craving cupcakes, where to go?

I'm on a cupcake kick. My stomach is loving it, but my waistline isn't lol so lately I've gone to Bennison's Bakery, Swirlz, Sweet Mandy B's, Molly's Cupcakes, Bleeding Heart Bakery, and Sweet Cakes. Bennison's red velvet and carrot cake are my #1 so far followed by Swirlz. I enjoyed all the cupcakes I've eaten EXCEPT Sweet Cakes. I went there this past Sunday and they were cold from sitting in the fridge. The cakes were pretty dry, and the frosting on the carrot cake was literally ROCK HARD. The plastic knife wouldn't cut through it! I haven't exhausted my sweet tooth yet and want to try more places. What other great cupcakes have I yet to devour? I'm likely to try Sensational Bites, Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique, and Sweet Honeybee Bakery. Good? Bad? Where else should I go?

Sensational Bites.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=18935

Try http://www.morecupcakes.com/. You have to order them online. I was at a bridal shower where they had these apple gorgonzola that were pretty tasty, but I like gorgonzola.

There's a new place on Waukegan south of Oakton in Niles called Le Sucre. I'm stuffed with paczki so you can go and tell me how it is.

Southport Grocery - deceptively simple, available only in vanilla or chocolate. But simple is delicious (in this case.)

Southport Grocery
3552 N. Southport
Chicago, IL

And what about Dinkels?

Dinkel's has a really heavy frosting to cake ratio going, so if you like that, you will be happy. Dinkel's has been very consistent over the past 5 years for moist birthday cakes and very good doughnuts.

Do you work in or near the loop? There is a new place on Wabash called Sugar Bliss (or something along these lines) right next to the Fanny May, between Washington and Randolph. They do both mini and regular sized "gourmet" cupcakes. I had a mini carrot cinnamon the other day and it was nice and moist. But I felt oddly indulgent popping a tiny morsel of cake and frosting into my mouth for $1.50. And also did a double take on the fact that a dozen of their regular sized cupcakes are $40. You do the math.

I really like cupcakes, I like them so much that for my 40th birthday I ordered a couple pf dozen from Angel Food. They were decorated so well, super fun colors and sprinkles but I panicked the morning of because I realized we had more people coming than cupcakes. So I busted out a box of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix and made cupcakes with that, I did make chocolate frosting from scratch (with Baker's chocolate squares). Across the board, from the little kids to foodie grown-ups, everyone wanted more of the DH cupcakes and the Angel Food cupcakes (which were fine, not dry or anything) were left over. So I dunno, but for a couple of bucks, you can make 18 cupcakes instead of eating one. Oh and frosted cupcakes, just like frosted cakes, freeze up beautifully. Might make sense in this cruddy economy.

bjt

Yes, Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique is on my list of places to go. I've read both positive and negative reviews for this place so I'm somewhat hesitant to go, but "you never know until you try." I know it's cheaper to make cupcakes at home, but I enjoy the process of traveling to a new place, admiring the cases of cupcakes and/or sweets, and eating them at the location. It's a fun weekend activity lol And besides, I'd never be able to get my cupcakes to look as pretty as Swirlz or any other shop.

I hear you! Just across the way from Sugar Bliss is an outpost of Sarah's Cupcakes which is inside of Macy's. Might be fun to do a taste-off . . .

Of all the places you originally listed I would have to say that other than Dinkel's, Sweet Mandy B's is our fave but we have pretty low-brow expectations. We just want a moist cake with frosting that is creamy/buttery and not fake tasting. That said, my colleague swears by Southport Grocery cupcakes, but when me and the boys tried them, the frosting was way too sugary, had that sugar/grainy mouth feel thing going on. But I know that this is such a subjective thing.

Have fun in your search and let us know!

bjt

Oh yes, you ought to try Sensational Bites on Southport. It's been a year or so, but they did a good balancing of frosting and cake and the cake was very moist. Also, I don't know if they even do cupcakes but the most heavenly carrot cake I have tasted in the city was from Alliance Bakery on Division. If they do cupcake versions of their regular cake, oh man, that would be delightful.

bjt

bjt, if you like carrot cake, I would HIGHLY recommend the carrot cake cupcake from Bennison's Bakery! The cake is very moist. There are thin carrot shreds (and I want to say raisins as well) dispersed throughout which make it somewhat healthy, right? haha And I am a huge fan of their cream cheese frosting. It's very smooth, not too sweet, and super addicting. The cupcakes are jumbo size and cost about $2.75 so it's a bargain compared to how much some cupcake shops are charging nowadays. Bennison's also does tortes and cakes very well! My roommate received the carrot cake cake for her 21st b-day last spring and couldn't stop raving about it. Since I love the carrot cake cupcake, I'm guessing the cake is just as delicious! I hope you'll try their cupcake someday!

