My First Visit to the CupcakeStop Truck!

CupcakeStop finally came to Midtown today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been 19 days since the CupcakeStop made its debut, but after one short-lived stop in midtown last week (which I missed due to work), this is only the second time the Cupcake Truck has driven to midtown (where I work)! Conveniently, they pulled up only two blocks from my office, so I dashed away from my desk, into the rain, to get my hands on my first ever CupcakeStop cupcakes!

Upon my arrival at the Cupcake Truck, I met Lev Ekster himself, the man behind the CupcakeStop. I introduced myself and told him I had not yet tasted any CupcakeStop cupcakes, and he said he would fix that right away, disappeared for a moment into the truck, and immediately reappeared and hooked me up with a variety pack of twelve assorted mini cupcakes and educated me about what flavors were in my pack. It was my pleasure to review the day's five flavors:

Pineapple with Brown Sugar (18.25 Sprinkles)
Red Velvet (17.25 Sprinkles)
Oreo Crumb (16.5 Sprinkles)
Vanilla on Vanilla (15.75 Sprinkles)
Mint Chocolate Chip (14.25 Sprinkles)

Read the review for each flavor by clicking the links above! As of today (June 24, 2009), this visit to CupcakeStop puts three new cupcakes in the CupcakeRankings.com Official Cupcake Rankings Top 10, with the Pineapple Brown Sugar cupcake becoming the fourth highest ranked cupcake!

I very much enjoyed my first visit to the CupcakeStop, and hope to return to it on its next visit to midtown to try more of their innovative flavors (check out the menu at www.cupcakestop.com). I especially liked the proprietor, who was so nice-- and I like that a man is behind the city's hottest new cupcake sensation, since often people think cupcakes are such a girly thing-- men love cupcakes too! I also feel a certain kinship with Mr. Ekster, mingled with some envy-- I am a full time lawyer/part-time cupcake enthusiast, whereas he is a full time cupcakery owner/ nonpracticing lawyer. He said running the CupcakeStop is a lot of work, but I bet (and hope) its also a lot of fun!

CupcakeStop Vanilla on Vanilla

Cupcake Stop Vanilla on Vanilla Mini-Cupcake, www.cupcakestop.com

Taste: Mmm, cupcake stop buttercream! Sweet, buttery, yet not too sweet or too buttery-- so well-balanced. The cake is sweet and lightly flavorful. This is a very sweet cupcake, but for a classic vanilla on vanilla, the tastes are simple and very nice. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: Fluffy frosting sprinkled with little blue colored sugar crystals that add a subtle crunch. The vanilla cake is moist and fluffy. Very nicely done. Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is a cutie! Miniature sized, golden cake baked in even proportions, and a generous dollop of white frosting on top, applied in a swirl though not a perfectly centered one, sprinkled with blue colored sugar crystals. Simple, cute. One thing I've noticed about CupcakeStop is that they tend to frost their cupcakes so that the edges of the top of the cake still show, rather than having the frosting go all the way to the edge of the cupcake wrapper and not leave any cake peeking out. Generally, as an aesthetic matter, I tend to favor cupcakes that are iced all the way down to the side. But, the way CupcakeStop deposits a generous, heaping dollop of frosting but without going all the way to the edges is pleasing to me here, despite my usual proclivities. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: A very simple vanilla cupcake with a classic taste-- not as exotic or interesting as some other cupcakes that tickle my fancy, but definitely satisfying when craving a basic cupcake. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 15.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

(its a mini!)

CupcakeStop Mint Chocolate Chip

CupcakeStop Mint Chocolate Chip Mini-Cupcake, www.cupcakestop.com

Taste: The frosting is a delicious, sweet (but not too sweet) vanilla buttercream that I really enjoy. The cake is a chocolate cake that is distinctly mint-flavored, and I don't really like it on its own because its a little strong. But, eaten together with the delicious vanilla buttercream, it really balances, so the cupcake is lightly mint flavored, with overpowering elements of sweet buttercream and chocolate cake. The mini bittersweet chocolate chips on top add something nice as well. Very different. Overall Taste Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The buttercream is light, fluffy and melts in my mouth. The cake is really moist-- go CupcakeStop with their signature moist cake, since this is the fourth impressively moist cake I've tasted-- and the mini chocolate chips on top add a little crunch. Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Kind of a cuteness here-- miniature, not perfectly symmetrical or precise on the frosting application, but a whimsical dollop of bright white icing, leaving the deep chocolate color of the cake peeking through, with a few mini-chocolate chips dotting the top. It's not beautiful, but its fun. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: My first ever mint chocolate chip cupcake! Pretty good!! I never thought to combine mint with baked goods, but there's something refreshing about it, making this feel lighter than the ordinary chocolate cupcake. Glad I tried it, but not sure I'd get it again. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 14.25 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

