Tribeca Treats "Frosting Shot" of Vanilla Buttercream

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 Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Shot. 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: Mmmm, buttery, sugary, sweet! An excellent stand-alone frosting!! Overall Taste Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The texture is so smooth, it melts in my mouth, its almost drinkable! Overall Texture Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: What a concept, and what a presentation! Give me a frosting shot any day over a shot of alcohol! I like the clear, angular little "shot glass" and the decorative swirl of white frosting, dotted with colorful sprinkles. I especially appreciate the star design that you can see depicted in the aerial view. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: The frosting is very edible on its own as a shot-- delectable!! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake [Actually Just Frosting] Ranking: 17.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

The Soda Shop Miniature Vanilla on Vanilla

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!

The Soda Shop Miniature Vanilla Cupcake

Taste: The frosting is like pure butter, and the cake is sour and unpleasant. Eh... Overall Taste Rating: 0.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: SLIMY! This cupcake is so moist it is slimy!!* The frosting's texture is OK, a little hard. Overall Texture Rating: 0.75 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: Its miniature, its cute, it won me over with its teensy weensy itsy bitsy cuteness. And look at that beautifully swirled dollop of frosting!! It looked so adorable! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Not satisfied. Better to look at than to eat! Next cupcake, please! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 1 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 6.75 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)

*I would like to note that the cupcakes were retrieved from us from a back room, rather than a display case, and felt cold. While on a hot day a cold treat was appealing, a cold cupcake is not customary nor advisable. I suspect that some of the unfortunate texture issues related to the Soda Shop cupcakes resulted from erroneous refrigeration on the part of the store. I am not sure whether such refrigeration is customary or was a result of the extremely hot August day, but as any cupcake expert is aware, buttercream should NEVER be refrigerated! The refrigeration may have also added to the slimy, clammy texture of the cake. I'm not positive the refrigeration occurred or resulted in the bad texture, but I have my suspicions.

Kitchenette Vanilla Hostess Style Cupcake

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!

Vanilla Hostess-Style Cupcake from Kitchenette

Taste: The vanilla frosting is lightly sweet and is winning me over. The cake tastes like a pound cake, rich and buttery but enjoyable. The cream filling in the center is tasteless and adds nothing-- I want more of the very sweet icing on the pound cake, though! Overall Taste Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The cake is very dense but moist-- like a pound cake. The cream filling inside is very dense and I think is adding moisture to the cake itself. The frosting on top is thin and sugary. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: The aesthetic is largely why this cupcake appealed to me-- it looked truly homemade, not mass-produced, it was large with a fun pink colored swirl across the top, and the cake had a nice white color with a fluffy look to it. It looked better than it tasted, to be honest! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: The best of the cupcakes from Kitchenette that I tasted, for sure, and I liked the originality of a Hostess-Style vanilla cupcake. But, could definitely be improved upon-- that cream filling should be light and creamy and sweet, not dense and tasteless!!! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Sprinkles

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 14.25 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)

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 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)

Baked by Melissa Cookies and Cream

Baked by Melissa Cookies and Cream, 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: These are so bite-sized its tough to really analyze all the elements before the cupcake is gone-- they're truly one-bite cupcakes-- but this has cream cheese frosting that is ultra sweet, standard chocolate cake, and a little Oreo chip on top that adds a distinct Oreo flavor. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: This chocolate cake is ultra-super-moist and the cream cheese frosting is creamy and smooth. Overall Texture Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: What a miniature little cutie! However, it's also a messy little mini-- Melissa's Messy Mini-- just a touch lopsided here. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 3 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: Yum! Mini bite size cookies and cream-- very satisfying!! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

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)

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)

Amy's Bread Pink Vanilla on Vanilla Cake

Amy's Bread Pink Vanilla on Vanilla Cake, $2.50, http://www.amysbread.com/, 9th Ave and 46th Street

