CupcakeStop Lemon Cupcake

Lemon Cupcake, the Cupcake Stop, www.cupcakestop.com

The CupcakeStop Truck came to the Upper West Side today!! How exciting!! (My neighborhood). I had no idea it would be there-- I was just strolling along Broadway on this sunny Sunday afternoon, when my mom pointed and said "Look! A cupcake truck!" And lo and behold, the CupcakeStop was paying a visit to the UWS! So, I took the opportunity to try my first full-sized CupcakeStop cupcake. I chose Lemon because it was the only available flavor I had not yet reviewed. I also had a hankering for a good lemon cupcake, after my recent abysmal experience with Buttercup's Lemon Cupcake.

Taste: The frosting is sweet yet distintly lemony-- sweet and tart at the same time in an excellent balance. It's definitely a lemon buttercream. What a great flavor combination. Disappointingly, the cake is plain yellow cake-- I personally prefer a lemon flavored cake in a lemon cake or lemon cupcake. But, pleasingly, there is tart lemon filling in the center of the cupcake. There is also some delicious lemon curd swirled onto the top of the cupcake with the frosting. When the tart filling, refreshing lemon curd, sweet/tart frosting and sweet cake are eaten together, this is a delicious lemon cupcake combo. Perfect ratio of sweetness to tartness for a lemon cupcake that leaves you with a satisfied sweet tooth. Overall Taste Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is thick and smooth, the lemon filling in the center has a gel-like consistency, and the cake is very dense-- not dry but not too moist, just in between. Overall Texture Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Notice how the frosting is NOT FLUORESCENT??? Take notes, Buttercup!!
The frosting is a perfect lemony pale yellow, swirled in a way I find pleasing, although there is some bare naked cupcake top peeking out the edges, which you know drives me crazy. This cupcake is well proportioned and cute. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Pretty good!! I'm not sure I'm ready to laud it on the level of Del Frisco's lemon cake or the cherished Freihofer's lemon cupcakes of my youth, but this was very tasty!! FAR superior to the disastrous Buttercup lemon cupcake, that's for sure. I really was quite satisfied-- my sweet tooth was fulfilled, which is KEY for a lemon cupcake, yet it was also cirtrusy, tart and refreshing-- the exact result you want from a lemon dessert. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

Crumbs Watermelon Cupcake

Crumbs "Watermelon" Cupcake, www.crumbs.com

Taste: The green frosting on top of this cupcake DOES, indeed, taste like watermelon flavoring. Unfortunately, watermelon frosting is totally weird and not that enjoyable. It tastes like candy-- think of a watermelon Jelly Belly-- but very artificial and, in my opinion, unpleasant. (Although note that I take issue with artificial flavorings more than many others do-- I find artificial flavorings unpleasant and, personally, they leave me with an aftertaste. ) I had the same complaint on artificial flavoring regrarding the Crumbs Banana Frosting. Anyway, the cupcake did have redeeming qualities-- the pink frosting INSIDE the cupcake was, gloriously, STRAWBERRY flavored, and absolutey delicious, a scrumptious, perfectly sweetened buttercream. The cake was delicious Crumbs sponge cake, sweet and delightful. I found myself ignoring the green watermelon frosting and just eating the inside of strawberry frosting and cake-- which was delicious. But, the "watermelon" cupcake failed on its watermelon-distinctive flavorings. I wonder if the bakers knew the watermelon frosting was questionable, which is why they put strawberry frosting inside instead, rather than a watermelon-flavored pink frosting. Overall Taste Rating: 2.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: Can't complain on account of texture! The frosting on top was very smooth, and the filling inside was so fluffy and creamy it melted in my mouth. The cake was tender and moist. The sprinkles adorning the cupcake added a nice little sugary crunch. Overall Texture Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Not bad-- green isn't the most appealing of colors for frosting, but the kitsch of the watermelon theme-- green frosted outside with a pink frosting inside-- was totally adorable. Also, I do appreciate Crumbs not going overboard to make the colors a true "Watermelon"-- fluorescent green and pink frosting would have really grossed me out from color dye overkill. The rim of red sprinkles is festive, but in my opinion, they should have used PINK sprinkles, not red!! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Well, my first watermelon cupcake. I guess I now understand why watermelon is not a popular flavor in cupcakes, or in baked goods at all, for that matter. It wasn't really working here. However, asides from the watermelon frosting, this cupcake was delicious. Conveniently, Crumbs is so generous with the icing heaping inside the cupcake, that the frosting-to-cake ratio was plentiful even when only eating the strawberry filling and cake together. So, I was let a satisfied customer, even though the "watermelon" angle wasn't a big hit with me. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 14.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

