C IS FOR CUPCAKE, NOT COOKIE

Eleni’s Cookies  
75 9th Ave @ Chelsea Market

Located in the heart of Chelsea Market, Eleni’s Cookies is a child’s playground. You can’t help but smile when you walk inside. An abundance of cookies and cupcakes sprawl the entire space. Tons of colors and sprinkles surround you. But do not let the glitz and fun fool you. The storefront looks 10x better than the cupcakes taste. Generally, Eleni’s has every cupcake flavor imaginable. I had gotten there later in the evening so I didn’t have the full selection at my disposal. The regular vanilla cupcakes looked very underwhelming so I had a chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache icing for $2.50. The size/price proportion was just fine. The cupcake was pretty, but very bland. The presentation of the cupcakes is perfect, but the recipe-not so much. I think Eleni should focus more on putting the right flavors and textures into the cupcake rather than designing the perfect store.  It's always better to have a few delicious cupcakes than many tasteless ones.  It is very unfortunate…Eleni’s Cookies is ironically in the Food Network Headquarters and should be flawless. So disappointing.


peace, love, and cupcakes
michy

THERE'S NO POISON IN THIS IVY

Ivy Bakery
278 87th St, Brooklyn

A couple weeks ago, my friend and I headed to Ivy Bakery in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for the bakery’s 3rd anniversary celebration. We stepped inside the charming bakery and faced the wide array of baked treats: cookies, cupcakes, and brownies. We were greeted by the baker and owner herself! She was so sweet and seemed really passionate about her sweets. She has an interesting background-she started the bakery online with little experience and eventually branched out to a storefront location. You can tell she puts a lot of love into everything she bakes. All her goodies are made without preservatives. I’m a little wary when bakers decide to exclude anything from their ingredients. In my eyes, it usually affects the cupcake very negatively. But not in this case. My friend and I shared a hazelnut crunch cupcake that only cost $2.30. It was absolutely delicious-sweet, crunchy, and moist. I would absolutely splurge on having these cupcakes delivered to my house.

Peace, love, and cupcakes
Michy

CIAO FOR NOW, CUPCAKE

CIAO FOR NOW
523 East 12th Street, East Village

My friends and I stumbled upon this place after a delicious dinner at 7a Café. I walking in expecting a regular bakery but boy was I surprised with what I saw. The place was actually ½ bakery/café and ½ store. There were random items for sale, mostly recycled and eco-friendly knick knacks. I headed to the café area where there were only 2 cupcakes on display: red velvet and carrot cake. I am not sure if this is their typical selection, but it was severely lacking. I decided on the red velvet cupcake. It was a mini cupcake that cost me $1.25. Apparently, they usually offer larger cupcakes for $2 but they were out. I guess everything happens for a reason. I took a bite of the cupcake not knowing what to expect. The cake was very sweet and very dry. There was also too much cocoa, it made the cake taste kind of chalky. The frosting was good but still, I don’t know if I would rush back here. It’s probably Ciao forever to you…

Peace, love, and cupcakes
Michy

WASHINGTON DC, DISTRICT OF CUPCAKES

This past weekend, I visited my friend in Washington, D.C. She was nice enough to accompany me in my quest to visit the essential cupcakeries of the capital. We made 3 stops.

First stop-Hello Cupcake in Dupont Circle. You think puppies and babies are cute? Well, this place beats those as most adorable. The entire bakery is surrounded by a floral pink and brown design. They even have a delivery truck with the SAME design. I wish they delivered to NY. Anyway, I had a “Prima Donna” cupcake which was a chocolate cupcake with strawberry frosting. The frosting was a little bit too sweet for me, but otherwise it was really yummy. It was a good combination-reminded me of Neapolitan ice cream (minus the vanilla). It was a decent size for the $3 price tag.




                                        

Second stop-Baked and Wired in Georgetown. This place has a totally different feel than any other bakery. It is more like a small, coffee shot suitable for studying or reading. Although the décor is tranquil, it definitely does not mean that their cupcakes are too. They had so many interesting options like Pretty Bitchin’, Razmanian Devil, Smurfette, and Vanilla Latte. After quite the predicament, my heart told me to choose The Unporked Elvis”. Best decision of my life. It was a banana cupcake topped with peanut butter frosting and drizzled with chocolate. All my favorite things combined into one cupcake. It was an expensive cupcake at $3.85 but it was huge-enough for two servings and worth every penny.

Third and last stop-the infamous Georgetown Cupcake. The line was reminiscent of the original Magnolia Bakery. It was out the door and very slow moving. They need to work on their service. A local Washington DCer that I had met the night before insisted that I get the red velvet cupcake, and, I did. The cupcake came out to an odd $3.03-I would’ve understood if it was $3 or $3.05, but $3.03? Can’t they even if out just like every other place? Anyway, back to the important stuff. The  perfect puff of cream cheese frosting that topped the cupcake was absolutely delicious, but the cake was a bit dry. Still, I was happy with my cupcake decision.

Washington D.C. may be the country’s capital but NYC is still the Cupcake Capital. Which city can beat us? I’ll just have to wait and see. Country Cupcake Tour to be continued….


Peace, love, and cupcakes
Michy