Not all gourmet cupcakes are created equal
howard lewis russell | Contributing Writer
hlewisrussell@aol.com
With the fanfare surrounding the arrival of Sprinkles in Dallas five years ago — and its concomitant gangbusters success — a proliferation of me-too cupcake markets inevitably followed.
So which is best? At nearly four bucks a cupcake (about $1 per bite) we decided on a side-by-side comparison of three flavors (vanilla, chocolate, lemon) was warranted. We chose three area competitors: Sprinkles, Gigi’s Cupcakes and The Cupcakery. Each was devoured with a glass of milk.
Let’s just say that all $4 cupcakes are not created equal.
First, the good news: All three cupcake purveyors were impeccably clean, their staffs professionally (even gregariously!) friendly. Were I going in for a surgical procedure rather than a cupcake, they’d each receive four stars.
Indeed, just entering through the doors of these aromatically sparkling stores would send Willy Wonka himself into a swoon.
Sprinkles’ currently offers 24 weekly varieties, although cleverly, not all of them are available every day of the week. Dark chocolate and vanilla are staples, but lemon is only available Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays; ginger lemon takes over the Wednesday citrus spot, while orange fulfills Tuesday’s vitamin C-craving patrons and lemon coconut pinch hits on Friday (poor, busy Saturday gets left out completely).
The Cupcakery, with five locations including one across from the Crescent, offers 30 styles, including (as do all these confectionaries) seasonal and limited-edition flavors; it will also prepare sugar-free and vegan incarnations. (The Cupcakery’s most distinctive feature is its signature lounge and champagne bar “for sharing your favorite cupcakes on fine porcelain plates with silver forks . . . with that perfect glass of red wine or aged port.”)
Of the three, Gigi’s probably appeals most to children and an adult’s inner child. Each of Gigi’s cakes is topped with something kid-friendly swirled in among the frosting. Its version of vanilla, called “Wedding Cake,” has buttercream frosting sprinkled with white nonpareils; the “Midnight Magic” chocolate is showered with cocoa chips; the “Lemon Dream Supreme” beacons with sparkly yellow sugar crystals and candied lemon slice. Gigi’s also has a loyalty program, offering one free cupcake for every dozen purchased.
That’s all good, but none scored a home run, though two came close.
Sprinkles and Gigi’s chocolate and vanilla cupcakes both received four stars out of a possible four from our two-man panel, while their lemon varieties garnered three stars each. Sprinkles’ lemon was a trifle skimpy on citrus flavor (although the frosting had a tart punch), while Gigi’s lemon faltered with a curd filling that tasted slightly canned (though the lemon jelly-wedge atop was a whimsically delightful flourish).
The Cupcakery’s highest score on any of its three cakes was a disappointing two, bestowed on its chocolate, despite a distinctly weird under-taste (one of us described it as raw, Swiss Miss cocoa; the other felt it tasted bizarrely metallic). The Cupcakery’s one-star vanilla came with an inexplicable pink frosting that tasted, oddly, of nothing but the color pink, while the cake itself had no discernable vanilla flavoring to speak of. Its lemon cupcake was … well, the best said is that it was at least unmistakably yellow (neon/saffron yellow) with watery frosting.
In a world competing to sell cake at $1 per bite, one’s bite-of-cake experience had better darn well be every bit as delicious, or more so, even, than sex itself.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 10, 2012.
First of all you all are CRAZY…..I am a loyal follower of The Cupcakery, have been to many of its locations here in Texas and never had a bad cupcake. Now on the other hand I have also had cupcakes fron Gigis and can assure you the quality of the product in in no way comparable to The Cupcakery, and as for Sprinkles some times a good cake and sometimes dry,. Who ever your judges were they obviously have’t a clue as to what a good cupcake is! I have sent many many friends to The Cupcakery and have never heard one questionable comment only raves about the superior product the encountered on their visits. You guys are so off on this review it questions your ablity to report on anything in my opinion. Better luck next time and you should stick to burgers because you know nothing about quality desserts.
I love the Cupcakery!!!! They have wonderful cupcakes, strawberry being one of the best. I used to drive from Arlington to the Uptown store and now I am so glad they have one in downtown Fort Worth. You guys need to go back and try them again!!!!
WTH??! I’ave been buying several dozen cupcakes a week from The Cupcakery for months, for my clients and myself, and ALL of the varieties are consistently excellent in taste, aroma, appearance and overall quality. My clients LOVE them (so much better than doughnuts, cookies, muffins). Furthermore, The Cupcakery gives back to the community by supporting local charities. The only way this review makes any sense is if the reviewer is working for one of those other two wannabes.
Ok, I love you Dallas Voice, but I have to say I think you are off on this one. The Cupcakery cupcakes are delicious and moist, and I seriously am shocked to see they are ranked lower than Sprinkles, which I find really dry and totally overrated.
As for Dan’s comment, I do appreciate that the Cupcakery supports local GLBT charities like Toast To Life and Legacy Counseling Center. That makes them taste even better, if that is possible.