CupcakeStop Oreo Crumb

Cupcake Stop Oreo Crumb Mini-Cupcake, www.cupcakestop.com

Taste: The frosting is a delicious sweet buttercream-- if this is the CupcakeStop's standard buttercream, they have hit on an amazing recipe here. It's sweet and buttery, but not too sweet or too buttery-- just enough-- perfect. The cake looks like it has Oreo crumbs baked into the batter, but at first when I tasted the cake alone, it didn't taste overly Oreo-y, it tasted just like a sweet and tasty vanilla cake. But when I ate the cupcake and the frosting together, something about it really did taste like an Oreo, with the cream filling and Oreo cookie taste! So the Oreo crumbs must have caused that effect! I think maybe my first bite of cake happened to not been heavy on the Oreo bits, and then the Oreo bits sprinkled on the top added to the flavors. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The buttercream is light and melts in my mouth into sugary deliciousness. The cake is moist-- though not as ultra-moist as the pineapple cake and red velvet. Still, the cake is tender and delicious. Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is a pretty little cupcake! I love how perfectly shaped the icing dollop is, and the cupcake is so even and teensy and cute. I like how the Oreo crumbs are baked throughout the cake batter, and the icing is sprinkled with finely crushed Oreo crumbs-- this cupcake truly lives up to its name as the Oreo Crumb cupcake. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: I love all things miniature, what can I say, they're just cuter than regular-size things, its simply a fact, like how puppies and kittens are cuter than dogs and cats, and babies are cuter than adults, miniature cupcakes are cuter than bigger cupcakes. See below for a to-scale showing of how itsy bitsy it is. And the Oreo flavor in this cupcake really worked. Very satisfied! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 16.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

CupcakeStop Red Velvet

CupcakeStop Red Velvet Mini-Cupcake, www.cupcakestop.com

Taste: The frosting is cream cheese frosting, sweet and yet light, distinctly a cream cheese icing, but much lighter than many I've tasted, but the cream cheese flavor is distinct and pleasant. The cake doesn't have a ton of flavor, but I like that it is distinctly sweet, even though it doesn't taste very chocolatey. Overall Taste Rating: 3.75 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: The icing is ultra-whipped and light, one of the lightest textured cream cheese frostings I've encountered. By far the fluffiest cream cheese frosting yet tasted! Ultra smooth. The cake is very moist-- in fact, I would describe the texture as velvety-- something that is definitely an accolade for a red velvet cupcake. Great textures! Overall Texture Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles

Aesthetic: I was given two STYLES of red velvet in my CupcakeStop assortment pack-- one had red sugar crystals sprinkled on top, and the other did not and had a taller swirl of red frosting. I can't decide which I like better! They're both so cute-- the red sugar sprinkles definitely add something decorative, but I like the way the icing is swirled high on the other one. Rich red color. And miniature, so extra cuteness points for that. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: I liked it! A nice bite size treat, and much lighter than a typical red velvet cupcake, which usually has a denser, heavier frosting. Enjoyable. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 17.25 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)
(Miniature!)

CupcakeStop Pineapple Brown Sugar

Cupcake Stop Pineapple with Brown Sugar Mini-Cupcake, http://www.cupcakestop.com/

Taste: The frosting is a brown sugar glaze, super sweet and really delicious-- it reminds me a little bit of maple candy. The cake is a vanilla cake, with chunks of sweet pineapple BAKED IN-- BIG ones! It tastes like the sweet pineapple that comes in a can, and huge chunks of it are baked into the sweet cake! Eaten together, this is delicious-- ultra sweet, but the chunks of real pineapple make it somewhat refreshing. And points for such a unique flavor! Overall Taste Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles.

Texture: This is the moistest cake EVER! The vanilla cake itself is exceptionally moist, and the chunks of pineapple inside are deliciously JUICY! They are exploding into pineapple juice bursts in my mouth! The icing is like a glaze, hardened on top, but soft underneath-- a little grainy, like I can taste the sugar crystals-- it feels like when you eat some brown sugar and let it melt in your mouth (which I loved to do as a little kid, and I'm still loving it now while eating this cupcake!). Overall Taste Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This cupcake is unfortunately not gorgeous from the exterior-- the brown glaze frosting isn't hugely attractive, although the glaze has a nice shine to it. The cupcake is nicely proportionate and even. And, to help its cuteness despite the brown glaze frosting being less than beautiful, it's MINIATURE! Miniature things are cuter, they just make you say "awww." Also, knowing how unbelievable tasting that brown sugar frosting and pineapple cake is, my mouth is watering and it's just looking better and better to me as I stare at the picture (the actual cupcake has been consumed and is long gone). Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: This was such a unique cupcake flavor, and it came out delicious! Cupcakes go tropical, only at the CupcakeStop! I love this cupcake! Superbly satisfied!! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 18.25 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

(Look how miniature and cute!)

