As I've commented many times, "Vampires and cupcakes are so in right now." And it's true: the only fad that's become as trendy lately as glitter-wearing angsty teens is cutesy decorated desserts. Blame the commercial success of such television programs as Ace of Cakes for the rise in attention to the pastry industry (Top Chef just premiered their new series "Just Desserts" in response to this growing trend) but I think there's a universal appeal in desserts - we all have an inner sweet tooth, people - and something endearing about these whimsical cup-sized creations. Cupcakes bring you back to childhood, really, to second grade birthday parties in which the girls wore little dresses for a "tea party" and brought their Barbies along, and each guest got her own individual cupcake, be it yellow, blue or pink, each envious of the birthday girl's lone flaming candle.
Now look at the booming cupcake industry: a few individuals caught on to cupcakes' enticement, bringing out every inner child, and they created cupcake shops to celebrate this. Selling cupcakes individually, devoting attention to decorating cupcakes by hand to look as works of art, they garnered attention for this peculiar niche and began the trend that has now become a culinary cultural phenomenon. Some say it began with Magnolia bakery in New York City, others have their own opinions about "where it really started." Whatever your preference, here's my guide to the creme de la creme of cupcakeries on the East coast.
Boston: Sweet, with locations in Back Bay and Harvard Square, has got the chic and elegant thing down to a T - in Beantown you're practically obligated to try their Boston Cream Pie cupcake flavor, sweet chiffon cake filled with homemade pastry cream and topped with chocolate ganache and a frosting "cherry." They also sell "little bites" versions if you just want a taste, which really appealed to me. Yet I have to say my favorite cupcakes in Boston are those of the bakery at Party Favors in Coolidge Corner, which really rock. They come in tea, regular, or jumbo sized, in florals, custom, or their assortment of fun flavors such as Oreo cookies 'n cream and a German chocolate cake with Bevarian cream, or the positively decadent affair topped with Godiva truffles. Here, it's go big or go home.
New York: Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in the West Village opened in 1996 and grew a steady following as "the" late-night bakery in the city, with a line out the door at 11:30 pm on weekends. There is always a line wrapping around the corner each time I have visited this bakery, which is really a tiny little shop that barely fits ten customers, let alone the overflowing masses. Yet their quaint charm with Depression-era icebox cakes and classic "Barbie cake" pink-tinted vanilla buttercream cupcakes, Magnolia soon became an NYC staple and is now legendary.
Philadelphia: Brown Betty Dessert Boutique is like a lingerie store for desserts. With sexy decor and flavor titles such as the Rum Nudie, you wonder what kind of tasty treat you're buying - perfect for its Brown Betty Petite city center location near Rittenhouse Square, a fashionable district with panache. In Philly last weekend we tried the classic red velvet cupcake at the sinful Hattie Don't Play - chocolate on chocolate with the richest fudgy frosting imaginable. Betty don't play, mkayyy.
Washington, DC: Georgetown Cupcake, the gourmet cupcake shop that's now a fast-growing enterprise. I have it on good authority from my spies in the industry - okay my sister worked there - that the owners Katherine and Sophie, fashion industry vets who took their design skills to style desserts instead of dresses, pride themself in presentation. Any tiny imperfection in the decoration and that cupcake can't be sold, which is why staff has to work for months at the shop before they're even allowed to ice a single cupcake. It's an art form, respect. With a more extensive menu than the other cupcakeries featured here, in addition to the traditional staples Georgetown Cupcake has daily specials that switch weekly - come Monday and you'll find Honey Banana and Toffee Crunch, come Tuesday and find Lemon Blossom, Thursday Key Lime, Friday Lava Fudge and Saturday Salted Caramel. I've tried nearly all the flavors (perks of having family in the industry, and the dozens of "imperfect" cupcakes that never hit the glass case) and they're damn good. Georgetown Cupcake even developed a seasonal menu with rotating flavors, with Irish Cream for St. Patrick's Day, Pumpkin Spice in autumn and White Chocolate Peppermint, Gingerbread and Chocolate Egg Nog in December. Now that they have expanded into catering I dare say these cupcakes are taking over the world ...
So take a trip up and down the eastern seaboard and try them all - get ready for a sugar rush!
Now look at the booming cupcake industry: a few individuals caught on to cupcakes' enticement, bringing out every inner child, and they created cupcake shops to celebrate this. Selling cupcakes individually, devoting attention to decorating cupcakes by hand to look as works of art, they garnered attention for this peculiar niche and began the trend that has now become a culinary cultural phenomenon. Some say it began with Magnolia bakery in New York City, others have their own opinions about "where it really started." Whatever your preference, here's my guide to the creme de la creme of cupcakeries on the East coast.
Boston: Sweet, with locations in Back Bay and Harvard Square, has got the chic and elegant thing down to a T - in Beantown you're practically obligated to try their Boston Cream Pie cupcake flavor, sweet chiffon cake filled with homemade pastry cream and topped with chocolate ganache and a frosting "cherry." They also sell "little bites" versions if you just want a taste, which really appealed to me. Yet I have to say my favorite cupcakes in Boston are those of the bakery at Party Favors in Coolidge Corner, which really rock. They come in tea, regular, or jumbo sized, in florals, custom, or their assortment of fun flavors such as Oreo cookies 'n cream and a German chocolate cake with Bevarian cream, or the positively decadent affair topped with Godiva truffles. Here, it's go big or go home.
New York: Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in the West Village opened in 1996 and grew a steady following as "the" late-night bakery in the city, with a line out the door at 11:30 pm on weekends. There is always a line wrapping around the corner each time I have visited this bakery, which is really a tiny little shop that barely fits ten customers, let alone the overflowing masses. Yet their quaint charm with Depression-era icebox cakes and classic "Barbie cake" pink-tinted vanilla buttercream cupcakes, Magnolia soon became an NYC staple and is now legendary.
Philadelphia: Brown Betty Dessert Boutique is like a lingerie store for desserts. With sexy decor and flavor titles such as the Rum Nudie, you wonder what kind of tasty treat you're buying - perfect for its Brown Betty Petite city center location near Rittenhouse Square, a fashionable district with panache. In Philly last weekend we tried the classic red velvet cupcake at the sinful Hattie Don't Play - chocolate on chocolate with the richest fudgy frosting imaginable. Betty don't play, mkayyy.
Washington, DC: Georgetown Cupcake, the gourmet cupcake shop that's now a fast-growing enterprise. I have it on good authority from my spies in the industry - okay my sister worked there - that the owners Katherine and Sophie, fashion industry vets who took their design skills to style desserts instead of dresses, pride themself in presentation. Any tiny imperfection in the decoration and that cupcake can't be sold, which is why staff has to work for months at the shop before they're even allowed to ice a single cupcake. It's an art form, respect. With a more extensive menu than the other cupcakeries featured here, in addition to the traditional staples Georgetown Cupcake has daily specials that switch weekly - come Monday and you'll find Honey Banana and Toffee Crunch, come Tuesday and find Lemon Blossom, Thursday Key Lime, Friday Lava Fudge and Saturday Salted Caramel. I've tried nearly all the flavors (perks of having family in the industry, and the dozens of "imperfect" cupcakes that never hit the glass case) and they're damn good. Georgetown Cupcake even developed a seasonal menu with rotating flavors, with Irish Cream for St. Patrick's Day, Pumpkin Spice in autumn and White Chocolate Peppermint, Gingerbread and Chocolate Egg Nog in December. Now that they have expanded into catering I dare say these cupcakes are taking over the world ...
So take a trip up and down the eastern seaboard and try them all - get ready for a sugar rush!
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