One Girl Cookies Chocolate on Vanilla Sold by the Street Sweets Truck

Chocolate Frosting on Vanilla Cake from the Street Sweets Truck, www.streetsweetsny.com, which sells cupcakes from One Girl Cookies, http://www.onegirlcookies.com/

Yet another dessert-centric mobile food truck in NYC! Unlike the CupcakeStop, this truck is not cupcake-exclusive, and they don't sell their own brand cupcakes-- they sell One Girl Cookies cupcakes. So, this review is of One Girl Cookies cupcakes, but since the StreetSweets Truck doesn't sell any other cupcake brands, this is the deal for purchases from StreetSweets.

Taste: The frosting takes exactly like milk chocolate fudge. There is no other way to describe it than purely fudgy. The vanilla cake is not capable of stand-alone enjoyment... it has a slightly sour flavor to it, and other than that, no particular flavors to note. Eaten together, the cake tempers the richness of the fudge-- slightly. The fudge completely overpowers everything. This is very rich and, for me, not quite satisfying that cupcake sweettooth. Overall Taste Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The chocolate frosting is SO THICK. Like, so thick it tastes and feels like FUDGE. In a blind taste test, I would absolutely mistake the frosting for fudge. The vanilla cake is dense and has a medium texture-- not moist but not dry either. I think the cake is so dense and the fudge so thick that this cupcake is too rich and heavy to enjoy. This is not a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth cupcake-- everything about it is HEAVY. Overall Texture Rating: 1 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is a funny, spiky sort of cupcake-- it reminds me of the way some guys gel their hair into hardened little tufts. The cupcake wrapper is unique, with a circular ribbed paper wrapper inside, but a square-with-rounded-edges cardboard border around it-- very different. Kind of weird looking, but kind of cool. Very distinctive. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: This cake is just all about chocolate FUDGE. Let me be clear, I mean FUDGE, like brick-of-fudge fudge, fudge you get at the boardwalk or in an old country general store. Some cakes or brownies or frostings are fudgy, as in having fudge-like qualities, which is generally an excellent accolade. I am not penalizing this cupcake for being fudgy, because it is not fudgy, it is FUDGE. As in, the "frosting" is like pure, unadultered fudge. I'm not talking ice cream sundae hot fudge, I mean like brick-of-fudge, comes-in-many-flavors fudge. And I like fudge-- truly, I enjoy a good piece of fudge-- but fudge is so rich that fudge is a stand-alone item. Fudge is best enjoyed with a beverage to temper the richness, but fudge is not an appropriate topping for cakes or other sweets of any kind. Between the rich taste and the thick, dense texture, is just overkill. It doesn't work on a cupcake. It's just not doing it for me. Points though for the fact that, as fudge, the "frosting" is quite a tasty milk chocolate fudge. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 2.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 9.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

One Girl Cookies Red Velvet Sold by the Street Sweets Truck

Red Velvet Cupcake from the Street Sweets Truck, www.streetsweetsny.com, which sells cupcakes from One Girl Cookies, http://www.onegirlcookies.com/

Yet another dessert-centric mobile food truck in NYC! Unlike the CupcakeStop, this truck is not cupcake-exclusive, and they don't sell their own brand cupcakes-- they sell One Girl Cookies cupcakes. So, this review is of One Girl Cookies cupcakes, but since the StreetSweets Truck doesn't sell any other cupcake brands, this is the deal for purchases from StreetSweets.

