The ultimate battle of New York City cupcakeries has begun. Seven tributes have been selected to participate, but only one will come out on top. Who will be crowned the title of the ultimate Cupcake Wars Champion?
As your host and fellow NYU student, I made it my job to discover which cupcake out of 7 famous NYC bakeries tasted the best. And finally, the results are in.
1. Molly’s Cupcakes
Coming in at number 1 is Molly’s Cupcakes. Being the winner of the actual Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, Molly’s Cupcakes is definitely well deserving of their title. Molly’s has only three locations across the U.S (one of them being in New York City) and are home to some of the most unique and best tasting cupcakes I have ever had. They are a family owned shop that puts their heart and soul into these cupcakes. In my opinion, that’s why their cupcake quality is so pristine. Their mouth-watering flavors include classics such as Cookie Monster, Cookies and Cream, Flourless Molten Chocolate and unique ones like Creme Brulee, Boston Cream, Peanut Butter Nutella, Peach Cobbler and Blueberry Cheesecake.
Presentation: Amazing! Beautifully decorated, very creative and representative of the cupcake flavor. Fun to take pictures of (hello Instagram!)
Taste: Incredible. A little less frosting than cake which makes it perfect. The frosting isn’t too sugary and some of the cupcakes have fillings inside with all sorts of surprises (berries, molten chocolate, cheesecake, frosting, cookie dough, etc.)
FYI: The NYC location is super close to campus, so I would highly recommend making a stop over there.
2. Sprinkles Cupcakes
Coming in at number 2 is the Beverly Hills, California-based cupcakery, Sprinkles Cupcakes. I first heard about Sprinkles cupcakes through the famous cupcake ATM, where you basically pay for a cupcake through a machine and the cupcake comes out a little slot. I ended up actually trying them when I was at a convention and I must say I was very impressed. Sprinkles Cupcakes is considered one of the first bakeries dedicated to just cupcakes and because of its prime location, the store receives a large number of celebrity endorsements and they have made appearances on various T.V. shows such as The Tonight Show, Entourage and The Girl Next Door.
Taste: Delicious, and reminiscent of cupcakes I make at home with my family (the good kind, not the bad kind). The flavor (sprinkle) tastes like full on vanilla on vanilla and doesn’t have too much sugar. It’s the perfect proportion of frosting to cupcake.
Presentation: Very cute, not as decorative as some other shops but the great taste compensates for that.
3. Crumbs Bakery
Arriving in third place oxymoronic Crumbs Bake Shop. Founded in our very own NYC in 2003, this bakery now has stores nationwide. My favorite thing about Crumbs cupcakes is that they are very accessible. Crumbs Bakeshop can be found in all different locations, cities, small towns, suburbs, etc. Crumbs cupcakes were the first bakery cupcakes I ever tried because they had a little bakery right next to where I went to school and any time people in my town had birthdays or special events they would always celebrate with Crumbs cupcakes. One of the coolest things about Crumbs is that their cupcakes are huge (twice the size of a normal cupcake). But if size worries you, most Crumbs bakeries sell mini cupcakes as well a normal sized cupcakes.
Presentation: Wonderful designs. Very representative of the flavor and great to put on display. Plus, the cupcakes can last for days if they are put in a plastic container.
Taste: Although the frosting can be a little dry sometimes, the cupcakes are still very enjoyable. There is perfect proportion of cupcake to frosting. Some of the cupcakes have fillings (like frosting, oreos, or a cookie). My favorite cupcakes from Crumbs are Cookies and Cream, Cookie Dough, Brownie, Happy Birthday, Peanut Butter Cup and Vanilla Sprinkle.
4. Georgetown Cupcakes
Out of all the cupcakeries in NYC that I hadn’t tried yet, this was the one place I was dying to try first. I heard about Georgetown’s famous cupcakes when the two sisters who opened the bakery landed their own show on TLC called D.C. Cupcakes. The cupcakes on the show always looked so enticing and photogenic and I really wanted to buy one, but I could never get my hands on one. It wasn’t until recently that I got a chance to try one because Georgetown has finally expanded their business to NYC and other major cities.