Flour & Sun Bakery Vanilla on Vanilla

Vanilla on Vanilla, Flour & Sun Bakery, Pleasantville, NY, http://www.flourandsunbakery.com/, $2.75 each

Taste: The icing is like a mouthful of confectioner's sugar! Imagine eating a spoonful of confectioner's sugar and wanting to gag from the untempered sweetness, and that's what this icing tastes like. The cake is bland and doesn't have much flavor. Very disappointing. Overall Taste Rating: 2 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is a little bit chalky, like too much powdered sugar and not enough other ingredients to balance it out. The cake is a little dry. Overall Texture Rating: 2 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This cupcake tried-- the icing is a pure white (all that powdered sugar!) and the ring of rainbow sprinkles is a nice, festive idea-- but as you can see, its lopsided, uneven, unattractive, and the top of the frosting is hardened and cracked and uneven. Not very pretty. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 2 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: VERY disappointing. When I went to the Sun & Flour bakery, I was so excited and had read about their menu of fun flavors and looked forward to trying them, but when I got to the bakery they only had about five flavors available-- the standard combinations of chocolate and vanilla, the red velvet, and the lemon poppy. I wish I could have tried some of the more fun flavors the menu claims they have! But it appears they only offer a small selection each day. The vanilla on vanilla was a big letdown. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 1 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Satisfaction Rating: 7 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Flour & Sun Bakery Red Velvet

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting, Flour & Sun Bakery, Pleasantville, NY, http://www.flourandsunbakery.com/, $2.75 each

Taste: This is a very sweet cream cheese frosting-- delicious, but very sweet for a cream cheese frosting. Cake is not overly flavorful, but pleasant, and eaten together with the icing, this is a sweet treat! Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting isa little grainy, I can feel the crystals of sugar mixed in with it, but it is fluffy and light, and the cake has a good medium texture, not dry at all though I wouldn't call it moist. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles.

Aesthetic: I like the look of this cupcake!! I love how there is such a large quantity of icing, and I love how decadently its swirled, the way its swirled reminds me of a rose! The cupcake is even and proportionate, and the icing application is just swirled in a beautiful and generous way. The red velvet cake has a rich red color, and the frosting is a beautiful pure white. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Not the best Red Velvet cupcake I've had-- Two Little Red Hens and Crumbs were superior-- but a pleasant treat, and I enjoyed it well enough. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 15 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Bedford Village Pastry Chocolate/Vanilla on Chocolate

Taste: The frosting on this cupcake is really different and really wonderful!! As you can see, the top is a smooth, shiny hardened surface that I believe is a poured fondant glaze (as opposed to a rolled fondant, which is much thicker and has a different consistency), like the icing that coats most petit fours. The chocolate glaze is sweet yet chocolatey at the same time-- just how I like it! From all outward appearances, this is a CHOCOLATE cupcake-- but SURPRISE! Inside that tall bulb of chocolate fondant glaze lies a large puff of delicious WHITE buttercream frosting! This a superb buttercream-- this is perfect, melt-in-your-mouth, ultra-whipped, sweet (but not sickeningly sweet) and perfect buttercream-- it is WONDERFUL. The cake is lightly chocolate. Eaten together with the frostings, this is a fantastic mix of chocolate and vanilla all at once! Overall Taste Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: I think it's a French Buttercream inside, it's so light and fluffy and smooth, the texture on the white buttercream is unbeatable. The texture on the glaze fondant is thick and fudgy and smooth. The cake is unfortunately a tad dry. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Is this cupcake cute, or is it ugly? I'm having trouble deciding! The buttercream puff hidden under the fondant glaze makes for a bulbous cupcake top, on which the bakery has painted a smiley face. I can't decide if the smiley face is cute and fun, or a little creepy. Isn't something about it a little bit creepy? There's definitely precision here, the glaze is bright and glossy, the application is neat, the fondant and cake have a rich chocolate color and the buttercream inside is pure white. This is an interesting-looking cupcake, but I like it. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: I really enjoyed this more than I expected, in large part due to the whopping dose of buttercream hidden inside that big ball of fondant on top, which surprised me by being VANILLA. Everyone knows chocolate and vanilla mix great together! The cake wasn't anything special, but overall this was a pretty tasty treat. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 15 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Bedford Village Pastry Vanilla on Vanilla