Taste: The frosting is cream cheese-y but ultra sweet at the same time. The cake tastes like a lightly sweet chocolate cake. Eaten together, it's a red velvety cream cheese sensation-- pretty good! Overal Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is thick, a little hardened on the outside, but smooth on the inside. The cake is a little hard around the edges, but in the center it's soft and fluffy. However, I wouldn't call the texture velvety-- it's fluffy and perhaps a bit spongey, but not moist or smooth such to be considered velvety. Overall Taste Rating: 2 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: What an INTERESTING aesthetic! First of all, the packaging is an atypical cupcake wrapper-- a circular paper wrapper inside, but a square-with-rounded-edges cardboard border around it-- very different. The frosting is applied in these funny little peaks that make it look like a jester's hat, or perhaps the tentacles of an octopus. It's kind of whimsical and fun, but also a little odd. Definitely distinctive. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Not bad. The tastes were great here, although the texture left a bit to be desired. I always like experiencing something new, and the cupcakes are branded to look different, if not taste different. I feel somewhat pleased. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles.

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 12.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Junior's Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting

Junior's Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting, http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/

Taste: The cream cheese frosting is so thick and rich and cream cheesy it's practically like Junior's cheesecake! I'm exaggerating slightly, it's clearly frosting, but a really delicious cream cheesey, cheesecake-y frosting-- anyone who loves cheesecake will love this frosting, it's richer and more cream cheesey than many cream cheese frostings. It reminds me of the filling in a cheese danish! The cake is sweet but doesn't have a distinct flavor. This is a Junior's cupcake, so their distinct double-frosting application layer is in play here. The top of the cake is first frosted in a white vanilla royal icing, and then rainbow sprinkles are pressed around the edges to make a border, and then the cream cheese frosting is swirled high on top of the rainbow sprinkle border atop the vanilla royal icing. So its a double dose of two types of icing, generously piled and thoroughly coated. The vanilla royal icing is sugary sweet, as are the sprinkles. OMG I could eat a bucket of this cream cheese frosting alone. Eaten together, this is so tasty, even if the cake is mainly serving as a vehicle for the frosting-- the cream cheese frosting is SOOOOOOOO GOOD, Junior's really knows how to handle cream cheese!: Overall Taste Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cream cheese frosting is sooooooooooooooooooo creamy. The cake is tender and moist-- the cake almost melts in my mouth. The cake is so soft, and the frosting so smooth. Mmmmm! Overall Texture Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is just a spectacular looking cupcake. The system of applying royal icing to the cupcake, applying a border of sprinkles, and then letting the royal icing dry and harden to hold the sprinkles in place is ingenius and gorgeous-- no sprinkles at risk of falling off these cupcakes! And the generous heaping of perfectly swirled cream cheese frosting in the center of the sprinkle border is so pleasing to the eyes. The cupcake is large, the red velvet color of the cake is a rich burgundy, and the rainbow sprinkles add a pretty touch ringed around the edge (although perhaps they should be red or white sprinkles, not rainbow-- the rainbow clashes a touch with the burgundy red velvet cake). Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Mmmmm, yummy! This cream cheese frosting is so rich, I would practically call this a "Cheesecake Cupcake" more so than a "Red Velvet Cupcake." I'm loving it though! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 18.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Mangia Vanilla on Vanilla

Mangia Vanilla Cupcake, http://www.mangiatogo.com/, $1.50 for a mini, $2.50 for a full size

