Sweet Jen L's

We need to discuss a very important topic today and the conclusions we draw may well divide us.

"Like what, Jen?" you ask.

"Peace?"  "Politics?"  "Philosophy?"

No... today we need to talk about cupcakes.

(As a caveat, I'm not a cupcake aficionado like either of these gals.  However, I'm a fat person with a serious carbohydrate jones and I know what I like, thus I'm qualified to direct this discussion.) 

After the Whole Foods debacle, I decided to get cupcakes in lieu of a cake proper.  Since I had the time and it was my birthday, I figured I was obligated to purchase the finest cupcakes available.  I did a search on Yelp.com and fellow Chicagoans recommended Sweet Mandy B's, a twee little bakery in Lincoln Park. 

So, I set off on Mission Cupcake and drove about ten minutes from my house.  I pulled up and got to park right out front (bonus points!) and I began to enter the pastel storefront.  However, a jackass dashed in the door right before I was able to grab the knob.  This man appeared to have come directly from the movie Wall Street with his slicked-back hair, shiny suspenders, and manic energy.  While I seethed about his rudeness, he kept bounding back and forth between display cases and offering a constant stream of persiflage. 

"You know, you guys have the best cupcakes in the city.  I mean it.  Yours?  Totally primo.  And you know other bakeries are trying to do what you do?  And you know what?  They're just copying.  You guys are the original.  You guys are the best.  And you know what?  No one else does stuff like this."

I'm not sure if he was high on Bolivian marching powder or sugar, but I do know after two seconds in his presence, I wanted to kick him in the throat.  Also, dude?  They're FUCKING CUPCAKES.  Sweet Mandy B's did not INVENT cupcakes.  Cupcakes existed LONG BEFORE THIS PLACE OPENED.  For God's sake, I clearly recall bringing this exact substance to school thirty years ago because it was my birthday.  And if my mom invented the cupcake, then someone needs to cut her a check.

Anyway, Gordon Gekko bought a giant stack-o-cakes and eventually paid and got out of the way and I finally got a good look at the cupcake selection.  And can I tell you this?

NOT IMPRESSED. 

They appeared to be garden-variety cupcakes, neither large nor small.  They had the homemade look of imperfection - they were uneven, with parts of the baked cake spilling over the sides.  Strike one.  If I'm paying $2/cake, they should be perfectly uniform and I don't give a shit if it looks like they came from a commercial bakery. 

Anyway, I picked out six cakes - one lemon, one orange, one chocolate/chocolate iced, one red velvet with cream cheese frosting, one golden with chocolate icing, and one golden with pink icing.  The whole time I was making my selection, I was also being swarmed by small flying insects.  (I did ask if I could get one "without gnats" and the counter person said none of them had nuts.  Strike two.)

I paid for my cupcakes and the cashier handed me my box.  I ran the rest of my glamorous birthday errands (dropping off dry cleaning, buying dog food, mailing bills) and didn't crack open the box until I got home for I am a heroic model of self-control. Then I couldn't figure out which one I wanted, so I took bites out of the lemon, the orange, and the golden/pink.  (Perhaps I spoke a bit soon about my heroic self-control.)

Again?  NOT IMPRESSED.

Here's my problem - cupcakes should be dense, moist, and richly flavored and the frosting should be light and buttery.  Frosting is supposed to begin to melt when it touches the heat of your lips.  These cakes were dry and airy and they were covered in a thick, super-sugary confection I could use to respackle the wall next to my shower where there's water damage. 

In my opinion, cupcakes should make you ache for a glass of milk, not a toothbrush.  A good cupcake is ALL ABOUT THE CAKE.  The frosting should just be (forgive me) the icing on the cake.  Plus, the taste of these particular cakes wasn't anything I couldn't achieve with a box of Duncan Hines and some flavored extract.  (However, we are talking about cupcakes so it's not like they were bad.  They just weren't what I wanted or expected.)

So, here are my questions for today:

1)  For the local people - where should I go for cupcakes around here?

