My Trip to Cupcakes

I love cupcakes. Cupcakes make me happy. Last year I threw a 'holiday' party (read: not quite hanukkah, not quite christmas) for adults that had, at its soft center, not drinking or eating but cupcake making. So that's the setup. I love cupcakes, I make them well, but I don't have to bake 'em to love 'em.

And so I expected greatness upon my first visit to Cupcakes, the new cupcakes-only joint in Lakeview. Before I jump into my review, I will add a caveat: they just opened. Sarah has not been a professional pastry chef before - this is her first food venture (so it appears from the website and from the layout of the shop - you can barely hear yourself when Sarah is whipping up icing or batter). And her boyfriend has never run a shop before - he was an art dealer (so he's got the people skills). But they have made it cute as a button, eccentric, and very charming and inviting. And they are adorable.

Sarah ices each cake with Italian buttercream ( complicated recipe here for a less complicated recipe check out any of Nick Malgieri's cookbooks) which isn't always the most cooperative. Buttercream, for one, tends to be polarizing - some hate it, some love it. Buttercream to me is 'high culture' and needs a balance (at least in selection) of 'low culture' (butter and confectioner's sugar, yum). Today's selection was exclusively buttercream. Each day they produce specific cupcake varieties, and publish the day's offerings on their website. So if you are vegan, you wait until the day they produce vegan cupcakes to go in. You get the picture.

I bought every single cupcake variety that they had available - german chocolate, double chocolate, carrot, plain vanilla, cinnamon, peach, creamsicle, and chocolate peanut, with a few duplications to make a dozen. She pipes the frosting using a wide star tip and tops each cake with a little unique touch - candied orange zest on the orange cake, a sharp little piece of cinnamon stick on the cinnamon cake, pecans on the German chocolate, rainbow sprinkles on the vanilla. Each cupcake is $3.00 -- and made with mostly organic ingredients (I don't think the rainbow sprinkles were organic, though I have had the organic variety before). I don't think I have ever paid quite as much for a cupcake, including in NYC. The cupcakes were quite attractive, and they put them in a plastic clamshell-lidded box that held each cupcake in place. It was very convenient, but not very quaint.

I waited until work to try the cupcakes with a few colleagues. By the time we sat down with the cupcakes (four hours after I purchased them) a few of the icings were falling apart -- they had never been entirely emulsified, and sitting out at room temperature they had started to ooze a bit. The visual wasn't appealing.

For me, the test of buttercream is how it tastes at the proper temperature - room temp. The mouth feel should be soft, sweet, but not greasy. It is a tricky balance. The buttercream, across the board, was very greasy tasting and not quite sweet enough. It tasted like no salt had been added. And salt is the pastry chef's best friend.

I'll spare you the gory details of the tasting (I do have exhaustive notes). The cake was actually quite good -- a dousing with some flavored simple syrup could have improved post-baking moisture content -- with a nice even small crumb and decent flavor. The buttercream, however, just didn't do it for me or the other tasters. One taster walked into my office and told me he was disappointed in the double chocolate cupcake and that he would not go there himself. The carrot cake, which should have been a slam-dunk, was dry with an unpleasant, chunky texture and was iced with a meringue topping - I missed the contrast of sour cream.

I wish I could have reported incredible cupcakes. I wanted to love it - I adored my visit to the bakery and would go back just to support the couple that opened it. But the buttercream skills need to be improved, and Sarah should continue to investigate the world of icing. There are a lot of recipes out there.

Cupcakes has a lot of potential, and could be amazing. I'll go back in a month or two and see how they are doing. And maybe I'll buy another dozen.

sadly, i have to agree. i too was very excited when i heard about this place opening. but the execution doesn't hold up. the flavor of the cakes was fine. but one of them was barely half full of cake, with the rest of the cup filled in with buttercream. and the buttercream.....such a sorry excuse for what buttercream should be. it's texture was horrible - like limp whipped cream -- and mine had only been out of the store for about 15mins, not 4 hours like in the initial post. perhaps with more work and practice it would be a place to recommend. and i know it's organic, but this is chicago -- $3 for a cupcake??? they have much larger ones for less at selmarie. i hope to go back soon to see if there are any improvements. they have a long way to go.

I'm wondering if the heat/humidity had something to do with the blah buttercream. I'm an avid baker and it's difficult to have buttercream hold up in the heat/humidity we've had lately...

Foodie1, good theory. I'm a pastry chef by training and (former) profession, and I've made buttercreams that withstand the ambient temperature of an office and the heat of a summer day. The buttercreams that had an added emulsifier - peanut butter, for example -- had better texture. The texture issues, the emulsification issues (more importantly) point to a lack of experience. If buttercream is made properly, it doesn't de-emulsify. And if it does, it can be re-emulsified. But more importantly, it just didn't taste good. No salt=lack of flavor amplification. Truly.

