The cupcake trend has been on the rise for the past couple of years now but it seems to have steadily plateaued. Some people say it's overrated (which it was at one point), but let me tell you. I rather pay $3-4 for one well crafted, well flavored, and a far more delectable cupcake than $6 for half a dozen of supermarket quality, dry and over sweetened cupcakes that I'd quickly get sick of and probably throw away.
That being said, there are a large number of good cupcake stores located around the Bay Area. However! At one point, I believe that there is no ONE store that rules them all. It's a matter of the preferences of the consumer. Some people like a creamier frosting while some people prefer the cake to be really moist. Some people value creative flavors while others prefer well made classics. Here are the reviews of the few places I have been to:
Sift Cupcakes and Dessert Bar
3816 Bel Aire Plaza
Napa, CA 94558
(707)240-4004
Sift @ Napa
Berry Good Cheesecake
Limonatta
Its anatomy consisted of vanilla cake flavor, lemon cream cheese frosting, and a lemon shaped candy on top. It also possessed a meyer lemon filling only adding to this citrus flavored zesty treat.
I wanted to try their Battle Royale which is their signature cupcake flavor that won them first place in Food Network's Cupcake Wars, but it had a blueberry tequila filling and I am weak against alcoholic tastes. If that is not a road blocker for you then try this flavor! It has earned the stamp of approval from my other foodie friends.
I have noticed that Sift's cupcakes are particularly soft and very moist. I am not much of a fan of super-moist but I still really enjoy their cupcakes. They earned their well deserved first place on Cupcake Wars.
211 O'farrell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415)404-7303
Cako @ SF
Pink Lemonade
Here they used a raspberry lemon cake flavor and a lemon cream cheese frosting. I did not taste any raspberry flavoring at all but the lemon flavor was certainly prominent. Their cake moisture consistency was not too moist or dry. To my surprise their frosting was extremely sticky and gooey. Overall Cako was good, better than the average cupcake stores out there but not as stunning as places such as Sift and Kara's in my opinion.
Kara's Cupcakes
3055 Olin Ave
Ste 1010
San Jose, CA 95128
(408)260-2222
Kara's Cupcake @ Santana Row
Banana Nut Crunch
Anatomy: Banana cupcake, cream cheese frosting, and topped with caramelized hazelnuts. The banana flavor really came through their cake. The frosting was not too sweet and it wasn't too dry or too gooey. Kara's Cupcake is my favorite go to place for cupcakes. Their batter and frosting consistency, variety of flavors, and amount of filling just sits balanced with my palate. Unfortunately this above flavor is not a regular flavor, it's actually a secret flavor.
A nice thing about Kara's is that once in a while (although not lately :( ) they will post a secret flavor on facebook and if you're one of the first twenty-five people to come in and say it you get the cupcake free. I think it's a cute way to interact with customers.
If you get a chance though, here are my recommended must try flavors (although everything else tastes good too):
- Meyer Lemony Lemon - Body: Vanilla --> Filling: Meyer Lemon --> Topping: Lemon Buttercream
- Passion Fruit - Body: Vanilla --> Filling: Passion Fruit --> Topping: Vanilla Buttercream
- Kara's Karrot - Body: Carrot --> Filling: None --> Topping: Cream Cheese
They also introduce a seasonal flavor every month, so it's also another reason why Kara's wins my favoritism. Even with already excellent flavors they continue to come up with new flavors.
And that's a wrap on my cupcake entry round 1 (hoping to hit Sprinkles in Palo Alto some time soon!). If you have any suggestions on notable places I should check out, please comment below!
you know i have to comment. :]
ReplyDeletefavorite from sift = "knock your sox off" - it's basically boston cream pie in cupcake form, and it's amazing.
favorite from kara's = "raspberry dazzle" - it's a chocolate cake with raspberry preserve filling and a raspberry buttercream on top. i am not a fan of sweet frosting at all (the above cupcake from sift has a chocolate ganache in place of frosting, which is probably a big reason why it's my favorite.) but in my opinion, the best way to eat this cupcake is to deconstruct it. i take off the frosting and eat the cake w/ filling first, then enjoy the frosting little bits at a time. seriously, i could probably eat a whole bowl of that frosting.
ganache was the place on the corner of georgia and sonoma, but it's already closed down. i think you can still find them at the farmer's market though. i only tried it one time, and i obviously wasn't impressed since i never needed to go back.
there's also hummingbird bakery on spring st. it's another decent local option. :]
and here's a little known fact: chicken express has cupcakes that are 2 for $2.50. although one time i was only charged $0.90 for 2! they have a pink lemonade, which is pretty good if you are into lemon cake. the lemon flavor it quite present. i also tried the red velvet, and i feel like it was a step above grocery store cupcakes. for the price and convenience, i find them a good option.