THE BEST: Muffins and Cupcakes

[daisy17]

I am not, and have never been, a fan of Magnolia's cupcakes. I want to like them, really I do, but I can't get myself there. I think the cake is dry and the frosting is just bad. However, I do think that they make up for it with some of their other stuff, like the sour cream chocolate cake, chocolate pudding pie, and banana pudding with nilla wafers.

Same goes for Billy's in my opinion.

[snacky_cat]

Sugar Sweet Sunshine. That's the name of the other place I was trying to think of. It's on Rivington and we attempted to go there, but were waylaid by shopping in Nolita. Anyone tried one of these?

[M. Lucia]

I agree, Magnolia's cupcakes are nasty: dry insipid cake, the buttercream is ok.

There are however, lots of good cupcakes in New York.

I have had Sugar Sweet Sunchine's specimens, but it was at the end of a long evening, so all I remember is that they were better than Magnolia's.

My local bakery, Ciao for Now, makes great ones, as does Kudo Beans. I generally find the oversized cupcakes better because the cake is moister (the little ones are always dry). But the best cupcake I've had in New York was actually in Brooklyn: a random place on Atlantic Ave called something like Downtown Cafe/Bakery.

[emmapeel]

I feel Cupcake Cafe is the best, but another really great cupcake is at the Fairway Cafe. They are Michael London's vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting. The cake is very good, and the frosting is a dense buttercream. Has anyone else tried them?

Edited March 9, 2005 by emmapeel (log)

[Fat Guy]

I've had about a hundred of them and I think they're excellent -- I like them because the icing isn't overly sweet and is made with non-crap chocolate.

Magnolia, of course, is very strong in the cupcake department.

There's also a place a block from my house called Yura that makes very good ones in a similar style to Magnolia (92nd and Madison, and they also have a branch on 92nd and Third).

[Fat Guy]

I think the thing with Magnolia is that it's like the Peter Luger of the cupcake world, with challengers lining up to take their shots at the champ. I suppose if you just don't like porterhouse, you just won't like Peter Luger . . . and if you just don't like the almost candy-esque style of cupcakes at Magnolia, you just won't like Magnolia. Personally, I think Magnolia's cupcakes define the genre.

[emmapeel]

I think the appeal for the Magnolia Cupcake is that they look so much like an illustration out of a child's book, like some fantasy of Candy Land. I was not dissapointed, and happened upon them quite by accident, strolling on Bleecker one day, before they became a phenomenom. It had been years since any bakery in Manhattan sold a basic layer cake (unless you were in Harlem) that was not Carrot, most of them shifting to Tortes and Tarts with underlying French/Patisserie-wannabeism directing their offerings. It was great to see them sitting in the window of that little shabby-chic cafe. I don't find them so fetching anymore, because I've had too many, but I still respect the bakery for bringing American-style baked goods back to the city. If it were not for Magnolia, there would be no Billy's, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Crumbs (yuck!), etc.

Edited March 9, 2005 by emmapeel (log)

[Taboni]

I used to live around the corner from the Cupcake Cafe and I find them hard to beat.

[jogoode]

I'm not much of a cupcake eater, but I did try the bakery on Atlantic Avenue that was recommended in the Times cupcake survey a year or so ago. I was impressed, especially by the icing, which had a texture closer to butter than to buttercream. I've eaten a few Magnolia cupcakes over the years because my girlfriend likes them. I don't think they are worth the great praise they received for a while years ago, but I don't think they deserve the acid backlash they receive nowadays.

I haven't tried many muffins, but have come to enjoy blueberry muffins from Balthazar, which I buy from the nearby Oren's Daily Roast, and those from Almondine, across from Jacques Torres's DUMBO chocolate shop. The bottoms of Almondine's muffins have a thin layer of crunch that I usually look for in a good muffin top, or at least one that's not supposed to be crumby. But I've never seen this kind of bottom in another muffin. I wonder how they do it?

[R Washburn]

What about the old standby "Wimps" on 125th st.? A guy at my gym was just raving about the place.

[emmapeel]

What about the old standby "Wimps" on 125th st.?  A guy at my gym was just raving about the place.

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Well then, it's first on my list, have not been there yet...I'll let you know what I think. (Can't wait! )

[Pan]

Where's that place on Atlantic, JJ?

[jogoode]

Where's that place on Atlantic, JJ?

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Aha, found the Times article! The bakery that I was refering to is Downtown Atlantic, 364 Atlantic Avenue, near Hoyt.

[alacarte]

I like the Bouley Bakery muffins that are available at so many coffee shops across NYC.

The Gramercy Cafe on 17th & 3rd makes its own gargantuan corn muffins, which they will split and toast on the grill for you, and serve with butter. Mmmmm.