I hear you! Just across the way from Sugar Bliss is an outpost of Sarah's Cupcakes which is inside of Macy's. Might be fun to do a taste-off . . .

I work just feet away from both Sarah's and Sugar Bliss and have tried both. I found the Sarah's cupcake pretty dry and both the cake and frosting rather flavorless. Sugar Bliss cupcakes have been pretty good overall. I haven't tried a full-size one, just the minis. But those that I've tried have been quite moist and generally flavorful though there have been some bland ones along the way (the vanilla buttercream for example is underwhelming). The other fun thing about Sugar Bliss is that they sell frosting shots for $1. They come in little paper cups (like you put condiments in at a fast food joint) and you probably get about a tablespoon or two. For those of us who really love the frosting part of a cupcake, it's a nice quick and silly treat.

I just had a red velvet cupcake from Julius Meinl (on Southport) last night. While the cream cheese frosting was SO delicious, the actual cake was bland and dry. In that area, I would definitely recommend Sensational Bites and Southport Grocery.

qofu2 wrote:Try http://www.morecupcakes.com/. You have to order them online. I was at a bridal shower where they had these apple gorgonzola that were pretty tasty, but I like gorgonzola.

More still does have a retail case for walk-ins (they've just put the focus on special event ordering). I have enjoyed the salted caramel, not so much the BLT.

If I visited More Cupcakes, these are some of the flavors I would love to try: coconut, valrohna, mocha, chocolate hazelnut, and chocolate vanilla. Mmm... By the way, what is white velvet? I've never heard of that before. I'm not so sure about these savory flavors (e.g., bacon, carmalized onion) haha Since I associate cupcakes with sweets, my mind might get confused seeing what looks like a dessert but then tasting something I might eat for lunch/dinner. I've heard mixed reviews about More though and I haven't read anything from anyone saying that their cupcakes are more than good/great. So maybe I'll put it towards the bottom of my to try list?

I need to order a plethora of cupcakes for a party in a couple of weeks, so I decided to take one for the team and do a little "research" pitting the cupcakes of Sweet Mandy B's against Southport Grocery (why these two? because I live on the north side and so do they and because they both offer mini cupcakes which I want.) Sorry I didn't take pics... after I bought them I ran a few errands, so by the time I got home they were a little smooshy looking. Both little guys were vanilla with vanilla buttercream frosting, for consistency's sake.

Appearance: edge to Sweet Mandy B's. Their buttercream comes in a bunch of colors AND they have sprinkles. It's just a little cuter.
Cake: Toss up. Southport's cake was a little lighter in color, but both were quite similar in taste, which was light, airy and delicious. I enjoy cake more than frosting, and both of these cakes were really good and fresh.
Frosting: again, edge to Sweet Mandy's. One poster alluded to the frosting at Southport being a little grainy, which was definitely evident when eating them side by side. Sweet Mandy's frosting was creamy yet light and very fresh tasting.
Price: Nearly the same. I think I paid $2.00 at Sweet Mandy's and $2.25 at Southport.

Advantage: Sweet Mandy B's.

Mmm...I do love the frosting at Sweet Mandy B's!!! If I had to buy in bulk, out of all the places I've tried, I think I would go there as well! I'm still going to try Southport's though b/c I've already eaten at SMB's twice hehe

I also added Twisted Sister Bakery to my list. I have 8 places to try now! If I try to exercise moderation and try only one place per weekend, I'll be eating cupcakes for the next two months! How exciting! hahaha

it appears you're out of luck. cupcakes appear to be completely off the culinary radar these days. i cannot think of even one place that is producing and selling them for public consumption.

The appeal of Southport grocery cupcakes is lost on me. Too subtle? I dunno. I had brunch there about a week ago and I split a cupcake with 2 other people so we could see what all the fuss is about. None of us were impressed. The cake is moist and the frosting has a nice texture. But, there wasn't much flavor. I do agree with bjt that the cupcakes at Alliance are quite good, though I haven't been recently.

Since the Shedd is doing a special this month (buy one ticket and get the second free if you show your Jewel card) I'm going to take advantage of this money saving opportunity and invest the saved moola on cupcakes. I'm going to try Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique and I'm very excited! I already looked at the menu and I can't decide on which ones to get!