2)  For everyone else, what constitutes a good cupcake for you?  Is the light cake/heavy frosting what most people want?  Is there a variety I should seek, e.g. "You haven't lived until you tried a coconut/eggnog/Chai tea cupcake."

3)  If I wanted to buy the world's finest cupcake, where would I go?  (And are they available online?)

Discuss.

P.S.  Yes, I did consume a cupcake while writing this post.  I had the red velvet one.  It was better in terms of density and flavor, but again, nothing I couldn't achieve at home.

Comments

[Liz H.]

Happy B-Day Jen!! I have to say, I love anything that comes out of Sweet Occasions in Andersonville as well as the Cupcakes at Flourish, just west of the Bryn Mawr red line stop. Happy cupcake hunting!

[yocheved]

I vote for Deerfield Bakery. You can try all these places, and let us know what you think. I guess that would mean extra work-outs, though, so maybe it's not worth it.

[Ashley]

It sounds like they're just ripping off the Wilton Buttercream Recipe. To this day, I've never made an icing as sickeningly sugary as that one. And I'm from the South... you can STAND A SPOON in my tea from all the sugar. I refuse "sweet" tea if it's offered by a Yankee. I am quite serious about my sugar jones. But that recipe is primarily consisting of a cup of Crisco and a pound of confectioner's sugar. It doesn't melt when it hits your mouth because it dries to be too hard. Once it sits in your mouth a while, it'll dissolve. Around the time you feel that cavity start to form.
The cakes were dry because they've been pre-made, frozen, and then thawed. They're using too thick of a batter recipe as well.
The only way to make sure your cupcakes don't suck all to hell is to make them yourself. Or, to guilt a friend with some abilities into doing it for you. The best recipe I've ever used is the one on the back of the Hershey's cocoa box. It's chocolately and sugar but not gagging. Plus, it stays moist forever if you keep it covered.
As for this bakery, tell them to get a big cup, and fill it with vinegar. Then tell them to pour some Dawn (not the fancy scented stuff) into it. Sit it somewhere... it will get rid of the gnats. That way, their customers don't have to eat bugs with their crap ass cupcakes.

[MichelleBB]

For me, living on the South Beach (Diet, not locale), a cupcake -dry or moist with sugary or lite frosting - is the tastiest treat no matter where it comes from. I yearn to taste something sweet and really need a carb-fix.
But enough about me, I've actually had great luck with Sam's Club. They're fresh (obviously a requirement), tasty and approx. 46 cents per. Gotta love it.

[Elizabeth]

In Chicago, Cupcakes on Briar and Broadway has awesome flavors and very light frosting. Luscious Layers is another great pick....and they DELIVER! Dinkel's is an excellent choice, as are the ones at Southport Cafe and Grocery....mmmmm!

Of course, I love anything with a sugar content.

[Angie]

The best cupcake I ever had was from The Sisters McMullen in Asheville, North Carolina. I had a chocolate cupcake with the most amazing peanut butter frosting that was then coated in peanuts.

It was moist, the frosting wasn't too sweet and it was enormous! It cost me $1.35.

I believe they do online ordering, but I'm not 100% sure because for some god forsaken reason, the website won't load right now. But the address is http://www.thesistersmcmullen.com

[Melanie]

Best cupcakes? Sprinkles Cup Cakes. Sprinkles is a bakery in Beverly Hills, CA but they sell the mix at Williams Sonoma! They are out of this world, and they have a lot of different flavors, including red velvet.

[LJ]

Alright, whoever posted on Egg Nog cupcakes, please share? Drool. That sounds FANTASTIC!

[Chelsea M.]

I am a fellow cupcakephile, and I'd recommend Sensational Bites on Southport, just a few doors down from the Music Box. Just remember they're closed on Mondays. Also, if you're in the mood to drive, you can go up to Evanston to Bennison's on Davis Street. They have the best EVERYTHING.

But seriously, Sensational Bites? To. Die. For.