Taste: The pink vanilla frosting is very sugary and sweet-- no vanilla taste, just a straight sugar rush. The cake does have a nice vanilla taste though, lightly sweet with strong and delicious vanilla flavoring throughout. Together, they make for a tasty, super-sweet cupcake, albeit leaving me with a strong confectioner's sugar taste in my mouth. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Texture: The icing is smooth and thick, and the cake is lightly moist and has the texture of a sponge cake, very springy. Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Aesthetic: What a beautiful cupcake! The icing is perfectly swirled, and generously, and the light pink color gives it some extra appeal and excitement for a vanilla cupcake, with a few multi-colored sprinkles on top. 4.5 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: This cupcake was just a little too sweet for me-- it was delicious, but the sugar content was overkill-- especially because the icing was so generously swirled on top, usually I love extra icing, but this was a touch too sweet even for me. But it was very tasty, and if you're a sugar lover, this is a great cupcake to satisfy a sweet tooth! I also was impressed with the value, at $2.50 for a pretty large cupcake. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

Cupcake Cafe Vanilla Buttercream on Vanilla Cake

Cupcake Cafe Vanilla Frosting on Vanilla Cake (pictured above, left), $2.50, http://www.cupcakecafe-nyc.com/?KMLID=6140, 9th Ave and 40th Street

Taste: The vanilla buttercream is very mild, slightly sweet, very milky-- and I really like it! It's a sophisticated buttercream, not too sweet but really scrumptious and satisfying. The vanilla cake is pretty good-- not especially flavorful, understated, but pleasant. If you don't like ultra-sweet cupcakes, this cupcake is a great choice, because it's not too sweet but it's very tasty. Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: The buttercream is incredibly light for a buttercream, and I would guess it's the French style that uses egg whites and milk in the recipe. The cake is really dense, it's not dry but it's not moist either, right in between, but a little dense for a cupcake in my opinion. Overall Texture Rating: 3 out of 5 sprinkles.

Aesthetic: Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous, is how I would describe Cupcake Cafe cupcakes!!! Absolutely beautiful, the exact sort of treat anyone would want to serve for a special occasion. Artistic, upscale, just beautiful. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 5 out of 5 Sprinkles!!

Satisfaction: The beauty of this cupcake alone wins it a lot of points for me, even though it wasn't the best tasting cupcake I've sampled. But I'd definitely buy these cupcakes to serve to guests for a special occasion!! I also thought the price was really reasonable for something so professional and handcrafted at $2.50. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

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

The gorgeous array of offerings at Cupcake Cafe:

Burgers and Cupcakes Vanilla Frosting on Vanilla Cake

Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Frosting from Burgers and Cupcakes, $2.50, http://www.burgersandcupcakes.us/, 9th Avenue and 34th Street

Taste: The frosting is really super sweet, but delicious, a pure and rich vanilla. The vanilla cake is pleasant but not overly flavorful or sweet. Without blueberries baked in like in the blueberry cupcake, it's not quite as tasty. Overall Taste Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles.

Texture: The frosting is really thick and creamy, slightly hardened on the outside but melts wonderfully on my tongue. The cake texture is medium-- not dry but not super moist. Overall Texture Rating: 3.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Aesthetic: A uniquely conical appearance, with icing heaped ontop generously in a conical heap about three inches high, adorned with rainbow sprinkles. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 Sprinkles

Satisfaction: This was a tasty cupcake, without a doubt. There wasn't anything unique or special about it, but for a classic vanilla on vanilla cupcake, it was definitely satisfying and sweet, and does the trick for a sweet tooth fix! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles.

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

Burgers and Cupcakes Blueberry Cupcake

Blueberry Cupcake from Burgers and Cupcakes, $2.50, http://www.burgersandcupcakes.us/, 9th Avenue and 34th Street

Taste: The frosting is delicious-- very sweet but scrumptious. Though it is very slightly tinted blue, it tastes just vanilla to me. The frosting was topped with a fresh, delicious sweet blueberry! The cake itself had fresh blueberries baked into it to make a delicious blueberry cake. The vanilla part of the cake doesn't have much flavor, but the blueberries mixed into it give it a great, natural blueberry taste of fresh blueberries-- not artificial at all! Overall Taste Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: The frosting is creamy and thick, and melts happily into sugary goodness on my tongue. The cake texture is not dry but not super moist, but with yummy softened blueberries baked right in they leave moist, sweet delicious blue pockets throughout the cake. Overall Taste Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles.