This past Saturday I went to Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique. Wow! These cupcakes sing they're so good! Haha since I couldn't wait to try them, after leaving the small shop, we double-parked on Wabash and devoured the cupcakes! I purchased their texas red velvet, the cinnamon carrot cake, and the chocolate with coconut cream cheese frosting. Not until after walking out of the shop did I realize that all three cupcakes were topped with cream cheese frosting, but at least I love cream cheese frosting and theirs is fabulous! The texture and consistency is rich and creamy but not too thick and the cheese flavor is present but not too in-your-face. SO DELICIOUS! The cake is incredibly moist! The chocolate was so moist it wouldn't stand up on its own after cutting it in half to share. Very chocolately, YUM! The carrot cake had a great cinnamon aroma with shredded carrot in the batter. (Bennison's Bakery's carrot cake cupcake might be a little better but not by much). The texas red velvet, as its name suggests, felt like velvet in the mouth (i.e., rich and luxurious) lol Sugar Bliss is now my favorite place for cupcakes! While I also love Swirlz and Sweet Mandy B's, this place slightly edges them out- larger variety of flavors, better presentation (I love the piping job of the frosting! Unless my eyes are messed up, the cupcakes weren't lop-sided like others have commented), and compared to Swirlz, which sell for the same price, Sugar Bliss's are significantly larger in size. You MUST try Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique!!! Although I have a long list of other places to try, I'm tempted to go back again next weekend....they're that good!

Okay - this requires a bit more work and money but it's money well spent. The Junior League of Chicago has a cookbook and they have Sweet Mandy B's cupcake recipe. As far as I can tell, the recipe is right now and tastes just like the real ones, well - minus any faults due to my own cooking skills. So now you can have awesome (and cheaper) cupcakes anytime! I got mine from a friend who is in the league, but you can order it on their website. I'd imagine it comes pretty quickly. http://www.jlchicago.org/jlc/npo.jsp?pg=action7

oh, and there are some other famous "chicago" recipes in the book too.

You can try these and support a good cause too, til March 19th anyway:

http://gapersblock.com/drivethru/2009/03/09/bearded_cupcakes_for_a_cause

Are they adorable or what?

TG3909 wrote:Okay - this requires a bit more work and money but it's money well spent. The Junior League of Chicago has a cookbook and they have Sweet Mandy B's cupcake recipe. As far as I can tell, the recipe is right now and tastes just like the real ones, well - minus any faults due to my own cooking skills. So now you can have awesome (and cheaper) cupcakes anytime! I got mine from a friend who is in the league, but you can order it on their website. I'd imagine it comes pretty quickly. http://www.jlchicago.org/jlc/npo.jsp?pg=action7

oh, and there are some other famous "chicago" recipes in the book too.

As a Junior League member, I thank you for the plug! (And thanks for the reminder. I knew the recipe was in there, but haven't made it yet.)

I'm going to be in the Glen Ellyn/Wheaton/Naperville area this upcoming week. I want to get my cupcake fix but don't want to drive into Chicago. Are there any good bakeries in the burbs near me? Thanks!

Swirlz tiramisu and chocolate with peanut butter frosting is awesome!!! I think this is my new #1 cupcake spot!

Also went to Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique this past weekend and got banana banana, orange creamsicle, and chocolate hazelnut. The banana banana was really delicious! The other two flavors were good, but I probably wouldn't get them again. I still like the chocolate coconut, red velvet, and carrot cake from my previous visit.

I was very disappointed with the cupcakes at Tipsy Cakes in Humboldt Park. I went on a Saturday morning and they barely had anything in stock. What they did have was dried out. I think they do most of their cupcakes as orders. Be interesting to find out if anyone has ordered from them.

I also found Sweet Mandy B's chocolate cupcakes w/chocolate frosting recipe here: http://www.recipezaar.com/Chocolate-Cup ... ting-95352 and I found the recipe for Mandy's vanilla cupcakes here: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rS2IEsBgP6I/S ... 719699.jpg. Yelp has a Chicago cupcake ranking here: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=sw ... cago%2C+IL.

I drove there once, but they told me they were closed for a winter vacation or something and were only doing wedding orders. I have yet to try them, but now I'll cross them off my list. Thanks!

A couple days ago I had the cookies and cream cupcake from Sugar Monkey Cupcakes in Naperville. The cake part was somewhat dense, but at least it wasn't crumbly and dry. The frosting, stiff and thick, tasted predominantly of Oreo filling... not really tasty. Grade: C

I was very disappointed in the Swirlz cupcakes; I tried Red Velvet and Passion Mango and both were incredibly flavorless and the filling in the Passion Mango was almost nonexistent. The frosting on that one was good though, and they were very pretty. But they were also nearly twice the price of Molly's and Molly's was much tastier to me.
Spiffy, you mentioned the chocolate with peanut butter frosting...have you tried the Peanut Butter Cream Pie cupcake at Phoebe's? Mighty tasty, and so rich. The cake is yellow though, but if they have that one on the "menu" that day, I bet you can ask for the frosting to be placed on a chocolate cupcake, though you'll miss out on the peanut butter goo filling. Mmmmm....

(If we're using grades: Red Velvet @ Swirlz = C-
Passion/Mango @ Swirlz = D+ for cupcake, A- for frosting
PB Cream Pie @ Phoebe's = A)