You are way off on this one, must be some sort of politics that got to you. I reside in Fort Worth and have made many a trips to Dallas just for Sprinkles. I thought they were pretty good until tonight. I experienced Cupcakery cupcakes for the very first time. It was literally heaven in my mouth. I told who I guess was the owner as we were leaving that I thought my cupcake was way better than Sprinkles. He was so sweet he sent us out the door with a box filled with 16 (count them 16) decorated valentine cupcakes. Also, our daughter had dropped her cupcake on the ground (half eaten) and he gave her another one. Now if that isn’t service I don’t know what is. They are way better than Sprinkles, and I am sticking to it.
Two-Man panel, it’s clear you have misjudged your cupcakes. We won’t presume to know how this happened, but we fear that you may not understand cupcakes at all.
Why have you described cupcakes as a bat hitting a ball out-of-the-park? No one with a true passion for cupcakes would have such feelings about any cupcake ~ even an average one.
Regarding your descriptions of the Cupcakery’s cupcakes, we are dismayed as to how you can describe the chocolate from one of these gourmet cupcakes as “raw, Swiss Miss cocoa.”
First of all, anyone that has ever ingested raw, Swiss Miss cocoa (and we admit we have never done that) and remembers it at the very moment they are biting into a chocolate cupcake from Cupcakery, must be someone with very serious chocolate issues.
We have seen this before. Describing a pink frosting as tasting “pink,” shows the overall destructive power of the raw, Swiss Miss.
That said, we, the Two-Woman Panel, would love to give Cupcakery in Uptown a 5-Star Rating for their Lemon Cupcake that we so enjoyed late afternoon on Valentine’s Day 2012. It was moist and not too sweet with a rich, intoxicating flavor that left us longing for another and another and another. It was definitely good.
Could it be that women are better judges of cupcakes? Or maybe women just know that no cupcake should ever replace sex. And if it does, then no matter how good that cupcake is, no matter how that cupcake makes us feel, no matter how much it makes us scream…it’s definitely time for a new man or a new woman ~ and preferably one who also loves to begin and end a romantic, 5-Star Evening with a magnificent, 5-Star cupcake from Cupcakery.
As an avid cupcake fan, I have to say that the Cupcakery far outweighs its competitors in this competition. The Cupcakery cupcakes are by far the prettiest in town. Cupcakery is ALWAYS my go-to for the best presentation of cupcakes whether it’s for a birthday party or work event. Any time I bring their cupcakes to a party, I receive many, many gracious comments. Also, the management and employees at the Cupcakery are fantastic! I will continue to recommend the Cupcakery as the best place for cupcakes in town!
I can not beleive you even tried a Cupcakery cake if you had you would have given 5 stars to any of their flavors. You need to find some new tasters if you plan on trying to give reviews on food. The cupcakery is the “BEST” cakes in town and the service is professional and fun. The choices are always abundant and moist. The staff is always welcoming and the Manager James is “THE BOMB”. So helpful and professional. I come from Shreveport 4 times a year to buy cupcakes for my staff at the Holiday Inn Expresss in Shreveport and when James comes to or through Shreveport he calls for my orders and delivers them himself to my staff. You can not get more customer service than that. The cakes travel great in their special box and are always moist and delicious. I urge everyone to make their own Determination of the Cupcake war and write a reply to this artical that is not at all RIGHT or CORRECT!
I am a pharmaceutical sales rep who purchases dozens of cupcakes for my physicians and nurses. I’ve tried them all.. Sprinkles, Cupcakery, The Cupcake Cottage in FW, Sugarbox, Society Bakery, etc. I’m shocked by the low scores for the Cupcakery. I find Sprinkles cake to be dry and their icing hard. Cupcakery cupcakes are always moist and delicious – particularly the Strawberry Shortcake with champagne frosting. YUM. Over and over I am asked where I buy my cupcakes from – The Cupcakery! Second place definitely goes to Society Bakery, though, because their banana chocolate chip is just as amazing as the strawberry shortcake. Just my two cents.
Wow I’m shocked that the Cupcakery got a weak review!!!! I have tried almost all of their cupcakes and haven’t been disappointed yet. I love love love the strawberry shortcake and red velvet are amazing. I’m addicted! And I’m not some 500 lb lady, I work out to eat these cupcakes! And also I have to say, why would you try the most plain flavors!? C’mon try something that the business is known for. Whoever reviewed the Cupcakery must have burnt their tounge before tasting ha ha. Don’t get me wrong I like Sprinkles too. But to give the Cupcakery such a low rating is mind-blowing. Get a new food critic!!!!!!!
As a loyal and frequent customer of the Cupcakery, I have some advice from you panel of tasters. Get your taste buds checked. Apparently they do not have a taste for flavor. The cupcakes from the Cupcakery have been moist and flavorful every time I went there. I’ve tried Sprinkles and I can tell you they will never match up to the Cupcakery. Their cupcakes were dry and crusty with little frosting. Talk about no flavor. I agree with your other readers. Stick with the burgers because you definately don’t have a taste for good cupcakes.