[natalie]

the perfect cupcake is dense enough not to crumble into a million pieces when you bite into it forcing you to pick up the small crumbs that were once a cupcake with a fork... yet light enough that they retain the moist/just out of the oven taste. as for frosting... there should be a little extra then the standard layer, but not so much that you are left with a film of sugar on your teeth. am i too picky? sorry i just LOVE cupcakes! they are my fave treat :) my bff and i are going to open our own cupcake shop one day and when we do, you must come to the opening! "guest appearance by Jen Lancaster.... and her thoughts on cupcakes!" i see it in big bright lights with a flashing cupcake icon!

[Jessica]

Hi Jen,

Big fan. Love your books and can't wait for the next one. I work in NYC and for a "special" treat we go to Magnolias. They are the absolute best! Looks like they will have a Web site up soon, but if you are ever in NYC you should definitely try them.

http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/

[Alisha]

Not to sound like a big NYC cliche, but my friends and I LOVE Magnolia Bakery. I especially love their red velvet cupcakes (They're so tasty that I leave the store with at least 4 and by the time I get home there are only 2 cupcakes left). And guess what? You can achieve their marvelous confections at home with their Magnolia Bakery cookbook:)

[Melissa]

I can tell you where NOT to go in the city of for a cupcake. CUPCAKES on Briar and Broadway. Not only are their cup cakes bad they are high maintenance. Seriously, they come with instructions and are ridiculously expensive. FYI, gross.

[Danielle]

Mmmm...Cupcakes.

My favorite dessert EVER! To this day the sight of a cupcake makes me tremble in anticipation. That being said, a cupcake:

MUST HAVE moist, fluffy cake.
REQUIRES soft, gooey frosting, preferably in creamy chocolate or luscious cream cheese.
WILL SELF DESTRUCT WITH super-sweet sugar whipped topping pretending to be frosting.
IS INEDIBLE IF burnt, heavy, hardened, over sweet or not-sweet-enough.

My cupcake of choice? A clasic vanilla cake with ooey-gooey chocolate frosting (the store-bought is actually great in my opinion, especially when eated directly from the can with a spoon...) and just the slightest sprinkling of ranibow sprinkles.

Now excuse me while I mop up the drool that has accumulated on my keyboard.

[RR]

Come up and do a book tour in Toronto, where there are fab cupcakes on almost every corner...
http://www.eini.ca and http://www.eatmywords.org/ are pricey but also donate to charities...
http://www.thecupcakeshoppe.ca/ has perfect little gems of deliciousness...
The only lousy cupcake I've had here... was from Whole Paycheque. Sorry, I mean Foods. Whole Foods.

[carla]

Seriously Chicago people??? Southport Grocery has the finest overall cupcake. Simple, straightforward, yummy. If you want different flavors and fancy stuff I second Cupcake on briar and also Swirlz (mainly because one of my friends is part-owner, and they do vegan and gluten free ones for those who have diet restrictions.)

[TheBabblingHousewife]

I learned early on in my marriage to use nothing besides Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe mix or I would get my ass kicked. And then I would get made fun of.

Then just use the plain ol' chocolate icing recipe found in the Betty Crocker checked cookbook.

Red Velvet Cake is my fav. And, as far as grocery stores go...Walmart has the best...Sam's Club, too, if you can find one there. The cake is dense...and they don't screw up the cream cheese icing.

[RinLA]

Having lived in NYC I can honestly say that Magnolia's cupcakes are a must-have, but make sure that you get a glass of milk with it, you'll need it.

Now, living in LA, I've been sampling lots of cupcakes and although Sprinkles cupcakes are good, Cake and Art (http://www.cakeandart.com/cupcakes.htm) is my new absolute favorite. Almost all of their cupcakes are filled with something great and the actual cake and icing are amazing on their own.

Go. Soon. Or at least check out their website.

[Erin]

I'm beyond shocked that nobody has mentioned Trani in Boston's North End. The cakes themselves are airy and delicious, the frosting is gooey and just the perfect amount... and then they INJECT THEM WITH ICE CREAM.
'Nuff Said.

[Megan]

Damn you all, because I am literally salivating now after reading all these posts.