Taste: The frosting has absolutely no taste-- its so light, its almost too light, completely devoid of taste. Not sweet at all. It doesn't even taste like anything, its like air. The cake has a good vanilla taste to it, I actually really like the cake on its own. If the icing had any flavor at all, this could be good! Alas. Overall Taste Rating: 2.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is ultra light and so whipped you barely feel it on your tongue. The cake is very dense but its not dry or moist, its the right amount in between. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: I picked the mini because I'm partial to all things mini, but I was erroneously told there would be custard inside, which there was not. This "mini" cupcake is bigger than many "minis"-- it's a four or five bite mini size, not a one or two bite mini size. I also liked how it was served to me in an upside down plastic glass with a cover-- clever. The proportions are good, and the smattering of chocolate crumbs across the top looked nice, even though they had no taste. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: I thought the cake was delicious, but with tasteless icing, it could not satisfy me... If Mangia works on their frosting recipe (hint: add some sugar), they could have really good cupcakes! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 13.25 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Tonnie's Minis "Golden Heart" (Vanilla/Red Velvet Swirl)

Tonnie's Minis "Golden Heart" (Vanilla/Red Velvet Swirl), http://www.tonniesminis.com/

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: The cake flavor is really bad here-- the red velvet swirl adds nothing and is flavorless, and the only flavor I can discern on the cake is maybe too much baking soda or perhaps the use of spoiled milk-- the cake is slightly sour, with a bad aftertaste. The icing is sweet and tasty enough, but its not making up for the bad cake. Overall Taste Rating: 1.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake is very moist and the frosting is creamy, so points for good texture if not for taste. Overall Texture Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: You might be asking yourself why this cupcake isn't mini, when the venue is called Tonnie's MINIS. I asked myself the same question. Every cupcake being sold at Tonnie's minis was full size. I inquired and was told they were "out" of minis. A strange thing to happen to a store that names itself Tonnie's MINIs. There were no minis to be had. For a full size cupcake it's okay looking, it has an appealing homemade quality to it. I love the swirl application on the frosting, and the dusting of red velvet crumbs is cute. But I wish the frosting went all the way to the edge-- bare naked cupcake top, ahh! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: The bad cake taste killed this cupcake for me. I also need to add that the VENUE from which these cupcakes were purchased, which was the one and only Tonnie's Minis location, the flagship, the hub, the epicenter of Tonnie's Minis-- and it was one of the dirtiest and sketchiest looking places I've ever been, and hands down the shadiest place from which I have ever purchased a cupcake. Most cupcakeries and bakeries in general are clean, for starters, and usually staffed by friendly people and perhaps decorated with some air of cuteness or charm. Some cupcakeries are quaint, some are trendy, some are whimsical, some are elegant, some are geared for kids while others have a hipster vibe.... But this is the first cupcake venue I have ever been to that was SHADY. The picture on their website makes it look deceptively cute, but in real life those cute orange high pod chairs and pretty tiered cupcake stand are nowhere to be found-- the real life venue contained a folding table and folding chairs where those trendy elements are in the picture. I felt like I had entered the shady underbelly of the cupcake world. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 1 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 10.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Tonnie's Minis Vanilla on Vanilla

Tonnie's Minis Vanilla on Vanilla, http://www.tonniesminis.com/

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: The frosting is sweet, but the cake is slightly sour, like spoiled milk-- it's gross, with a bad aftertaste. Ick. Overall Taste Rating: 1.5 out of 5 Sprinkles.

Texture: The cake is moist. The frosting texture is very thin, not very substantial. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: You might be asking yourself why this cupcake isn't mini, when the venue is called Tonnie's MINIS. I asked myself the same question. Every cupcake being sold at Tonnie's minis was full size. I inquired and was told they were "out" of minis. A strange thing to happen to a store that names itself Tonnie's MINIs. There were no minis to be had. For a full size cupcake it's okay looking, it has an appealing homemade quality to it. I love the swirl application on the frosting, the rainbow sprinkles are super pretty, and the icing is applied generously. The cupcake beckoned to me from the display case at the store and I was really wooed by the aesthetic. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: The bad cake taste killed this cupcake for me. I also need to add that the VENUE from which these cupcakes were purchased, which was the one and only Tonnie's Minis location, the flagship, the hub, the epicenter of Tonnie's Minis-- and it was one of the dirtiest and sketchiest looking places I've ever been, and hands down the shadiest place from which I have ever purchased a cupcake. Most cupcakeries and bakeries in general are clean, for starters, and usually staffed by friendly people and perhaps decorated with some air of cuteness or charm. Some cupcakeries are quaint, some are trendy, some are whimsical, some are elegant, some are geared for kids while others have a hipster vibe.... But this is the first cupcake venue I have ever been to that was SHADY. The picture on their website makes it look deceptively cute, but in real life those cute orange high pod chairs and pretty tiered cupcake stand are nowhere to be found-- the real life venue contained a folding table and folding chairs where those trendy elements are in the picture. I felt like I had entered the shady underbelly of the cupcake world. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 1 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 10 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Sweet Revenge "Pure" Vanilla on Vanilla