Taste: The frosting on this cupcake is really different and really wonderful!! As you can see, the top is a smooth, shiny hardened surface that I believe is a poured fondant glaze (as opposed to a rolled fondant, which is much thicker and has a different consistency), like the icing that coats most petit fours. Then, underneath the layer of icing with the firmer consistency, is a large puff of HEAVENLY white buttercream frosting. When I say this buttercream is HEAVENLY, I mean HEAVENLY-- this is perfect, melt-in-your-mouth, ultra-whipped, sweet (but not sickeningly sweet) and perfect buttercream-- it is WONDERFUL. The cake is sort of unremarkable-- spongy, lightly sweet, pleasant enough but not outrageously good. Eaten together with the frostings, this is a super-sweet cupcake. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: I think it's a French Buttercream inside, it's so light and fluffy and smooth, the texture on the buttercream is unbeatable. The texture on the glaze fondant is thick and smooth. The cake is unfortunately a bit dry. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Is this cupcake cute, or is it ugly? I'm having trouble deciding! The buttercream puff hidden under the fondant glaze makes for a bulbous cupcake top, on which the bakery has painted a smiley face. I can't decide if the smiley face is cute and fun, or a little creepy. Isn't something about it a little bit creepy? There's definitely precision here, the white is bright and glossy, the application is neat, the cake has a nice golden color. I guess this is a pretty cute cupcake. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: This was a fun cupcake! I really enjoyed it more than I expected, in large part due to the whopping dose of buttercream hidden inside that big ball of fondant on top. The cake part left something to be desired, but I liked that it was a classic cupcake and yet was something different at the same time. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 14.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Bake Shop Cherry Blossom Cupcake

Crumbs "Cherry Blossom" Cupcake, $3.75, http://www.crumbs.com/

Taste: Mike loved this cupcake-- he thought the icing had a "subtle cherry flavor" that he very much enjoyed. The icing is cream cheese icing, but its cherry cream cheese icing, and its pretty wonderful-- think a cherry-cheesecake sort of sweet yet tangy deliciousness. The cake is delicious sweet vanilla, and there are cherry preserves inside the cupcake which are tart and dotted with plump cherries. The tart preserves complement the sweet cherry cream cheese frosting perfectly, so that eaten together this cupcake has the perfect balance and is sweet but not too sweet, thanks to that perfect slightly tart cherry center. The candied cherries on top are nice-- my cupcake came with two candied cherries, which may have been an accident. Those cherries were sweeter than the preserves, but actually not as ultra-sweet as I had feared, and surprisingly not dried out, either-- the cherry on top was juicy when I bit into it! It was more like the maraschino cherry you find on top of an ice cream sundae than a too-sugared candied dry cherry. Overall Taste Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The textures here were quite pleasing-- smooth, creamy frosting coupled with soft, moist, fluffy cake, filled inside with juicy preserves in a compote that burst into cherry juices in my mouth. The candied cherries on top were candied sugar coated on the outside, but juicy inside! Not dry at all like most dried fruit. Overall Texture Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This cupcake is large, even , proportionate, and the cake has a pretty golden color while the frosting is a soft pink that connotes cherry, with a perfectly centered cherry on top (and a random smaller cherry imbedded in the icing off to the side-- accident?) Two slight problems with the aesthetic here-- one is that on top the icing appears a bit cracked, it doesn't look perfectly smoothed or swirled. But the bigger issue for me is that the icing isn't applied all the way down to the top of the cupcake wrapper. I like cupcake icing to cover the entirety of the top of the cupcake, not stop short and leave naked cake top showing! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: The taste of this cupcake was stellar-- I really enjoyed it. It was creative and different, and yet had a classic taste at the same time, and the tartness and sweetness together were delectable. I don't think the recipe on this could have been any better! I also like the name-- the "Cherry Blossom Cupcake." I was exceptionally satisfied-- with a cherry on top! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles!!

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 17.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Hostess-Style Cupcake

Crumbs Hostess-Style Cupcake, $3.75, http://www.crumbs.com/

For a wonderfully fun Friday lunch treat, I met with a group of friends for a quick midtown lunch during which we picked up an array of cupcakes from Crumbs! We each got a different cupcake and then shared and sampled, allowing the opportunity to review a wide array, and take into account the much-valued tasting opinions of my fellow cupcake-eaters!