The perfect cupcake is a day or two old, so that its exposed bits get a nice texture as opposed to mushy and gooey. There is a nice dollop of frosting on top, one that is not lard based (because the mouth goo film afterwards is just vile). Cream cheese frosting is always lovely. As for type of cake and frosting? Does it really matter? It's a freaking CUPCAKE, people, which is heaven on earth unto itself.

For those in Phoenix, I'm sure you all know about Tammie Coe Cakes. The house "Ooey Gooey" specials are divine, and have left me stranded on the doorstep despondent on a Sunday evening to find them closed. Larger, heavier, and denser than your boyfriend's ex, these are chocolicious mini-mountains.

[Trisha]

If ever you're in Oregon...look up St. Cupcake (http://www.saintcupcake.com/welcome/) they truly are the BEST cupcakes around. I wish they shipped orders because they are everything YOU, Jen, wants and expects a cupcake to be!! Happy hunting. :)

[Karin Pacheco]

The best cupcakes come from Sprinkles in LA. They sell them at Williams and Sonoma (should you want to make them yourself). They will also overnight a whole box to you from their website..

[Melissa]

Happy Birthday!
Cupcakes at Briar & Broadway
Bittersweet on Belmont
Dinkle's is on Lincoln, south of Paulina

[SnarkyMommy fka Sprengblingbling]

I just blogged about Sweet Mandy B's last month!
http://www.snarkymommy.com/2007/10/cupcakes-anyone.html

Bastards.

But I do enjoy their product. I also think Dinkels (on Lincoln, north of School) has a very good version. We had the red velvet cake from Fox and Obel at the last book club and I swear to God, I died and went to heaven.

[Ann]

I can't vouch for Chicago bakeries, but Main Street Cupcakes in Hudson, Ohio (outside of Cleveland) has the most amazing cupcakes I have ever tasted. And some of the flavors on the menu... dee-licious. Margarita, Bellini, Mojito... oh my!

http://www.mainstreetcupcakes.com/index.htm

I don't know if they ship, but the Half-Baked cupcake, filled with a chocolate chip cookie dough center, is worth the trip to Cleveland alone. Trust me, there is nothing good to see or do in Cleveland, so that is saying a lot.

[Poppy]

I second (or third or whatever - my eyes started to blur after about the eleventy-billionth comment) the commenters who said to try the Southport Grocery. They only make two kinds - chocolate and vanilla so it's pretty hard to screw them up (although I guess considering the number of crappy cupcakes out there it IS easy to screw up a simple thing).

And Magnolia? I'm sure I'm going to get a resounding chorus of the Bronx cheer, but I thought they sucked. The frosting was too dense and their employees are like the cupcake nazis. You can only buy a certain number and woe to the out-of-towner who is unaware of their policy. I grabbed one more than the limit and they read me the riot act. After I ate the first one I was sorry to have bought as many as I had. Blech.

[Jessica]

i don't have any fantastic recipes or anything, but i will suggest the best technique for eating a cup cake:

Step 1: pop the top, frosting and all
Step 2: place the stump directly on top of the frosted top
Step 3: give it a little smash and bit into it like a sandwich

trust me, this enhances the cupcake experience ten-fold. try it and you will never go back to your primitive cupcake eating habits.

also... best cupcakes ever:

http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/index.html

not sure if they only do local delivery or long distance too, but there is a location coming soon to Chicago!! and don't worry... theirs are large and frosted expertly.

[Heidi Haegerich]

Whoever told you to go to Swirlz for cupcakes is off her rocker. Those things cost a bloody fortune and taste like rocks. I had a carrot cake cupcake there once. Fist off, you couldn't taste any kind of carrot flavor. Second, they put vanilla frosting on it. Shouldn't carrot cake come with cream cheese frosting? My friends tried other various flavors, and none of us were impressed. In fact, we felt ripped off because they charged us 2 bucks for those peices of paltry pastry.

Try Bittersweet on Belmont. I've never tasted their cupcakes, but they have amazingly yummy cookies and things.

