Everybody loves cupcakes. They’re like bite-sized cakes without all the calories. They’re perfect for dessert, for treating yourself after finishing that paper or for de-stressing during finals week. So what could be better than baking cupcakes with your roommates or treating yourself to one from downtown Evanston? Taking a trip to Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Founded in Beverly Hills, Sprinkles caters to celebrities and cupcake lovers in select locations across the country. It’s the first gourmet cupcake bakery in the world and it has a branch in Chicago. The store always has a line of people trailing outside the door. The wait is definitely worth it for one of Sprinkles’ delicious cupcakes. Stepping into the small shop, you can smell the fresh baking cupcakes and see them lined up in an enticing, colorful display.
The shop sells their classic flavors everyday including Red Velvet, Dark Chocolate and Vanilla. Sprinkles also features different flavors depending on the season and the day. Chocolate Peppermint, Vanilla Peppermint and Eggnog Spice are the holiday themed flavors for December. “I love their holiday options,” Northwestern sophomore Cassie Coravos said, “I had the chocolate peppermint one and it was really good because they put crushed up pieces of peppermint into the frosting. It was the best part of my day.” Each cupcake is also topped with Sprinkles’ signature sugar decorations and decadent handcrafted frosting.
However, if you don’t want to wait in line for a cupcake, you can use Sprinkles Cupcake’s ATM machine located directly outside of the store. The cupcake ATM machine is stocked with Sprinkles’ classic flavors as well as a few featured flavors. You can swipe your credit card to have a packaged Sprinkles gourmet cupcake within seconds. The ATM is open 24/7, so you can get your cupcake even when the store is closed.
“I think it’s the best thing invented in this world,” Northwestern sophomore Sally Kim said, “It’s a good business strategy because they can make money off of it and we can get cupcakes constantly. It’s awesome.”
Sprinkles Cupcakes Chicago is located a block from Water Tower Place in between Michigan Avenue and Rush Street. It’s also right next to the historic Magnificent Mile and the Gold Coast’s shopping district. This shop is the perfect place to stop by for a delicious snack after a shopping day trip to the city. Sprinkles usually has buy-one-get-one-free deals for special days that they advertise on their Facebook and Twitter. They post their cupcake flavors on their website and there’s also a smartphone app for the flavors of the day. Sprinkles is definitely worth checking out if you find yourself in the area, or if you’re in the mood for something sweet and tasty.