Taste: After two unimpressive Hostess-style cupcake tastings, this one is a big improvement. The chocolate icing on top has a nice mocha-y flavor, there's definitely some sort of coffee taste involved with the chocolate on top. The chocolate cake is subtle but chocolate-y (though I wouldn't mind if it were a little sweeter), and the cream filling is super sweet and ultra-sugary. A bite of cupcake with chocolate frosting, cake AND cream filling is definitely a good tasting cupcake, though not out-of-this-world. Overall Taste Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: Cake is moist and cream filling is smooth and fluffy. The chocolate frosting on top is thick and fudgy. The textures definitely work together. Overall Texture Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is a nice looking cupcake! Large, proportionate, rich chocolate colored cake, glossy brown frosting, white classic squiggle on top. The squiggle is neatly squiggled, albeit not perfectly centered. The inside of the cupcake looked nice too! A little messy inside, but the inside of a cupcake doesn't have to look good, and bursting with cream filling is a good aesthetic in my opinion. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Definitely the tastiest of the Hostess-Style Cupcakes I've sampled so far, although I think my own personal recipe is still better! :) This cupcake was enjoyable but not out-of-this-world-gasping-for-

breath-cupcake-joy-inducing. My friend Caryn, who is a big fan of the Crumbs Hostess-Style cupcake, told me that today's cupcake wasn't as good as others she's tried in the past, so perhaps these are hit-or-miss. This wasn't a miss, it was a hit, but not a full hit out of the park. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 15.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Red Velvet Cupcake

Crumbs Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, $3.75, http://www.crumbs.com/

For a wonderfully fun Friday lunch treat, I met with a group of friends for a quick midtown lunch during which we picked up an array of cupcakes from Crumbs! We each got a different cupcake and then shared and sampled, allowing the opportunity to review a wide array, and take into account the much-valued tasting opinions of my fellow cupcake-eaters!

Taste: YUM!! This is a delicious mouthful of cupcake!! As my friend Lawrence noted, "the icing is perfect because it's not too cream chees-y and not too sweet to overwhelm," and I concur wholeheartedly, it's a cream cheese frosting done to excellence, because it's distinctly a cream cheese frosting, and perfectly sweetened, but not so sweet its cloying. The red velvet cake is also delicious-- it's not overly sweet and doesn't overpower, but it's softly yet distinctly chocolatey, and paired with the cream cheese frosting is just wonderful. The sprinkle of cake crumbs atop the icing is also a nice touch! Caryn from Carebear's Kitchen thought "the red velvet was SCRUMPTIOUS!" She said she tends to like the icing very cream cheesy, which I do as well, but we both agreed this frosting was "very yummy" even though not ultra-cream cheesy. The three of us agree the taste is very excellent and close to a "5 sprinkles," but not quite perfection-- Caryn thought it was a 4.5 Sprinkle taste, but Lawrence thought it was so perfect it was much closer to a 5, and I'm a little bit torn in between 4.5 and 5 myself. To settle it, I'll give an Overall Taste Rating out 4.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cream cheese icing is nice and creamy. I thought the cake texture was excellent, but my friend Lawrence felt it was "slightly dry" at the edges, and we all know a red velvet cake must, above all, be velvety. Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Nice large size, icing heaped high, deep red velvet cake, a cute smatter of red cake crumbs coating the top of the cupcake, although the icing application was not perfect nor were the sprinkled crumbs arranged symmetrically. Definitely a mouthwatering cupcake, but not a gorgeous work of cupcake art. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Very satisfying! I would absolutely get this again, and I think it's one of the best red velvet cupcakes I've tried-- I liked the frosting on the Two Little Red Hens Red Velvet better, but the Crumbs Red Velvet cake blows Two Little Red Hens out of the water! I was definitely satisfied! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles.

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 16.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs "Good Guy" Rainbow Sprinkle Funfetti Cupcake

Crumbs "Good Guy" Cupcake, $3.75, http://www.crumbs.com/

For a wonderfully fun Friday lunch treat, I met with a group of friends for a quick midtown lunch during which we picked up an array of cupcakes from Crumbs! We each got a different cupcake and then shared and sampled, allowing the opportunity to review a wide array, and take into account the much-valued tasting opinions of my fellow cupcake-eaters!