Georgetown’s cupcakes definitely live up to your expectations, however, I would warn you, these cupcakes do not travel well. So if you plan on purchasing some, bring your own Tupperware or just eat them immediately (one time, I took a few cupcakes with me on the road and when I got home, the frosting was all over the box.)
Presentation: Minimal design, but still very cute. Somewhat representative of flavor. The frosting almost looks to perfect to eat.
Taste: Definitely delicious. A little too much frosting for the cupcake size, but still edible. They have a lot of your basic flavors but also a few speciality flavors. Some of them are said to have a filling, but I’m not entirely sure. I have tried Vanilla Birthday, Cookies and Cream, Lava Fudge and Salted Caramel (the only one I didn’t love was the Cookies and Cream).
5. Magnolia Bakery
Originating in our very own West Village, Magnolia Bakery opened in 1996 and since then has opened more locations around NYC and the world. Their bakery sells cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, muffins, pastries, pies and cheesecakes, but I was particularly interested in trying their highly acclaimed cupcakes.
I was very skeptical of Magnolia Bakery because the first time I had tried their cupcakes a few years ago, I really didn’t like them. Recently, I decided to try them again and I really enjoyed them this time around! The first cupcake I had tried all those years ago was a vanilla cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting (which I didn’t like). This time, I chose a vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting and it was a lot better than I thought it would be.
Presentation: Not heavily decorated, pretty basic like Georgetown Cupcakes, but still cute. Travels pretty well.
Taste: The buttercream frosting was a little overpowering and a little too sugary for my taste. I believe buttercream frosting is an acquired taste so it definitely depends on the person. The cupcakes had a perfect frosting to cupcake ratio, but the cupcakes lacked in variety therefore, I rank them as number 5.
6. Buttercup Bakeshop
Founded in 1999 by Jennifer Appel, also one of the founders of the original Magnolia Bakery, Buttercup Bakeshop has quickly become an American name. It has been featured on T.V. through MTV, FX, and CNN and is enjoyed by celebrities such as Hillary Clinton, Martha Stewart and Al Roker. The store itself is located at 973 2nd avenue, NYC and decked out in very colorful imagery selling a variety of old fashioned American desserts. I first tried these cupcakes two summers ago and they were one of the first cupcake places I had tried in NYC. The cupcakes are very similar to Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes, which makes sense since the women who started this bakery also started Magnolia.
Presentation: Colorful, but lacking in design. Not easy to tell which flavor is which.
Taste: A little too much frosting for the cupcake, but still very good. The cupcakes I tried from here were, the golden cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting and the golden cupcake with chocolate frosting. Both were very good, the chocolate being my favorite.
Since Buttercup Bakeshop is kind of far from NYU, I probably wouldn’t take the trip because they aren’t that impressive, but if you are in the area I would definitely suggest trying them. Overall I would rank them 6 out of 7.
7. Baked by Melissa
Finishing in last is the famous mini cupcakes by Baked by Melissa. Baked by Melissa (a name that probably everyone now recognizes) was founded in 2008. The founder designed the famous cupcakes to be bite-sized so people could try a variety of flavors without the guilt of feeling like you ate too many calories. Baked by Melissa has several locations in the city and ships cupcakes worldwide. Because the cupcakes are bite-sized, I definitely tried a variety of flavors, but was largely disappointed.
Presentation: Impressive for such a small cupcake and representative of the flavors. However, I don’t like the size. Personally I think the cupcake is a good size the way it is and that a smaller cupcake takes away some of the best things about the cupcake.
Taste: Barely any frosting at all and you only really taste the cake. The taste of the cake is pretty unflavorful and bland.
These cupcakes look cute and are great to give as gifts, but if you are looking for quality taste, Baked by Melissa is probably not your best option.