Sweet Revenge "Pure" Vanilla on Vanilla, http://www.sweetrevengenyc.com/

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: The icing is ultra sweet, super sugary, but very vanilla flavored, which I like. The cake is not too sweet, it's rather bland. The frosting and cake together are very sweet. Overall Taste Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is very thick, and the granulated sugar crystals add a little crunch. The cake is very dense, but also moist. Overall, this is a very heavy cupcake-- this is definitely something that will fill you up quickly. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Gorgeous! Large in size, with a uniquely large brown paper cupcake wrapper, an extremely generous heaping of frosting, and the signature Sweet Revenge "three stripe" extra application of frosting on top. The white frosting glistens from the sugar crystals that are decorating the top. Unique, attractive, glamorous. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Sweet Revenge gets extra points for being such a cool VENUE! It's a cupcakery, but although takeout is an option, its designed to be a sit-down cupcake restaurant complete with waitress service. Most unique, the cupcake menu comes with suggested drink pairings! Now, usually my beverage of choice with a cupcake is a cold glass of milk, but Sweet Revenge puts a twist on the usual by suggesting beer, wine or cocktail options that are designed to go best with each flavor of cupcake on their menu. What a cool idea!! The cupcakes also all have fancy names. Sitting down and being served these fancy, gorgeous cupcakes with fancy drinks by a friendly waitress added an extra element to the Sweet Revenge experience that left me feeling extra satisfied. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

Sweet Revenge Crimson and Cream (Raspberry Red Velvet)

Sweet Revenge Crimson and Cream (Raspberry Red Velvet) Cupcake, http://www.sweetrevengenyc.com/

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: OMG-- why aren't all red velvet cakes raspberry flavored? This is GENIUS. The fact that other bakeries are making non-raspberry red velvet cakes will now forever be a shock to me. Raspberry red vevet cake is far and away a superior flavoring. There are fresh raspberries baked in to the cake. The flavor is bursts of fresh raspberry flavors exploding in my mouth in fantastic ways. The fresh, real raspberry flavor is unbelievably good, and paired with the sweet cream cheese frosting, I am in cupcake heaven! Overall Taste Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake is very dense, but ultra moist, and the frosting is super thick and creamy. This is definitely a filling cupcake! Overall Texture Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Absolutely STUNNING!!! Large in size, with a uniquely large brown paper cupcake wrapper, an extremely generous heaping of frosting, and the signature Sweet Revenge "three stripe" extra application of frosting on top. Drizzled with raspberry sauce and dusted with cinnamon, with so much icing spilling around the edges of the wrapper that the icing looks almost like flower petals. So beautiful! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: The fact that their red velvet cake was raspberry flavored just blew my mind in amazing ways. The crimson raspberry red velvet cake and creamy cream cheese frosting made this "crimson and cream" cupcake out of this world. Sweet Revenge gets extra points for being such a cool VENUE! It's a cupcakery, but although takeout is an option, its designed to be a sit-down cupcake restaurant complete with waitress service. Most unique, the cupcake menu comes with suggested drink pairings! Now, usually my beverage of choice with a cupcake is a cold glass of milk, but Sweet Revenge puts a twist on the usual by suggesting beer, wine or cocktail options that are designed to go best with each flavor of cupcake on their menu. What a cool idea!! The cupcakes also all have fancy names. Sitting down and being served these fancy, gorgeous cupcakes with fancy drinks by a friendly waitress added an extra element to the Sweet Revenge experience that left me feeling extra satisfied. The fact that their red velvet cake was raspberry flavored just blew my mind in amazing ways. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

