New York is crazy for cupcakes. There are cupcake classes and tours, lines down the block at bakeries, a cupcake tea at a five-star hotel, and a cupcake truck with 6,000 followers on Twitter.Some date the craze to a Sex and the City episode in which Sarah Jessica Parker bit into a pink-frosted cupcake outside Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street. Nine years later, tourists still flock to the place.
"I love Sex and the City and I want to eat cupcakes," said Rika Hashizume as she bought a box of cupcakes at the flagship Magnolia in Greenwich Village with Hanika Nishida, a friend visiting from Kyoto, Japan.
Not only is the cupcake's small-size portion appealing, but "it's a comfort food for many people," said chef Melanie Und erwood.
Said chef Stephanie Grajales, who created the menu for a US$25 (HK$195) cupcake tea at Ritz-Carlton: "It takes you back to elementary school cupcakes on your birthday when you were five."
The city has so many cupcake outlets that there's one for everyone, from vegans to sugar addicts to gourmets. Here are 11 places around Manhattan to get the cupcake of your dreams.
BABYCAKES NYC: 248 Broome Street, Lower East Side, http:/ /www.babycakesnyc.com . Cupcakes are vegan: dairy-free, soy-free, egg- free, and most are sweetened with agave nectar. Customers with wheat allergies take the gluten-free (US$3.95 each); the spelt ones are made from a high-protein grain (US$3.25).
BAKED BY MELISSA: 529 Broadway, Soho, http:/ /www.bakedbymeliss
a.com. The city's cutest cupcakes, beautiful bite-size confections. At 12 for US$10.BILLY'S: 184 Ninth Avenue, http:/ /www.billysbakerynyc.com. The classic chocolate cupcake with frosting will remind you of the ones mom made for your birthday, US$2.25.
BUTTERCUP BAKE SHOP: 973 Second Avenue, http:/ /www.buttercupbakeshop.com. Stand- outs include cupcakes inspired by classic desserts like German chocolate cake; and Lady Baltimore, an almond white cake covered with meringue, cookie crumbs, coconut and a cherry; US$2 each.
CRUMBS BAKE SHOP: Ten shops in Manhattan, including 43 West 42nd Street, http://www.crumbs.com. Cupcakes here are a blast from your past, with flavors like Twinkie, Devil Dog, Heath Bar, peanut butter cup, caramel chew, Butterfinger and Nestle Crunch, US$2.50-US$3.75.
CUPCAKE CAFE: 18 West 18th Street, http://www.cupcakecafe- nyc.com. The pioneer in Manhattan's cupcake craze, its choice remains the most beautiful of any in New York. The frosting on each cupcake is a tiny work of art, bearing buttercream flower blossoms. One favorite is the walnut cupcake with maple frosting; US$2.50 or US$3.50.
CUPCAKESTOP: http:/ /www.cupcakestop.com. Devotees follow the mobile cupcake truck on Twitter to find out where it'll be; flavors include Key lime and rocky road, US$2.25 (minis, US$1).
KYOTOFU: 705 Ninth Avenue, http://www.kyotofu-nyc.com. The chocolate souffle cupcake contains miso and tofu, with white bean paste frosting. The cupcakes are light, delicious and flavorful; US$3.25 each.
MAGNOLIA BAKERY: 401 Bleecker Street, http:/ /www.magnoliacupcakes.com . The city's most famous cupcakes are US$2.50 or US$3.
THE RITZ-CARLTON: 50 Central Park South, on 59th Street, http:/ /www.ritzcarlton.com. The US$25 teas include mini-cupcakes in five flavors, plus a choice of tea, hot chocolate, milk or chocolate milk. Offered Saturday and Sundays, 11 am to 2 pm, through October 31.
SUGAR SWEET SUNSHINE BAKERY: 126 Rivington Street, http:/ /www.sugarsweetsunshine.com . The store has a fun vibe and an in-your-face attitude. The pistachio is sensational, the pumpkin nicely spiced, US$1.50 each.
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