Taste: First let me explain this cupcake to you, because it's AWESOME-- It's vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles baked into it, like Funfetti, and filled with a vanilla buttercream center, and then topped with cream cheese frosting, which is covered in a super-dense blanket of rainbow sprinkles and then drizzled across the top with white chocolate. Wow! A lot going on in this cupcake, but all the tastes together are just unbelievably delicious!!! Caryn from CareBear's Kitchen said the dense top layer of sprinkles reminded her of those delicious cookies you get at bakeries with the densely packed sprinkles baked on top. Mike tasted a bite and could only say "Wow, that is good!" The cake is sweeter than regular vanilla cake because of all the sugary rainbow sprinkles baked in, so the cake is just a sweet deliciousness that I can't get enough of. The vanilla cream filling is very thick and very sweet, and wow, I wouldn't have thought all these different elements work together, but somehow they do! The cream cheese frosting is sweet and not too cream chees-y, so it doesn't add any flavors that overcomplicate the cupcake. The sprinkle coating is just pure deliciousnsess, it's like turning a cupcake into an ice cream sundae coated in rainbow sprinkle sweetness. The white chocolate drizzle is as delicious as it sounds-- such good white chocolate, it reminds me of a bakery white chocolate lattice cookie! I am in cupcake heaven!! This might be the most I've ever written about the taste of a cupcake! This is a clear Overall Taste Rating of 5 out of 5 Sprinkles!!!

Texture: This cupcake has a lot going on, but somehow it all works together! The cake is perfectly moist, this sprinkle-filled cake is just to die for. The buttercream center is perfectly smooth, the cream cheese frosting is smooth too but inextricably combined with the sprinkles and white chocolate drizzle on top, which together provide just the perfect amount of softly crunchy sugar. Overall Texture Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles!!!

Aesthetic: The top of cupcake is gorgeous! It reminds me of a Jackson Pollock painting! (If Jackson Pollock had used better colors) A gorgeous rainbow sprinkle-packed top layer drizzled in white chocolate, and the rainbow colored cake inside is beautiful too! Colorful, bright, cheery, artistic, and just the type of good-lucking cupcake that should put a smile on anyone's face!! And clearly this cupcake is a work of art in the form of abstract expressionism. Unfortunately, the side view of this cupcake isn't as perfect as the aerial view, and from the side appears to be a bit lopsided. I hate to deduct points off anything so delicious, but as you can see for yourself in the picture, it has to be done. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles!!

Satisfaction: WOW. There is a lot going on in this cupcake, but it all works together like MAGIC, I have never been so satisfied!! My only sadness is that this is a "special edition" cupcake, so it might not be around for long! Perhaps Crumbs will read my review and consider adding it to the permanent collection! This cupcake is going in my Cupcake Hall of Fame, but I sure hope Crumbs doesn't retire it!!! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles!!!

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 19.5 Sprinkles!!!! (out of 20 possible)

'wichcraft Hostess-Style Cupcake

'wichcraft (made in their own kitchens!) Hostess-style chocolate cupcake with cream filling, $2.75, http://www.wichcraftnyc.com/, http://wichcraftnyc.com/food/

Taste: The chocolate icing is not sweet at all, and slightly bitter, and I don't care for it. The chocolate cake, however, tastes like a perfect chocolate cake-- chocolatey but sweet, so mouthwatering, truly one of the best chocolate cakes I've tasted, and could be enjoyed alone. And in the case of this cupcake, is much BETTER enjoyed alone-- the white cream filling is GROSS! The white cream filling inside is TART, as opposed to sweet, and tastes strange, SOUR, like something might be seriously wrong with it, because how could a baker intend for it to taste so unpleasant? Why would a baker fill a Hostess-style cupcake with sour filling? Have the insides curdled? I am perplexed, and displeased. Overall Taste Rating: 2 out of 5 sprinkles (the amazing chocolate cake saved this from a 0 or 1 rating for the abominable cream filling).

Texture: The chocolate icing on top is thick and fudgy. The texture of the chocolate cake is PERFECT-- fluffy and moist, absolutely wonderful. The texture of the cream filling is slightly congealed and gelatinous. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 sprinkles (the chocolate cake on this is PERFECTION!)

Aesthetic: Not a bad-looking cupcake! The "W" on top (for 'wichcraft) is a cute alternative to the standard Hostess cupcake squiggle on top and stamps a nice 'wichcraft signature on top! The symmetry on this cupcake isn't perfect, but the cake and chocolate icing have a nice deep brown color and the icing on top has a beautiful sheen. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Satisfaction: The gross sour filling on this, coupled with the bitter frosting, made this a total cupcake killer. BUT, the chocolate cake element was WONDERFUL, and I picked away all the icing and cream filling with a fork and then ate the delicious cake all by itself! 'wichcraft has a fantastic chocolate cake recipe here, and if they could just improve their icing and cream filling, they would be equipped to create delicious cupcakes! However, as a complete cupcake, this left a lot to be desired. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 2 out of 5 sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 11.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Magnolia Bakery Caramel Cupcake

Caramel Cupcake from Magnolia Bakery, $3.00, http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/)

