Tribeca Treats Red Velvet

On another beautiful Sunday, my best cupcake-tasting posse and I embarked on another Cupcake Crawl, this time farther downtown. This time it was unfortunately hovering around 100 degrees and I promptly wanted to melt, so the lounging-in-the-park-with-

cupcakes experience was more sweaty and melty and sticky and thirsty than last time around. However, a good time was had by all, until we all wanted to die from a combination of heat and cupcake-overdosing, that is. Importantly, I should mention that before I transcribed my cupcake rankings onto the computer, I took notes by hand on SPECIAL CUPCAKE RANKING PADS that my best cupcake-tasting friends (Caryn, Lawrence and Justin, along with fellow friend and sometime-cupcake taster Mike) specially DESIGNED for me and gave me for my birthday, complete with a special Caryn-designed logo. I am going to scan some of the cupcake-tasting pad sheets and upload them in a future post! And now, the results of Cupcake Crawl #2!

Tribeca Treats Red Velvet. I would like to inform readers that Tribeca Treats is an ADORABLE store, more than just a bakery-- it is a confectionary as well that sells homemade chocolates, and it also has a little cupcake and candy-themed "gift shop" in the front that sells beautiful cards, books and assorted paraphernalia. It is decorated in a clean, crisp and modern way that I really appreciated, and it was refreshingly air-conditioned and cold on a hot August day.

Taste: The frosting is very cream cheese-y and not very sweet-- I could use a little more sweetness here. The cake is distinctly chocolate-y, which I like in a red velvet cake. Overall Taste Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake is a little bit dry. The frosting is very whipped and light, almost too light, a consistency that just is not right for a cream cheese frosting. Complaints all around from the whole cupcake-tasting posse about the texture of the frosting. Overall Texture Rating: 1.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Gorgeousness! This frosting is swirled to perfection and swirled HIGH, towering fabulously above the cake in a pure white, perfectly centered, perfectly swirled dollop. Simple, elegant, beautiful! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Not the best red velvet. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 11.25 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Kitchenette Red Velvet

On another beautiful Sunday, my best cupcake-tasting posse and I embarked on another Cupcake Crawl, this time farther downtown. This time it was unfortunately hovering around 100 degrees and I promptly wanted to melt, so the lounging-in-the-park-with-

cupcakes experience was more sweaty and melty and sticky and thirsty than last time around. However, a good time was had by all, until we all wanted to die from a combination of heat and cupcake-overdosing, that is. Importantly, I should mention that before I transcribed my cupcake rankings onto the computer, I took notes by hand on SPECIAL CUPCAKE RANKING PADS that my best cupcake-tasting friends (Caryn, Lawrence and Justin, along with fellow friend and sometime-cupcake taster Mike) specially DESIGNED for me and gave me for my birthday, complete with a special Caryn-designed logo. I am going to scan some of the cupcake-tasting pad sheets and upload them in a future post! And now, the results of Cupcake Crawl #2!

Red Velvet Cupcake from Kitchenette

Taste: The frosting is sweet and cream cheese-y, but the cake is completely tasteless! Together, the frosting is the strong, dominant (and good) taste, but the cake adds nothing-- it is a mere vehicle for frosting-- and I want more frosting! Overall Taste Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake is moist and the frosting is smooth and creamy, but nothing special going on here, and its not velvety, as a red velvet cupcake should be. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is really more of a PINK velvet than a red velvet-- the color is exceptionally pink! Also it the appearance of the texture looks strangely un-cupcake-like-- it reminds me of when I made a recipe once called "Sugar cookie frosting cups" in which the sugar cookie cups had the appearance of that red velvet cupcake-- something about it looks more hard than soft and cakelike. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: A middle-of-the-road, average red velvet cupcake that's not even red velvet-y. More like pink un-velvet! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 2.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 11.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Nestle Crunch Cupcake

