As soon as I spied a cupcake from Chicago's Cupcakes on the list, a red flag went up. Both cupcakes I had from there were a disaster, and their reviews on Yelp are pretty mixed. I immediately wondered, had Ms. Petrusich actually sampled her selections? Just how many cupcakeries had she visited, in her quest to find the country's top eleven cupcakes?
In response, I'd like to present The Top Eleven Cupcake Shops Violet has Visited. Coming from a scientific background, I feel that a few disclaimers are in order:
- I have not visited every cupcakery/bakery in the world, nor sampled every cupcake said shops offer. Obviously, I cannot definitively say that these are the best places in the world; that's why I'm calling this list "The Top Eleven Cupcake Shops Violet has Visited", and not "The Top Eleven Cupcakeries in the World!!11!!1!"
- Everyone's palate is different. These are my favorite places. Your mileage may vary.
- To date I've sampled almost 250 cupcakes from 56 cupcakeries and bakeries around the world. These are the creme of that crop.
BittersweetChicago, IL
Technically Bittersweet is a patisserie, not a cupcakery, but the Carrot cupcake I had there far surpassed most carrot cakes I've had from "gourmet" cupcakeries. And, at $2.00 a pop, their amazingly delicious, high-quality cupcakes are a total steal.
Cake NouveauAnn Arbor, MI
Cake Nouveau is a fantastically whimsical, gorgeous little cake shop. In addition to slices of decadent looking cakes, they also offer a wide selection of exotic-sounding cupcakes. Their Blueberry Morning won one of my elusive 5-star ratings, and the Chocolate Clementine was delightfully scrumptious as well. Cake Nouveau's strength is definitely its art style -- their bright, playful store won "Cutest Store" during our Cross-Country Cupcake Crawl.
CoCo's Cupcake CafePittsburgh, PA
Okay, I'm not just biased because I live in Pittsburgh -- I've lived in many cities around the country and I have no special loyalty to "the Burgh". It's just a plain truth that CoCo's makes some of the best cake in the country. In fact, I've gotten totally spoiled on their moist, soft cakes -- all other cupcakes seem dry in comparison. Their authentic Italian meringue buttercream is famous around Pittsburgh, and their Carrot cupcake is the best carrot cake cupcake I've ever had.
Crumbs Bake ShopNew York, NY
The only "chain" cupcakery on my list, Crumbs has somehow managed to maintain a high-quality product while rapidly expanding their business to new locations around the country, unlike another chain-cupcakery I know of whose name rhymes with "twinkles". Their Raspberry Swirl won one of my 5-star ratings, despite the fact that I hate raspberries. At $3.50 each their cupcakes are a might expensive, but they're also ginormous and can easily be shared with a friend.
Cupcake StationBirmingham, MI
Cupcake Station is amazing. I have no idea how they mange to keep 26 (yes, that's right, twenty-six!) flavors in stock every day. And they don't do it by skimping on quality! We stopped by on our Cross-Country Cupcake Crawl and were blown away when we were served two 5-star cupcakes in rapid succession. Their Strawberry Delight was named Best Cupcake of our entire Cross-Country Cupcake Crawl.
Dots CupcakesPasadena, CA
Looking for an alternative to Sprinkles' dry cakes and Yummy's sugar bombs? Dots is your place. Sure the staff can be a little bit snarky, but the delicious cupcakes are totally worth it. Their cute, modern cupcakes are delectably moist, and they have one of the best strawberry cupcakes cakes I've ever eaten. The frosting is a hair too sweet for me, but it's orders of magnitude better than Yummy's super-saccharine icing.
Dozen CupcakesPittsburgh, PA
Well, at least Ms. Petrusich and I agree on one cupcakery! And I'm not just biased because I live in Pittsburgh, I swear. Dozen makes some of the best frosting in the country; their citrus frostings in particular are to die for. I'm a cake person myself, but if you were to give me a bucket of their Key Lime frosting and hand me a spoon, I'd happily eat the whole thing in one sitting. Other frosting aficionados may want to check out their Cosmo, Lemon, and Old-Fashioned Fudge frostings.
The CupcakeryLas Vegas, NV
The Cupcakery's sign proclaims it to have "The Best Little Cupcakes in Las Vegas", and at the time of my visit I had to agree. (Though two more cupcakeries have opened in Vegas since I last visited, so the current accuracy of that sign is questionable.) Their thick, fudgy chocolate frosting is absolutely fabulous, and their Bugsy (carrot cake) cupcake garnered one of my 5-star ratings.
Pink Moon Cupcake BakeryPowell, OH
When you think of gourmet cupcakes, Powell, Ohio is not exactly the first place that pops to mind. That said, cupcake lovers visiting the Columbus area would be missing out big-time if they didn't take the 15 minute detour to Powell. Not only does Pink Moon Cupcake bakery have a large selection of delicious (and exotic) cupcakes, they also have plenty of eclectically furnished seating space and the absolute cutest cupcake-packaging I've ever seen. Be sure to try the cake on the Key Lime Margarita -- it's like eating a soft, fluffy cloud.
Primrose BakeryLondon, England
With a bright, welcoming atmosphere, Primrose is a younger, fresher version of "Grandma's Kitchen". A whiff of the fresh, warm cinnamon rolls on the counter is enough to distract a cupcake-lover from trying their cupcakes, but be sure to at least sample their chocolate buttercream (tastes just like Cadbury bars!) and their lime frosting. Primrose excels at presentation -- our cupcakes were served to us on a glass pedestal cake platter with elegant china.
Wicked Bakery & CafePhoenix, AZ
I hate Red Velvet cake, but even I had to admit that Wicked's Red Velvet cupcake was really freaking good. I think the secret is Wicked's technique of covering their cupcakes with a special glaze before they frost them; locking moisture into the cake while simultaneously giving them an added zip. The thick cream cheese frosting was sinfully rich; one of the best cream cheese frostings I've had.
Well, that's my pick for top 11 cupcake purveyors in the world (that I've visited). I'll try to keep this list updated as I continue my cupcake travels.
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