Cupcakes

[LaurieA-B]

Finally visited Cupcake Royale over the weekend, the Ballard location. I've eaten the cupcakes before; a year ago when I was home being a new mother, my mother-in-law brought CR to my door with an assortment from the Madrona bakery. And I've occasionally picked one up at Espresso Vivace. But for me it's all about seeing rows upon rows of frosted cupcakes, with sprinkles, and this visit satisfied that longing. I ended up with vanilla/lemon frosting, and it was delicious. As was discussed over on this thread, not everyone will like CR, but I think it's a great birthday party-style cupcake. At first I was a bit puzzled by the overhanging edges (I don't remember seeing that on other bakery cupcakes, like the infamous Magnolia Bakery version), but now I've come to enjoy the frosting:cake ratio of the edges. I'm such a pastry slut that we went to Cafe Besalu for croissants, then CR for a cupcake consumed later that day (and it's a good thing I had witnesses with me, or it would have been a cupcake there and one for the road).

Cupcake Royale

Oh, but this isn't just about CR. While checking the Grand Central Bakery website for info about their new location on Eastlake, I noted that Sunset named them "one of the five great cupcake shops in the Northwest." Does someone have the March issue to post what the other four are? I haven't tried GCB's cupcakes yet. I found the April issue, which recommended a spot called Cupcakes in Vancouver BC.

[geoff]

I adore CR. If I have one complaint, it's that the cake is sometimes too crumbly; more falls in my lap than my tummy. The frosting is unimpeachable, however, and worthy of the x-treme overhang.

[MT-Tarragon]

I'm one of those people who is not a cupcake royale fan. I understand how people can be. I'm definitely want just a little bit of frosting on my cupcake -- just enough to say that there is frosting on the cupcake. Any more than that just tastes gross to me. But I think I'm in the minority there. Frosting lovers will probably love Cupcake Royale. But they are pricey. So I think I have to stick to eating my own cupcakes.

[Ye-Ye Girl]

As someone who rarely makes it to Ballard or Madrona, I'm positively thrilled to hear that GCB is in the cupcake business. Now that I'm working downtown again, I go right past the Pioneer Square location nearly every morning. I'll have to stop in soon and surprise my coworkers with a few (after I've eaten my share, of course).

[LEdlund]

I am also one who does not like Cupcake Royale. I thought they were too sweet and dry and did not have strong enough flavors.

I subscribe to Sunset so I'm sure I have the March issue at home. I'll look through the stack of magazines that I have to see what they say. I am so behind on my reading

[dandelion]

Magnolia Bakery does have that much frosting on their cupcakes, but somehow they pile it all on top, instead of letting it spill over the sides. The resulting cupcake is about 3 inches high. Crazy!

One thing I like about Magnolia is the way the shop is set up, so that while you're standing in that loooooooooooong line, you can watch the bakers and decorators at work. Sometimes they get a little feisty, <a href="http://195.230.55.9/pix/b1a23ce121266ae2/UL_1048390483_l.jpg">like my friend right after she threw a cupcake at the window</a>.

I'm really glad that Magnolia published a cookbook with their recipes so that we can enjoy those fantastic cupcakes here in the Northwest, too. Crumbly, yes... perhaps that's to encourage you to put as much as possible into your mouth all at once.

[LaurieA-B]

Over on the Farewell and Welcome thread, tsquare posted that a "NY Cupcake Store" has opened on Westlake Park. Details, anyone?

Speaking of Cupcake Royale, I very much enjoyed their autumn seasonal cupcakes (now finished) and they are now offering red velvet and gingerbread cupcakes for winter.

[LaurieA-B]

I was downtown the other night and took a peek at the cupcake store on Westlake. It is called New York Cupcakes and has a big poster of Magnolia Bakery-style frosted cupcakes on the front. There was a small sign advertising a pre-opening special (cupcake and cocoa for $3), but the space was absolutely empty and bare, so it was unclear whether they're open during the day for pre-opening or not.

[JasonTrue]

Perhaps this is a new outlet of the Bellevue Square "New York Cupcakes."

I decided to try one of their cupcakes, black & white, which I found quite pleasing, but I am not sure if I just needed a sugar high. They seemed to be a little more elegantly presented, and a little less cloying, than my Cupcake Royale experiences... I don't mind the mini-cupcakes at Cupcake Royale (Ballard), but the regular ones tend to be way too sweet and too large for my taste.

I was downtown the other night and took a peek at the cupcake store on Westlake. It is called New York Cupcakes and has a big poster of Magnolia Bakery-style frosted cupcakes on the front. There was a small sign advertising a pre-opening special (cupcake and cocoa for $3), but the space was absolutely empty and bare, so it was unclear whether they're open during the day for pre-opening or not.

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Edited December 12, 2005 by JasonTrue (log)

[LaurieA-B]

I stopped by today (it was open in "pre-opening" status) and yes, the staff mentioned that they are based in Bellevue. Right now they are bringing cupcakes over from Bellevue but he said they plan to be full-service (not sure if that means baking on-site) in February. I brought home a lemon-frosted cupcake that tasted terrible. It did not compare in any way to Cupcake Royale (where I had a light and delicious orange-frosted chocolate cupcake yesterday). Hopefully Jason's cupcake was a better reflection of New York Cupcakes than mine.