Crumbs Nestle Crunch Cupcake

Taste: Crunchy! Nestle crunch balls on top of ultra sweet white frosting blend the taste of candy and baked goods into one and the same. The cake is sweet Crumbs vanilla sponge cake. Inside the cupcake there is a big pocket of milk chocolate frosting that is swirled with more Nestle Crunch balls. This is an ultra ultra sweet melange of candy and cupcake and chocolate and vanilla. Overall Taste Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake if fluffy and soft, and I'm so tired right now I'm thinking that this cake would make an excellent pillow if it were large enough to nap in. The frosting is completely coated with Nestle Crunch balls so that the top of the cupcake and inside of the cupcake are a chocolate-coated-rice-krispie crunchfest. Crunchy! Overall Texture Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is a big cupcake, coated on top in Nestle Crunch ball candies, advertising its theme and decorative indeed. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: I love sweet, you know how I love sweet. But adding candy to cupcakes kind of pushes me over the edge on sweetness. This cupcake was a little too much for me to handle. Definitely a good cupcake to satisfy a major sweet tooth, though. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 13.5 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

White Frosting on Chocolate Cake by Eleni's, sold by the American Girl Place

American Girl Place has a little bakery, where you can purchase all sorts of adorable treats-- all of which are sold with a "regular size" item and a "doll size" item-- so every purchase comes with a treat for you AND a matching small-scale treat for your doll. Completely adorable. Some of the other treats looked absolutely delicious (e.g., a stick with three full-sized marshmallows, coated in chocolate and candies, and a corresponding stick of three mini marshmallows coated in chocolate and candies, for your doll), but as a cupcake-ranker, I had to try the cupcakes! I was told they are baked by Eleni's in Chelsea Market.

White Frosting on Chocolate Cake by Eleni's, sold by the American Girl Place

Taste: The white frosting is sweet, it's not too rich, it's a light sweetness and its nice, but not overpowering. But the chocolate cake is bitter and not sweet at all, I find it completely vile and gross on its own. The sweet frosting balances it somewhat, but isn't strong enough to overpower the bitter cake. What a shame!! Overall Taste Rating: 2.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting melts in my mouth and its very light. The cake is firm and a little dry. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Miniature, cute, a nice bright white frosting with festive pink sprinkles and a nice swirl to the frosting, fairly centered but a bit messy on the edges, with naked cupcake top peeking out at the edges. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Good frosting, awful cake. Adorable mini-cupcake for doll concept. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 12 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Peaches and Cream Cupcake

Last year, before I started CupcakeRankings.com, I had a Crumbs Blueberry Cobbler cupcake, and I recall it being basically the best thing I had ever eaten. Yesterday on the subway, I overheard people talking about getting Crumbs Blueberry Cobbler cupcakes, and it made my mouth water. So today, I went to Crumbs, right at NOON, to get my cupcake-- and I was told they were sold out! By noon! And the woman told me that they sell out almost every day in the morning! Who are these people buying cupcakes before noon? Because I fully support cupcakes for breakfast, but didn't know there were so many like-minded individuals out there who felt the same way as me! But what time do I have to wake up in the morning to get a Blueberry Cobber cupcake from Crumbs! Alas, I had to settle on two other flavors of cupcake.

Crumbs Peaches and Cream Cupcake, www.crumbs.com

Taste: The frosting is a sweet vanilla buttercream, and on top of it, peach compote and preserved peaches add a peachy sweetness. The cake is a sweet vanilla sponge cake, and is scrumptious. Inside, the cupcake is filled with sweet peaches-- they remind me of the canned peaches from a "fruit cocktail." The peaches and the frosting and cake go nicely together, but it's really ultra, ultra sweet. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is creamy and smooth, and the peaches are juicy and burst into fruit juice in my mouth. The cake is moist, and the peach filling inside the cupcake makes it even moister around the center. Overall Texture Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Kind of some ugliness going on here! It's a big cupcake, but white frosting unattractively applied with my least favorite "bare naked cupcake top" peeking out on the edges, and a gross slimy pale yellowish peach gel kind of smear un-artfully across the top. I'm not sure if the top of the cupcake reminds me more of mucus or of a runny, raw egg. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 1 out of 5 sprinkles

Satisfaction: This cupcake is really good, but honestly perhaps even a little too sweet even for ME-- the peaches are so sweet that it's like sweetness overload here! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 12. 75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

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 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)

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)