I just tried a cupcake there. As much as it pains me to admit this, it was pretty good (yellow cake/buttercream). I also found the guy behind the counter pretty nice so I wish them best of luck. My guess is they will either score big with the "i know this place that only makes cupcakes" urban wannabe hipster crowd or they fall flat on their face because "I ain't paying $3 for a little cupcake."

Is it worth $3? Hell no. It's quite small for a $3 cupcake and even it they increased the size, $2 is more like what I'd be willing to pay for even a very large and very good cupcake.

While making it organic may be noble, overcharging for it isn't. The price difference in making a good non-organic cupcake and good organic cupcake doesn't justify charging $3. All is it does is further the elitist organic Whole Foods mentality.

I'll have to join the club of those less than enthused with Cupcakes. First, I loved the look of the place both outside and in -- they did a great job with the decor. Unfortunately, the cupcakes did not match the decor. I ordered the Oranges and Cream and the Carrot Cake. I was given 2 Oranges and Cream (for the price of one) as the owner mentioned that they were a little on the smaller side for that day.

Oranges & Cream - The buttercream had a perfectly smooth texture but lacked flavor and was not sweet. The cupcake itself was dense but surprisingly, a little on the dry side. I really did not find much of an orange flavor. But interestingly, I gave the second cupcake to a friend and she loved it, so who knows.

Carrot Cake - Again, the buttercream was perfect in texture, but lacking sweetness. The cake itself had a nice flavor, packed with nuts and raisins, but was a little on the dry side.

Overall, I was mildly disappointed. Hopefully, they'll right the ship because the two owners were extremely nice and when you meet them you can't help but hope for them to succeed. Also, it's a concept that has worked well elsewhere (NY for example) and they certainly offer great sounding flavors. But the beginning seems very rough.

Someone brought a dozen to the office today and we all got to sample one. I picked the Coconut Cream Pie hoping it would be moist, sweet and full of toasty coconut flavor. I could tell right away that I wasn't going to like the frosting. The taste and texture can only be described as SOLID BUTTER. Literally, it looked, felt and tasted like those little rosettes of butter you get at restaurants. I had the urge to spread that sucker on a baguette. I believe these had been refrigerated overnight so that might account for the firmness of the frosting. But that's no excuse for the taste. Like a stick of butter in my mouth! Ack.

The cake itself was dry and crumbly and really disappointing. I could not really discern any coconut flavor. I would expect a cream pie cupcake to have an extremely moist texture. And would a dollop of pudding in the middle be too much to ask? I'm not sure since I don't have much experience baking cupcakes. I intend to practice once I get a stand mixer.

A fellow co-worked tried the Red Velvet variety and described it as "poopy." Another co-worked tried the Strawberry Shortcake and complained of lack of strawberry flavor.

I ate two small bites of mine and threw the rest away. I have no urge to visit the store but I wish them the best of luck anyway. Hopefully they will improve their recipes so they can stand up to the hefty pricetag.

petit pois wrote:A fellow co-worked tried the Red Velvet variety and described it as "poopy."

BR wrote:Also, it's a concept that has worked well elsewhere (NY for example)

Well, kinda. Mrs. JiLS and I had some of the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village about four years ago. Magnolia is often cited as the archetype or at least inspiration for Cupcakes and the whole "just cupcakes" phenomenon. The irony here is that Magnolia is NOT a "just cupcakes" bakery, although they specialize in desserts and sweets. What they do have, however, is lots and lots of relatively cheap, non-organic (so far as I recall) cupcakes that are baked fresh well into the evening and available late at night. I think that last part is the secret to their success -- they are a great impulse buy for late night strollers. Maybe others in New York have gone "all cupcakes, all the time," but I think it's missing the point to observe that Magnolia Bakery had great success selling cupcakes to urban hipsters and yuppies and conclude "all cupcakes" would be a great success. The freshness and reasonable pricing (to encourage impulse purchases) have to be a major part of the appeal. And I'll agree with others, I would have to think long and hard before dropping $3.00 on a cupcake (this coming from the sap who spent $5.00 on four mini-donuts at Hot Chocolate just two days ago).

Downtown Atlantic in Brooklyn. The best I've had so far. Much better than Maqnolia. Huge and I THINK they are $2 (which of course is even because there's no tax like here making Cupcakes really $3.25 not just $3). Again, like Magnolia, not the only thing they do. Far from it. Mainly a nice little restaurant with live jazz. But the cupakes--trancendant.

CMC wrote:(which of course is even because there's no tax like here making Cupcakes really $3.25 not just $3)

Oh, yeah. My mini-donuts at Hot Chocolate were subject to tax AND a 20% tip (discretionary on my part), so I actually paid $6.50 for four donuts that weighed maybe five ounces, total. My god, I am a moron.

True true of magnolia. And cupcake cafe in NYC too -- unbelievable breakfast pastries, muffins, scones, and donuts. Yes, donuts. The cupcakes are the least tasty thing they sell, and yet the bakery is named for it.