Sweet Revenge "Bird of Paradise" (Mango Buttercream and Lime Chiffon Cake with Fresh Lime Zest)

Sweet Revenge "Bird of Paradise" (Mango Buttercream and Lime Chiffon Cake with Fresh Lime Zest) Cupcake, http://www.sweetrevengenyc.com/

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: WOW-- these are complex tastes, but wonderful ones! The frosting is mango buttercream. And the mango flavoring must come from natural sources, because there is nothing artificial tasting about it. The mango buttercream is absolutely delicious, sweet and distinctly fresh mango flavored. The fresh lime zest sprinkled across the top adds a KICK to the cupcake's taste-- it's delicious and wonderfully complex. The cake is a citrusy lime cake that tastes like a key lime cake-- it's slightly tart, yet sweet, and balanced with the sweet mango buttercream is more sweet than tart-- yet that lime zest is throwing in an extra, tangy kick for intrigue. Overall the cupcake's citrusy flavors are stronger than the mango, but the sweetness of the mango buttercream is strong enough that the cupcake was a whole is not too tart. Refreshing! Original! ZESTY! Overall Taste Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The mango buttercream is smooth and thick. The cake is very dense, but moist. A heavy cupcake, but the refreshing tropical flavors lighten it up. Overall Texture Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Absolutely STUNNING!!! Large in size, with a uniquely large brown paper cupcake wrapper, an extremely generous heaping of frosting, and the signature Sweet Revenge "three stripe" extra application of frosting on top. Light yellow frosting with sprinklings of lime zest across the top alert viewers that this is no ordinary cupcake. So unique, so gourmet, so cool! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Sweet Revenge gets extra points for being such a cool VENUE! It's a cupcakery, but although takeout is an option, its designed to be a sit-down cupcake restaurant complete with waitress service. Most unique, the cupcake menu comes with suggested drink pairings! Now, usually my beverage of choice with a cupcake is a cold glass of milk, but Sweet Revenge puts a twist on the usual by suggesting beer, wine or cocktail options that are designed to go best with each flavor of cupcake on their menu. What a cool idea!! The cupcakes also all have fancy names. Sitting down and being served these fancy, gorgeous cupcakes with fancy drinks by a friendly waitress added an extra element to the Sweet Revenge experience that left me feeling extra satisfied. This cupcake was paired with a "Lunetta Prosecco Bellini with Mango" that added some additional mango flavoring to the experience-- and it definitely was well paired! The bubbles on my tongue nicely cooled the zestiness of the lime peel, and was an extra hit of mango. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 19.25 Sprinkles!!! (out of 20 possible)

Baked by Melissa Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

Baked by Melissa Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/, 12 mini cupcakes for $10

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: This cupcake is very chocolatey, and the dollop of real peanut butter in the center makes it very peanut-buttery as well. It's rich, super chocolatey and peanut buttery-- not very sweet, but definitely tasty, a lot like a Reese's peanut butter cup except the peanut butter isn't sweetened, its just real old fashioned original peanut butter (smooth). Overall Taste Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The peanut butter is sticky, the frosting is smooth, but the cake has an unfortunate rubbery texture on the outside. Baked by Melissa doesn't use paper cupcake wrappers and perhaps the way the cupcakes bake create a rubbery exterior, which is highly unfortunate. Since the cupcake is so tiny, the rubbery edges are basically the majority of the cake itself. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Delightfully miniature! Rich chocolate colored cake, lighter milk chocolate frosting in a generous swirl in the center, and a dollop of real peanut butter smack in the middle. Symmetrical yet whimsically swirly. So cute! Mouthwatering! I like the little peanut butter "peak" you can see in the photo. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: This was very rich, but very tasty!! Shame about the rubbery texture. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 16 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Baked by Melissa Red Velvet

