Crumbs "Devil Dog" 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 "Devil Dog" Cupcake, www.crumbs.com

Taste: The frosting is super sweet and marshmallow-y. It's different than the regular vanilla buttercream at Crumbs-- it's lighter and sweeter and distinctly marshmallow-y. The chocolate cake is sweet yet chocolatey, truly a delectable chocolate cake. Inside there is a sweet white cream filling that is delicious. Ooh do I love when there is extra frosting in the middle of a cupcake!! The chocolate chips on top add some authentic chocolate flavor when they burst in my mouth! Overall Taste Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake is very moist. The frosting on top is so smooth it melts in my mouth, and delectably light. The filling inside is smooth and creamy. This cupcake is REALLY doing it for me, I am loving it!!! Overall Texture Rating: 4.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: A big cupcake, rich chocolatey colored with bright white marshmallow topping, and a chocolate artfully drizzled across the top, a ring of cake crumbs as a border, and a sprinkle of chocolate chips on top. An attractive cupcake! Not the most stunning I've ever seen, but perfectly mouthwatering! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: So, this sort of tastes like a devil dog, except it's way BETTER than a devil dog. Devil dogs are unpleasantly dry, in my opinion, and I've never been a huge fan. This is clearly SUPERIOR to a devil dog, but it does retain similar flavors. It's a great balance of super-sweet, but still chocolate-y, but also not too rich for me. I know it's an amazing cupcake, because I really want to eat the entire thing right now, and I have to stop myself because its enormous and I must force myself to save some for later. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 18.75 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)