[Sarah (the usual one.)]

zoom to 20 minutes later when i realize the only cupcake they ship outside Manhattan is some chocolate/vanilla concoction by one of the Howard Stern announcers...whether or not the proceeds go to a charity i'll pass...

www.crumbsbakeshop.com...you're a tease

[Daphne]

I have yet to find a cupcake place in Chicago that is as orgasmic as the reviews claim they are, although the place Sarah's on Oak Street hasn't disappointed me yet.

My parents retired and moved to Henderson, NV a few years ago and this is where I found cupcake nirvana...The Cupcakery. I can't accurately describe how amazing their cupcakes are, and, I have yet to have one I didn't love. I am not a chocolate freak, and, I swear, I'd marry one of their Lemmonberry cupcakes. They don't deliver out of state yet, but, I've been on them to get this going, because since my mom died I'm not out there as often as before and I am seriously jonesing for a Cupcakery cupcake.
http://www.thecupcakery.com

[St. Louis Pi Phi Blog Readers]

Ok, we know you're not a big fan of St. Louis... but the Cakery Bakery (in Dogtown - come on "Dog"town, you know it has to be a great place) has the best cupcakes in the world. They even have a new bakery in Central West End that just sells their cupcakes. Come to the dark side (St. Louis) and have a cupcake!

[Sarah (the usual one.)]

So I just ordered a half a dozen cupcakes from crumbsbakeshop in NY for my mom's birthday on tuesday (13th) I'll let you know! :) They deliver..obviously bc i'm in OK and they're in NY...fedex. I'm excited :)

[JenM]

Whole Foods (even given their cake nastiness) has great cupcakes with a wonderful buttercream frosting. I'd give them another shot. Oh, and they're beautifully decorated with frosting about three inches high. Yum.

[Mandi]

This is funny that I read this today after making 60 cupakes for my daughter & neices birthdays last night. But agree a cupcake should me moist, not a brick, and the icing should be light and cramy not like caulk! So since i live in lil ol Delaware when I want to splurge on a cup cake I got to Sweet N Sassy. They do have a web site www.sweetnsassycupcakes.com Do they deliver? I have no idea but they its worh the try cuz they is yummy! LOL
Ok good luck on your quest to the perfect cupcake!

[Kristi]

I love cupcakes...seriously, it's my favorite dessert! I prefer a vanilla cupcake with buttercream icing. It may sound boring, but it's so yummy! I like my cake moist and light (not dense like a cake doughnut) with creamy icing. My favorite is Betty Crocker with buttercream icing...it's heaven! I've been to Billy's Bakery (in NYC) and Sprinkles (in Dallas)...both of which were too heavy and waxy-tasting for me. I actually was VERY disappointed on both occasions by the product and the cost...totally not worth it!

[Busted]

Ok, I love cupcakes but only because they're small and portable.

You may want to try Crumbs in NYC. http://www.crumbsbakeshop.com/productlist.php?catid=1

I think they have THE BEST cupcakes $3.50 could buy. All their cupcakes are HUGE (each one weighs like 3 lbs) they look perfect and are moist.

You could split 1 cupcake with 3-4 people cause they are just THAT big. enjoy

[Jill]

I went on Chicago Bites cupcake crawl last year. Swirlz had just opened then, and boy were they a disappointment for the money. Cupcakes on Briar was hit/miss. Southport Grocery was disgusting--what a waste of money! Thanks to the crawl, I've never gone back to these places.

Sweet Occasions in Andersonville (and another location by the Damen Brown Line) is pretty good, and they have some interesting flavors.

I have to agree that Dinkel's is really good--light and fluffy with a good amount of frosting. And they're cheap. Just chocolate and yellow options, but hands down, they are a hell of a lot better than cupcakes twice the price!

And another vote for Fox & Obel--I keep wanting to try their other cupcakes, but I can't get past the red velvet because it's sooooooooo good!