Aesthetic: A uniquely conical appearance, with icing heaped ontop generously in a conical heap about three inches high, dotted on top with a fresh blueberry! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles.

Satisfaction: My first blueberry flavored cupcake, and I really liked it! I love blueberry muffins, but this was definitely a cupcake and not a muffin-- it was vanilla cake fit for a cupcake with fresh bluberries baked into it, with lots of sweet frosting and topped with a fresh blueberry. Innovative and delicious! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sprinkles

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

Magnolia: Miniature Vanilla Frosting on Vanilla Cake

Miniature Vanilla Frosting on Vanilla Cake Cupcake from Magnolia

Magnolia Bakery was giving away miniature cupcakes today in Rockefeller Center, and I happened to walk by just at the right time! I didn't have my digital camera with me at the time, so I snapped cell phone pictures of it prior to consumption (sorry about the poor quality!). My teensy treat was free, but I was told you can purchase the minis at Magnolia (http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/) at a dozen for $20. (Either oddly or adorably, I can't decide which, the dozen mini-cupcakes for $20 are sold in a cardboard egg-carton. Assuming they're re-using egg cartons from the eggs used to make the cupcakes, which is what it looked like, I suppose it is an eco-friendly way to recycle them).

Taste: Is it just me, or do all things taste better miniature? The vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting mini-cupcake was just far more delicious in its miniature form than in the full-size version! Although the icing was still too sweet while the cake was not sweet enough, in bite-size form perhaps I didn't have enough time to critique the problems with the cupcake's taste before it was all gone! When I was eating the full size version of the same, I discussed how I felt sick after a few bites and had no desire to eat any more, but perhaps the mini-size is the answer for me, because the two-bite cupcake tasted a lot better! Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Texture: You might call me crazy, but the cake in the mini-Magnolia was moister than the standard-size Magnolia cake. Really! And the icing was smooth and thick. Overall Texture Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles

Aesthetic: Okay, I might be biased in favor of all things miniature, but this cupcake was just ADORABLE. Mini-cupcake just delighted me! It looked much like a Magnolia big cupcake that only scores a 3 sprinkles for aesthetics, yet scaled down in a mini-me version, it was extra cute! It earns an extra point for miniature-ness! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles!

Satisfaction: So on the one hand, a miniatue cupcake is gone in two bites and doesn't fully satisfy the way a regular-size cupcake can. But on the other hand, a miniature cupcake is sometimes JUST the thing you need to satisfy that desire for delicious cupcakeness without expanding your waistline and overeating goodies. And something about miniature things is extra satisfying because they're just so cute. I was absolutely delighted to learn that such miniature cupcakes from Magnolia existed, and I swear I had a smile on my face for hours after that happenstance discovery and my free mini-cupcake consumption. I truly did feel satisfied even though it was so tiny! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles!

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

Sage (sold by Dean & DeLuca) Vanilla Frosting on Vanilla Cake

Sage Cupcake from Dean & DeLuca in Rockefeller Center, Vanilla Frosting on Vanilla Cake

http://www.sagegeneralstore.com/ and http://www.deandeluca.com, a whopping $5 from Dean & DeLuca

Taste: The vanilla frosting is tangy and almost tastes lemony, but it's different and I like it. The cake has a nice, buttery flavor to it. Together, they blend nicely-- I'm trying to pinpoint the exact tastes at play, but my mouth is mostly just saying "YUM!" Overall Taste Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinkles!

Texture: The frosting is very light, perhaps whipped, and very smooth. The cake receives exceptional credit for being super moist and soft. Overall Texture Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles!!!!