Baked by Melissa S'mores

Baked by Melissa S'mores, 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 has graham crackers inside, marshmallow on top, milk chocolate buttercream, and chocolate cake. Lots of flavors going on! The chocolate frosting is milk chocolatey and the cake is not very sweet. The graham cracker flavor is strong, as are the chocolate flavors, and the marshmallow unfortunately isn't enough to be a strong taste. It's pretty tasty, though the taste isn't as much like a s'more as I'd have hoped, and it wasn't that sweet. Overall Taste Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The graham crackers give a nice crunch amidst the moist chocolate cake and smooth frosting. The cake is strangely a little bit rubbery on the outside though-- 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: Aw, a miniature little cutie! Dark chocolate cake, a swirl of chocolate frosting, a dollop of marshmallow fluff and a graham cracker in the middle. Cute, but pretty lopsided. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Bite sized, mini, pretty yummy, a little rubbery, not very s'mores-y, I'm medium-satisfied. I want more marshmallow on this one! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 12.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

Babycakes NYC Chocolate Brownie with Mint Frosting

Babycakes NYC, http://www.babycakesnyc.com/, a whopping $3.95 or $4.25 each (depending on whether vegan or gluten free)

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!

This bakery is vegan and also offers gluten free cupcakes, and all the ingredients are organic.

Taste: The taste is actually very much the taste of a brownie-- very unlike a chocolate cake standard cupcake taste, but quite similar to a brownie. The mini chocolate chips laced throughout add a rich chocolate flavor. The mint frosting is very refreshing-- it is distinctly minty, but also sweet, so its nice. The mint and chocolate go nicely together. It's not a very sweet cupcake, but it is rich and chocolatey, which I like. It clearly tastes "different," as in, clearly no white sugar, milk, butter, eggs, etc., in this cupcake, but for a vegan cupcake, it tasted better than I expected it to. Overall Taste Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake is super dense and yet very crumbly. Dry, but very much like a brownie with a dryer texture. The miniature chocolate chips baked throughout add crunch-- somehow they didn't melt in baking but remain crunchy-- perhaps they're soy or something, I guess some weird chocolate chip substitute that doesn't melt in the oven-- carob chips? The frosting is very smooth and silky. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is pretty good looking-- the frosting looks as silky and smooth as it was in my mouth, and the two little chocolate chips on top add some nice precision-- it looks like a colon, and I love a tribute to grammar on my cupcakes. The proportions are even. Though the frosting application is precise, it saddens me that the icing doesn't go all the way to the edges of the cupcake. And I would have liked more frosting on this cupcake for taste as well as aesthetics anyway! The exposed edges reveal how dry this cupcake is. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: For all organic ingredients and the special dietary restrictions, this is probably a really good cupcake option for vegans or people with wheat allergies or celiac disease. It fell short for a regular white sugar, wheat flour and egg-filled cupcake, but within the realm of vegan cupcakes, it was pretty decent. Although this cupcake was super expensive-- I get that all-organic ingredients are expensive, but it's apparently expensive to be vegan! People with restrictive dietary needs shouldn't have to pay an arm and a leg just to get a cupcake! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles.

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

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Chocolate on Vanilla

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Chocolate Buttercream on Vanilla Cake, http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/, $1.50 each

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 chocolate frosting is very sweet yet still very chocolatey-- a delicious chocolate buttercream, distinctly milk chocolate. The buttercream is advertised as an "almond buttercream," but I can't claim to taste anything especially almond or marizpan-y about it, though it was very tasty nonetheless. The cake is not very flavorful, but it goes nicely with the frosting. Overall Taste Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is creamy. The cake is soft but it could be moister. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: This is the most attractive of the four cupcakes we sampled from Sugar Sweet Sunshine. The chocolate frosting has a nice gloss to it, and its application was the most impressive of all the Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcakes we tried-- the most swirled and symmetrical. It has an appealing homemade aesthetic, even though the decor is imprecise. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: A pretty satisfying cupcake! I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

Sugar Sweet Sunshine Vanilla on Vanilla

Green Vanilla Frosting on Vanilla Cake, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/, $1.50 each

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 has a strong vanilla taste, which is nice, and is very sweet. The cake is lacking in flavor. I find it average, although Caryn liked it a lot. Overall Taste Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is smooth. The cake could be moister. The granulated sugar crystals on top add a nice crunch. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Not the most gorgeous cupcake-- the pastel icing is cute, and the sugar crystals on top add a nice sparkle given that the icing isn't shiny at all, but the dusting of hot pink sprinkles is halfhearted at best, and the icing application is uneven and doesn't go all the way down to the edge of the wrapper, leaving naked cake top exposed. The golden color on the cake is nice. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 2.75 out of 5 Sprinkles.

Satisfaction: A tasty enough treat, but not my favorite Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcake. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 12.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

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!)