Taste: The frosting is super light and super fluffy-- I think it's meringue, it's definitely not a buttercream-- Upon a second taste, it's definitely meringue, light and whipped and sweet with that distinct sugar-and-egg-white meringue sweetness. There is also a soft caramel flavor to the meringue frosting, which is further enhanced by the drizzles of caramel across the top of the cupcake. The cake tastes to me like standard vanilla cake, not too strong in flavor and not too sweet, but tasted together with the frosting and caramel topping this is a lightly sweet caramel treat-- not ultra-sugary or ultra-sweet, very subtle. Overall Taste Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The meringue frosting is ultra light and whipped so its perfectly smooth. The caramel drizzled across the top is soft and sticky. The cake itself is dense and a little dry, especially around the edges, which are crispy. The top of the cupcake is crispy too-- the crispy edges and top actually have a distinct flavor that reminds me of a Nabisco Nilla wafer, and I like it. Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Aesthetic: The cupcake is cute, and I like how the icing was applied high around the edges but lower in the center, like a sort of frosting bowl in which the caramel could puddle-- but be assured that all that caramel drizzle was as sticky as it looks! The caramel zigzags are attractive though, and everything is neatly applied and pretty to look at even if messy to eat. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Satisfaction: Definitely the best full-size cupcake I've had yet from Magnolia, so I was pleasantly surprised, since in the past I've been disappointed. It wasn't putting me into the "cupcake heaven" I've spoken of when reviewing other cupcakes, but it was a pleasant treat, and I was glad to have tried an interesting new flavor like caramel, so I was left feeling pretty satisfied. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 15 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Raspberry Jam-Filled Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting, baked by Carebear's Kitchen

Raspberry Jam-Filled Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting, baked by Caryn from CareBear's Kitchen using a recipe by Martha Stewart.

My friend Caryn from Carebear's Kitchen baked some delicious homemade cupcakes when she hosted a group of friends at her apartment over the weekend! She used a recipe from Martha Stewart to make chocolate frosted raspberry jam filled cupcakes, and posted all about it!

Taste: Mmm! The raspberry and chocolate complement eachother so nicely!! The chocolate frosting is cocoa-y and the raspberry filling is super sweet and full of raspberry deliciousness! The vanilla cake is actually somewhat salty (when I observed this, Caryn confessed she accidentally used 1/4 teaspoon too much salt in the cake recipe), but the saltiness is sort of nice with the super-sweetness of the raspberry jam and chocolate frosting-- sweet and salty complement eachother well, doesn't everyone love kettle corn for just that reason?! And the fresh raspberry on top is a nice touch, a little tart but full of natural raspberry flavor. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is very creamy and smooth, and the raspberry jam filling is thick and sticky. The vanilla cake is a touch dry, but the raspberry jam filling in the center moistens it all up nicely! Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Aesthetic: Caryn's cupcakes looked JUST like the picture in the recipe!! A very impressive reproduction! Nice light golden color on the vanilla cake and deep chocolate brown on the frosting. Excellent precision and symmetry on a homemade cupcake, too! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Satisfaction: A very tasty cupcake all around, although I would have liked some more frosting on top! (Luckily for me, Caryn brought me the bowl of leftover frosting to enjoy!) And you can't beat fresh out of the oven! The recipe called for the jam to be inserted in the center of the cupcake after the cupcakes had baked and cooled, but Caryn and I discussed the possibility of baking the jam into the cupcakes with the batter-- that might be a fun way to try doing it next time! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 17 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Two Little Red Hens White Frosting on Chocolate Cake

Two Little Red Hens White Frosting on Chocolate Cake, http://www.twolittleredhens.com, $3.95 from Food Emporium

Taste: The white frosting is strange-- I don't think it's buttercream, nor is it vanilla, it tastes very plain and actually tastes sort of like unsweetened whipped cream. Definitely NOT sweet enough for me, I am not a huge fan. The little sprinkles on top add some much needed sweetness, but the frosting should really be coated in them instead of only topped with a few. The chocolate cake taste is okay-- boring though, not very sweet, not very flavorful at all. This is a sadly flavorless cupcake all around. And ick, with a slightly bitter aftertaste to the cake, I'm now discovering. Two Little Red Hens should stick to their delicious cream cheese frosting! Overall Taste Rating: 1 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: The icing might be tasteless, but it's fluffy and light and perfectly smooth. The cake is lacking in taste as well, but the texture is OK-- in the center not very moist but not really dry either, very medium, although it's too dry around the edges. Overall Texture Rating: 2.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Aesthetic: This cupcake is a nice size, and very symmetrical and even, with a nicely swirled icing application. However, from looking at the cupcake, it wasn't making my mouth water-- it didn't look like fresh baked deliciousness-- in fact, it closely resembled the look of a packaged storebought cupcake. Despite the aesthetic precision, looking at the cupcake doesn't evoke drool over it. It doesn't look fresh baked, and something about the frosting looks very artificial to me. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 sprinkles