Aesthetic: This is a fairly big cupcake-- smaller than a Crumbs, but bigger than a Magnolia or a Buttercup. And I know it looks a little messed up in the photo, but I have to confess that the smeared off icing was 100% entirely my fault because it got mussed in transit, but when I purchased it the icing was applied very smoothly and the aesthetic was good, although the icing was applied thinly and not heaped as high as Crumbs, Magnolia and Buttercup heap their icing. Something about the sheen of the icing on this cupcake appealed to me-- the icing of many cupcakes I've sampled isn't so nice and glossy. The cake was also more yellow and true to a deep yellow cake than the pale golden cakes I've sampled before. I was very pleased with its appearance, and very upset that I tipped it over in its container after I left the store and smeared the icing. Overall Aesthetic Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles!!

Satisfaction: There was one big problem with this cupcake-- the cost! When I saw this cupcake was $5, I wouldn't have purchased it if not for my devotion to cupcake sampling for CupcakeRankings.com. But for $5, this cupcake had better be extra special. And though it was very good, I'm just not sure it was worth $5. It might have been good enough to be worth $3.50, but for $5, I wouldn't buy one again. I assume Dean & DeLuca is responsible for the markup and not Sage, but come on, it wasn't filled with gold. Overall Satisfaction Rating: 3 out of 5 sprinkles.

Overall Cupcake Ranking: 17 Sprinkles! (Out of 20 possible)

Crumbs Bake Shop: Vanilla on Vanilla

Crumbs Bake Shop Vanilla on Vanilla was up next, and I just have to illustrate for comparison the size difference between a Crumbs cupcake and a Buttercup cupcake:
A Crumbs cupcake ($2.95 each) basically dwarfs a Buttercup (and a Buttercup and a Magnolia are the same size), making other cupcakes look puny in its shadow.
Taste: OMG, after sampling the disappointing Magnolia and Buttercup vanilla on vanilla cupcakes, I thought I was too nauseated to possibly enjoy another cupcake. But Crumbs really came through in the clutch. The icing was perfect-- I'd love to know how they do it, but it struck the perfect balance of being sweet yet light, and actually tasted vanilla (whereas the Buttercup and Magnolia frostings just tasted the flavor of sugar with no hint of vanilla). The cake also hit the mark on taste perfection-- the cake easily could stand alone as a delicious cake with no need of icing, and yet with the icing and cake together it just tasted like heaven! The flavors together were just perfect. Overall Taste Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles!!!
Texture: The icing was creamy and melt-in-my-mouth delectable, and the cake was perfectly moist and yet light and not too dense. The icing and cake together made for a perfect combination in my mouth! Overall Texture Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles!!!
Aesthetic: The cupcake was really big, perfectly even, and the icing was creamy and heaped over an inch high on top in a perfect swirl. Rather than haphazardly scattered sprinkles on top, the sprinkles were neatly arranged in a circle around the edge, creating a border, and the rainbow sprinkles were densely packed together, yet the non-sprinkled middle of the circle remained pure white with icing. Now that's precision! Overall Aesthetic Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles!!!
Satisfaction: There was one disappointment with my Crumbs cupcake-- in the past, when I've had large Crumbs cupcakes, inside there has been a delicious shot of extra frosting in the middle! But today, my Crumbs cupcake only had cake in the middle. Luckily, there was so much icing heaped on the top of the cupcake that the icing-to-cupcake ratio was great just as it was. The cupcake was so large it was enough to save the rest for one, if not two, snacks later on. And at $2.95, compared to $2.50 for the smaller and inferior Magnolia and $2.25 for the smaller and inferior Buttercup, I felt it was a great value for my money! I feel 100% satisfied! Overall Satisfaction Rating: 5 out of 5 sprinkles!!!

Cupcake Ranking: 20 Sprinkles (out of 20 possible)!!!!!!!!!! This cupcake can enter the Cupcake Hall of Fame as our first Perfect Scoring 20 Sprinkle Cupcake: The Quintessential Cupcake!