Baked by Melissa Red Velvet Cupcake, http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/, 12 mini cupcakes for $10

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: The frosting is super sweet, but not very cream cheese-y. The cake is sweet and lightly cocoa-y. The frosting so sweet that this is a sugar rush. The main flavor here is sugar. Overall Taste Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is ultra light, and the cake is ultra moist, even creamy. Overall Texture Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Sweetly miniature-- deep burgundy hue on the cake and bright white color to the frosting. The frosting is generously and prettily swirled, with red sugar crystals decorating the top in a pleasing way. Everything is unfortunately rather lopsided. Good swirl though. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: A pretty tasty bite of red velvet, but I prefer a more cream cheese-y frosting on my red velvet cupcakes. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

Baked by Melissa Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcake

Baked by Melissa Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcake, http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/, 12 mini cupcakes for $10

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: Real jelly, real peanut butter, and vanilla cake without much flavor. The frosting is just real peanut butter (smooth), which is delicious, but rich. The jelly is sweet and balances the peanut butter-- just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Oh, peanut butter and jelly, you go so well together. The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis that introduced the peanut butter and jelly sandwich was a momentous moment in history. Love my PB&J! Overall Taste Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The peanut butter is creamy and smooth, but sticky, standard for peanut butter. The jelly is, well, jellied. No surprises here. The cake is dry. The textures here are pretty close to a PB & J sandwich. Overall Texture Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Sprinkles.

Aesthetic: Such a mini cutie! The peanut butter is neatly ringed around the jelly in the center, which frames it in a peanut butter border. There's no mistaking that this is a PB&J cupcake! The cake is a nice golden color to it. Sweetly tiny. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: So here's the thing: I LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I truly do. But I could just make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This cupcake needs to add something more CUPCAKE-esque to the peanut butter and jelly sensation to be a peanut butter and jelly CUPCAKE. I love peanut butter frostings that blend sugar into peanut butter to create a peanut butter flavored frosting, rather than just frosting in pure real peanut butter. Or perhaps a sweeter, moister more cakelike cake, or a cake with the jelly baked into it rather than just inserted atop the center post-baking. So although this cupcake tasted just like PB&J, which I loved, it wasn't very cupcake-y, leaving my cupcake craving unsatisfied, though my PB&J carving was fulfilled. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 14.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Baked by Melissa Cookie Dough

Baked by Melissa Cookie Dough, http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/, 12 mini cupcakes for $10

On a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, I went for a "cupcake crawl" in downtown Manhattan with my best cupcake tasing buddies, Caryn of Carebear's Kitchen, and Lawrence and Justin from My Two Nuts. Caryn recapped our day of adventure fantastically at her Caryn's 101 Things blog. We had an amazing afternoon of strolling, enjoying wonderful weather, hanging out in the park, and most importantly sharing many delicious cupcakes! This was one of the cupcakes that was a product of our first NYC cupcake crawl!

Taste: A dollop of fresh cookie dough on top is pure cookie dough deliciousness. The vanilla cake it not very flavorful, but the chocolate buttercream is sweet and deliciously milk chocolatey. The cookie dough is so good, but mostly this cupcake left me wanting more cookie dough! Overall Taste Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The buttercream is smooth and the cookie dough is soft and doughy. The cake is a bit rubbery on all sides, unfortunately. Baked by Melissa doesn't use paper cupcake wrappers and perhaps the way the cupcakes bake create a rubbery exterior, which is highly unfortunate. Since the cupcake is so tiny, the rubbery edges are basically the majority of the cake itself. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Mini mini and so cute. Symmetrical and even application of a swirl of chocolate frosting atop a golden yellow cake, with a dollop of cookie dough centered in the middle. Sort of a three-tiered aesthetic here. Cute! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: I was left craving more cookie dough!! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

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