Satisfaction: Kind of a bummer on this cupcake after how much I loved the Two Little Red Hens Red Velvet! I was very disappointed. And especially for $3.95, on the higher end of cupcake pricing, I was bummed this cupcake was easy to toss into the garbage. Not very satisfying at all! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 2 out of 5 sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 8.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake

Crumbs Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake, $3.75, http://www.crumbs.com/

Taste: Icing that tastes like cookie dough-- how does Crumbs do it?! They somehow make the magic happen, because the frosting tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough, and as I'm sure you know, chocolate chip cookie dough is utterly delicious. Cookie dough frosting is GENIUS! The cake is delicious and flavorful Crumbs vanilla classic cake. Inside, the cupcake is filled with a chocolate cream filling-- this chocolate cream filling is not frosting, and isn't super sweet-- it tastes a bit like chocolate pudding, but slightly bitter-- I'm not really enjoying the chocolate filling at all. There's a delicious chocolate chip cookie on top though. The cookie dough frosting is delicious and incredible, but this chocolate filling in the middle is abundant and I don't care for it much at all. Overall Taste Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles.

Texture: The cake is so moist, the cookie dough frosting is so smooth and creamy, even the unpleasant chocolate filling is smooth and creamy, and the chocolate chip cookie on top is soft and goes great with the rest of the cupcake. Overall Texture Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles.

Aesthetic: This cupcake is large in size and pleasantly adorned on top with a chocolate chip cookie, with white frosting heaped on top an inch high, with some of the chocolate filling peeking out from below-- not sure if that was intentional or sloppy! The cupcake has an appealingly edible aesthetic, but is not gorgeous in its presentation. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 sprinkles

Satisfaction: The cookie dough frosting was HEAVENLY. But the cupcake would have been WAY better without the chocolate filling inside! I am positive I've had this variety of cupcake from Crumbs before where the inside of the cupcake is filled with more cookie dough frosting instead of this chocolate cream filling-- they should DEFINITELY go back to the old recipe!! I was so busy avoiding the chocolate filling and eating around it while eating this cupcake that it definitely impeded my satisfaction! Overall satisfaction rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles.

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 15 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Strawberry-Banana Cupcake

Crumbs Strawberry-Banana Cupcake, $3.75, http://www.crumbs.com/

Taste: The frosting is banana-flavored and tastes artificially flavored-- I think probably the same frosting as on the Banana Split Cupcake. The cake is AWESOME though-- it's strawberry flavored cake with real strawberries baked into it!! The cake doesn't taste artificial at all, it's full of fresh strawberry flavored deliciousness. There are also strawberry preserves in the center of the cupcake that are delicious-- not too sweet, with chunks of real strawberries in the compote. Taking a bite of the banana frosting, strawberry cake and strawberry preserve filling together, it's pretty tasty-- it really pulls together into a strawberry-banana flavor! Makes me wonder if Crumbs has thought about doing a reverse banana-strawberry cupcake with banana cake and strawberry frosting! The best tasting component is by far the strawberry cake on this one, though-- strawberry cake, so innovative, utterly delicious! Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: Crumbs really knows how to get the textures perfect on their cakes-- the cake is so moist and soft and delectable. The frosting is creamy and smooth, and the strawberry preserves inside are smooth with real strawberries swirled in. The pink and red sprinkles are also a pleasant addition. However, the strawberry gummy candies adorned on top are much better served for decoration than consumption-- in general, I don't think gummy candies and baked goods really go together, and it especially kills the texture to have a chewy gummy candy in a bite of your cupcake! I'd advise leaving these gummy candies off to the side or consuming them separately. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Aesthetic: Crumbs cupcakes are so pretty!! I love the jumbo size of the cupcake, the rim of densely packed red and pink sprinkles, and the cute gummy strawberries on top (they didn't work with the texture, but they looked cute, and let the world know the cupcake was going to involve strawberry flavors!) But, a deduction needs to be taken because the application of the sprinkles, frosting, and other components are not perfectly even or symmetrical. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Satisfaction: I'm feeling pretty satisfied! The strawberry cake was just stellar, and left me craving more. The banana icing on its own tasted too artificial for me to enjoy it, but together with the other cupcake components, it was pretty tasty. The gummy candies on top just didn't work for me with the textures, but I do think they looked nice as decoration! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 15.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)