[lia]

Well then, it's first on my list, have not been there yet...I'll let you know what I think. 

I've never been there, but I had one taste of one piece of cake there and it was wonderful. a big buttery yellow slab of some sort of layer cake. wow.

Are Magnolia's and Billy's cupcakes the same recipe? I understand those two stores, along with Buttercup, are all related. Buttercup's cupcakes are my favorite, the cake is much moister than Billy's, but I live in Billy's neighborhood and I'm there quite frequently. Red Velvets are yummy.

[NewYorkTexan]

I think the thing with Magnolia is that it's like the Peter Luger of the cupcake world, with challengers lining up to take their shots at the champ. I suppose if you just don't like porterhouse, you just won't like Peter Luger . . . and if you just don't like the almost candy-esque style of cupcakes at Magnolia, you just won't like Magnolia. Personally, I think Magnolia's cupcakes define the genre.

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I think comparing Magnolia to PL is a big freakin leap. There are some establishments that define their category, Peter Luger=steak, Katz's=Pastrami, etc. but I think Magnolia falls short of that mark.

I only have one data point, but the cupcake was so bad I could not even finish it. The frosting was fine, but the cake was dry and crumbly, devoid of any real flavor. Maybe I got a bad one, but if they are going to define the cupcake category, their product should not be off by that much.

[Pan]

Does Gramercy Cafe sell the muffins to go, and is it more of a takeout place or a restaurant?

[wannabechef]

I think comparing Magnolia to PL is a big freakin leap. There are some establishments that define their category, Peter Luger=steak, Katz's=Pastrami, etc. but I think Magnolia falls short of that mark.

Here here! I am adding my voice to the "dislike" group. There is nothing about Magnolia's cupcakes that would define the genre - let alone be edible. Their bananna pudding is passible - but the recipe from the back of the Nilla Wafers box even puts that to shame.

But back to the cupcakes - dry, overly sweet - and ridiculously overrated in my opinion.

~WBC

[Moopheus]

We just had a couple of cupcakes at Eleni's in Chelsea Market and I thought they were pretty good. The cake part was a little on the small side, but was good chocolate cake. The frosting was buttery, had a good chocolate flavor and was very sweet--the kind of frosting that's almost a little crunchy 'cause there's so much sugar. And there was a large pile of it, considering the size of the cake. I know some people here are averse to sweet things being sweet, but this cupcake was clearly constructed with someone like me in mind--seeing the cupcake as merely an excuse to indulge in the frosting, and it was almost enough to sate my nearly inssatiable sweet tooth.

[knews9]

I would second Downtown Atlantic for the best cupcake. The cake is moist with a great buttery taste (I find Magnolia's too dry and bland). The vanilla cake tastes of vanilla and the chocolate...of chocolate. The frosting is rich and delicious but not cloyingly sweet (compare: Magnolia). The only problem is that these cupcakes manage to be light, so you might find yourself -- as I did -- consuming three without a problem.

[M. Lucia]

Another vote for Downtown Cafe on Atlantic Ave. I stopped by once on my way from Sahadi's (mamoul and sweets in hand) and I was hooked. They are quite large but the cake part is really good- nice dense crumb. (in contrast to the previous comment I can't imagine consuming 3)

Not a fan of Magnolia's at all. I recently had a cupcake at a place called Billy's Bakery in far Chelsea (9th Ave) that was pretty good.

As for muffins (I feel like these should be sep. threads), I agree on the Bouley muffins available at Oren's, etc. I actually had a good muffin from Russ and Daughters, but I don't know if they bake them themselves. I like the bran muffins I get from one of the street vendors too.

[Liz B-F]

The vegan cupcakes at 'sNice on 8th ave near W. 4th street are surprisingly delicious--and I say this as someone who firmly believes that cupcakes should be made with enough butter to make a healthy 20-year-old keel over.

The cake is dense, moist and cakey...the icing is sweet but not tooth-jarringly.

[Daniel]

i went to the cup cake cafe for the first time today and had one of there little $2.19 cupcakes.. A little steep i think.. I thought the icing was like eating butter.. I was not impressed and didnt even eat the whole thing.. Not a fan.

[Daniel]

I went to Make My Cake on 110th and lennox today.. One of the best slices of red velvet cake i have ever had.. It was a cream cheese icing.. The cake itself was extremely moist.. I think they might have put orange or lemon peel in it, however they denied it..

The cupcakes were superb. Besides being amazing, it was also huge.. One of the better cupcakes in the city.. Not a big selection, but great none the less.

Edited April 17, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Jammin]

adding my vote for downtown atlantic's chocolate cupcakes. i am not a big chocolate fan (yeah, yeah... stone me later), but these were really off the chart.