[Megan]

There's a little cake shop here in Denver called Mulberries. It's in the Old South Pearl Street business district. They have AMAZING cupcakes that are pretty unconventional. They specialize in filled cakes and cupcakes. I know what you're thinking "Filling does not a cupcake make." I thought the same thing until I had their German Chocolate cupcake. The cake is light and fluffy, and since they put a blob of filling in the middle, the cupcake is not smothered in icing. It's 4 blocks from my house and I am going there on my way home.

[Diana P.]

Jen-
I loves me some good cupcakes, and i agree that they need to have the right combo of moist cakey goodness with a light complimentary frosting. The best I have found (And Ive tried a few) are at the Magnolia Bakery in NYC.
http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/
Their redvelvet cupcakes will bring a tear to your eye with their illegal goodness. Bonus- you can order online. :)

[Amanda]

best cupcakes you ask? SAN FRANCISCO's Ghirardelli Square (that's right... the chocolate mecca) The place is call Kara's Cupcakes ( karascupcakes.com ). It is absolutely AMAZING.... AND they deliver.

[Timre]

What about Cupcakes? http://www.chicagocupcakes.com/flavors.php
Awesome cupcakes and not nearly so pretentious.

[Elizabeth]

http://www.swirlzcupcakes.com/

Lincoln.
Belden.
Swirlz.
Trust me.

[Liz K]

Sprinkles hands down. Dont know if they are in Chicago (I'm in Dallas), but if you are ever even remotely near one...GO. You dont even realize cupcakes could taste that good...totally worth almost $3 per cupcake. Plus they all look uniform and perfect and the store had an awesome mod motif. Better than Magnolia in NYC, which is saying something.

[Jessie]

My favorites ever are from Magnolia Bakery in NYC. Here's the link: http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/

It looks like they're putting together a new website, and I'm not sure if you can order online, but their recipe should be online somewhere. I made them once and they were delicious!

If you want someting else delicious, since you can't order those right now, you could always order rugelach from Zabars (http://www.zabars.com/zabars-fresh-baked-rugelach/default/911000T.prd). They're Heaven.

[Jules]

If in the Boston area, try Party Favors in Brookline - http://www.partyfavorsbrookline.com/

Their cakes and cupcakes are amazing and the reason for far too many dimpled thighs.

[carrie]

The best cupcakes/cake in the entire world can be found at Butterfingers in Highland, Indiana. It is just over the border at Indianapolis and 45th. You must call first because they do not make every combination everyday. I am a plain jane and love the vanilla cake with plain cream cheese frosting. The cake is super dense and so moist that it almost seems undercooked. The frosting is thick and sweet, but not overpowering. I think the cupcakes are about $1.25 each. Definitely something to think about on your next drive to Indiana!

[Erika]

I have always enjoyed NY Cupcakes. I believe it's a national brand (owing to the fact that they're available here in Washington which is not, in fact, New York). Their cupcakes are not only pleasing to behold (each variety has its own aesthetic presentation) but they're everything you would want a cupcake to be.

[Sarah (the usual one.)]

Chicago right?

OMG...you have to check out

http://chicagocupcakes.com

soo SOOO good!

[Nat]

Hey Jen!

I too am not a huge cupcake fan either, but when I was in San Francisco this summer, my fiance and I came across a cupcake shop in Ghirardelli Square. It's called Kara's Cupcakes. We were a little weary about it at first because everything is organic and we thought "ok, how good could an organic cupcake be?? I mean, hello it's a cupcake! It's supposed to be filled with lots of fat, sugar and artery clogging goodness!" well, we gave it a try and realized "DAYUM! They are awesome!" So if your ever in San Francisco give them a try. They MAY ship, but my fiance would rather I not check because he's afraid he'll have to put me in a Cupcake addicts support group or something after I devoured 3 in a matter of 2 minutes. good luck with the cupcake hunting!

[Ree]

Gordon Gecko was obviously a plant. A decoy determined to make you spend hard-earned calories on crappe.

Personally a cupcake is blech anyway. Unless it's filled. With melty chocolate or vanilla cream. And they're still warm. You can leave the frosting off at that point.