Cupcakes

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
September 17, 2005

CUPCAKE CAFÉ
@ Books of Wonder
18 W 18th St
(5th & 6th Aves)
New York, NY 10011
646-307-5878

I’ve developed a horrible addiction, an addiction to the cupcakes at Cupcake Café. You can imagine that maple walnut is my favorite, but I tried a vanilla/chocolate the other day and almost died and went to heaven.

In the past couple of years, we’ve definitely seen a cupcake boom in NYC. I was just reading about the feuding and animosity between bakeries. While, the myriad of Magnolia-lineage bakeries (Buttercup Bake Shop, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Billy’s, Little Cupcake Bakeshop) produce fun and pretty cupcakes with pastel-colored frosting, they are usually too sweet, too hard and, well, a bit crusty. So I find it ironic that these other bakeries are fighting in court, when in reality none of their cupcakes taste as good as those from Cupcake Café.

The frosting at Cupcake Café is made with buttercream, so it’s smoother, richer and much more delicious than its competitors’ crusty confections. The original Cupcake Café is in Hell’s Kitchen, but since they opened a store on 18 th Street inside the new Books of Wonder space I’ve had neighborhood-easy access — and hence the addiction.

Known for their signature floral designs on cakes and cupcakes alike, these sweets are almost too pretty to eat, though for me it depends on the design — some of the flowers and colors look a bit too kitschy. So find a flavor and a design that you like, and indulge! At $3 per large cupcake and $2.30 per small cupcake, these are not cheap treats, but when I think of the artistry and labor going into the decorative flowers on top and the superior quality in taste of both cake and frosting, I gladly hand over the money to get my fix.

Also in Cupcakes, Flat Iron District, Sweets

name (required)

email (required, will not be published)

website

comment

 

Sign up to receive the Cravings newsletter!

Wine Features

The Wine of Paris

Island Whites (Part II)

Island Whites (Part I)

South African Diversity

Surprise, Surprise! Bordeaux is Really Very Good

Burgundy Joy

New Year’s Bubblies for a Splurge and Splash

cyn-et-champagne

My Weekend from Wall Street to South Beach

Vérité: French Roots in California Soil

A Spirit for the Ages

Ultimate Lurton

Vinexpo, the Asian Rendition

It’s Never Too Early to Think About Father’s Day… Especially if He’s Keen on Scotch

Gin from the Past

The Beauty of a Sommelier

March of the Carnivores

Discovering Mexican Wine

A Feast in the Hills above Las Vegas

Oregon: Wines on the Frontier

Not What We Expected, Per Se

Cru Beaujolais at Union Square Cafe

Beaujolais Retailers

Beaujolais with a Backbone

Summer Cocktails?

What is Bubbling in Champagne?

Tight Little Island: Islay Scotch

French Wine Finds

Alto Adige

Back to Restaurant Season in Paris

Cyn's Favorite Champagnes in 2006

Sparkles Everywhere

Discovering Jura Gems

A Taste of North Fork

Milou en mai: My Month of May

Parisian Bistrots à Vin

A Wine Story About Bees (Buzzed by Older Wines)

Gaia: Deconstructing a Wine List

Robert Pepi Makes New Waves Under the Eponymous Label

Holiday Toasting!

Parker on Champagne: What's in a Vintage?

Pascale Rousseau

Ed McCarthy

Terry Theise

Sean Crowley

The World of Champagne Seen from the Inside Out

Lieb Cellars - Recipe 2

Lieb Cellars - Recipe 1

Lieb Cellars - Retailers

Family Cellars' Pinot Blanc: Flat or Fizz?

Rosé - Related Websites

Cyn's Rosé Recs - Retailer

Cyn's Rosé Recs - By The Glass

Jancis Robinson, Rosé & I

Pearl - Champagne

Danube - Grüner Veltliner

Esca - Bellini

Prune - Bloody Mary



Opentable.com



iTunes, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store




BareNecessities.com


Sur La Table_Brand_120X90


CheapTickets


Save Ten on Angie's List!


Alessi S.P.A. US