The only other all-cupcake joint that I know of (which is not to say there aren't others) is Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, and they promise to open up in Chicago in 2006. They have a better defined concept than Cupcakes, but Cupcakes should be better established by then.

And the question remains: how long will an all-cupcake joint be sustainable?

Queijo wrote:they promise to open up in Chicago in 2006. They have a better defined concept than Cupcakes, but Cupcakes should be better established by then.

Based on only the posts here, and not on a personal visit, I'd say that this is mere wishful thinking. It sounds like Cupcakes will be long gone and forgotten by then.

Steve, you clearly underestimate the ability of crappy food vendors to survive solely on trixie dollars.

Enough people care about going to the hot and trendy and in-the-right-hood place, without regard for food quality, that Cupcakes will likely be a smashing success.

not to mention a feature on the restaurant page in this past issue of the reader...it wasn't particularly enthusiastic (or, actually, unenthusiastic), but like this forum, hoped it would survive because the kids were so durned nice.

Too bad about Cupcakes...I was really looking forward to trying it.
Sweet Mandy B's on Webster has helped me during particularly nasty bouts of Magnolia cafe cupcake withdrawel. They have darn good cupcakes for $1.50. Goddess and Grocer on Damen has solid cupcakes but if I remember correctly, they are more expensive.

Goddess's cupcakes are $2.25. They are rather good, but it's hard to justify the cost.

gleam wrote:Steve, you clearly underestimate the ability of crappy food vendors to survive solely on trixie dollars.

Despite that the banner already has a quote from this thread, this one gets my vote.

gleam wrote:Steve, you clearly underestimate the ability of crappy food vendors to survive solely on trixie dollars.

But the Trixies are fickle and will move on to the next "Oh My Gawd, it's Double Yum" shiny object destination by then.

Just polished off a dozen cupcakes from Sprinkles with four of my friends and the verdict is that they are better than Magnolia. The place is expensive - $3.25 for a single regular-sized cupcake. But the ingredients are top notch, the flavors expressive, and the cake moist and tasty. The buttercream that they use is good old fashioned butter and confectioner's sugar. The red velvet, which is the best I've had from a bakery, has a smooth cream cheese frosting that all of us loved. Particular favorites were the Strawberry, Chai Latte, Coconut and Black and White.

If they open in Chicago, they will kick some Cupcakes booty.

And the customers? Most of them picking up several dozen for kid birthday parties. No LA trixie-types to be seen.

Queijo wrote:And the customers? Most of them picking up several dozen for kid birthday parties. No LA trixie-types to be seen.

Proving once again that London is not Lakeview.

stevez wrote:

Queijo wrote:And the customers? Most of them picking up several dozen for kid birthday parties. No LA trixie-types to be seen.

Proving once again that London is not Lakeview.

Yes, but I would have expected Beverly Hills (where Sprinkles is) to be...

Hey, they have Trixies under another name-- do a search for "Sloane Rangers."

gleam wrote:

stevez wrote:

Queijo wrote:And the customers? Most of them picking up several dozen for kid birthday parties. No LA trixie-types to be seen.

Proving once again that London is not Lakeview.

Yes, but I would have expected Beverly Hills (where Sprinkles is) to be...

That's what I get for reading those location listings on the forum.

I'm a cupcake lover, too, and I live in Lakeview, so I wanted to fall in love with Cupcakes. Unfortunately, I was also disappointed. I think I had a peaches & cream cupcake. The cake itself was dry, and the icing was too soft. I'm a purist...give me a yellow or chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting (the more frosting the better) any day and I'll be thrilled. But I visited shortly after they'd opened, and they were sold out of the traditional flavors. I've been looking for a reason to give them a second chance...I want them to succeed. But I've checked their website a handful of times, and virtually every cupcake has white chocolate frosting...ugh! So I guess I'll just have to stick to buying my cupcakes from Sweet Mandy B's, Fox & Obel's and Southport Grocery until Sprinkles opens.

My wife and I stopped in last weekend. I had a classic yellow cake, my wife a double chocolate.

I thought both the cake and frosting were tasty, and had no texture issues. My wife's verdict was similar.

A fine cupcake, imo, but a good buck and a quarter too expensive.

We went to Cupcakes today with a friend that wanted to try this much talked about bakery. Ewwwww. Don't get it. The cake on all four different flavors we sampled was extremly dry. If your only offering one item how could you screw it up so badly?

Anyone want to buy a bakery?
One of the owners got a "prestigious scholarship".

http://chicago.craigslist.org/for/108001233.html

emdub wrote:Anyone want to buy a bakery?
One of the owners got a "prestigious scholarship".

http://chicago.craigslist.org/for/108001233.html

That, very predictably, didn't take long.

emdub wrote:One of the owners got a "prestigious scholarship".

I believe it was reported somewhere that a Fulbright was the scholarship in question.