough to be called cookie dough.
New York cream (Mini of the month--not a usual flavor): MY FAVORITE (too bad it's only there this month).
Overall, the cupcakes at Baked by Melissa are extremely scrumptious and their bite-sized quality makes them easy to eat without feeling too full. Besides for the few overly-sweet flavors and the lack of seating in the bakery itself (which I wish they had), big thumbs up for Baked by Melissa.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine

I have to admit, I have always been pretty picky when it comes to my cupcakes. I have always had my definite favorite and was convinced that nowhere could be better. That is, until I walked into Sugar Sweet Sunshine, located at 126 Rivington St. The bakery itself is adorable and is located in an awesome neighborhood of Manhattan. I was conflicted as to which cupcake to have (they have many, many flavors), but I decided to stick with a classic sunshine cupcake, better known as vanilla.

Costing only $1.75, the cupcake was as close to perfect as I could have imagined. The cake itself was delightfully moist and not too sweet, which balanced out the very sweet icing extremely well. The cupcake's cake to icing ratio was absolutely perfect, giving it that ideal texture and taste. The atmosphere of the bakery was very welcoming--it is a small, quiet place with a few tables to sit at and an incredibly nice staff. I have to give it to them--Sugar Sweet Sunshine makes a damn good cupcake, possibly my favorite so far.