Best Cupcakes in New York

New York is under the spell of cupcakes. It is no longer just about the burgers, pizza and hot dogs, but also about the range of delicious and colourful cupcakes. Made popular by the hit series Sex and the City, when you think of cupcakes you also, inevitably, think of New York. That’s why I put together this list of where to find some of the best cupcakes in New York.

NY Cupcake Tour

If you would like to skip the line at some authentic NY bakeries and sample some of the best cupcakes in New York, then this cupcake tour is for you. The guide takes you to several unique bakeries in and around West Village where you get to taste their best cupcakes, and along the way tells you some interesting facts about the neighbourhood as well.

Book the Cupcake Walking Tour here

1. Magnolia Bakery

   The most famous cupcake bakery chain from New York, thanks to Sex and the City, is definitely Magnolia Bakery. There are several branches but the oldest and most famous is located on Bleecker Street. You can check my free Eric’s New York App for the exact location. It’s a cosy shop decorated in pastel colours with many different treats. One of the most popular is the Red Velvet cupcake.

   Red Velvet owes its name to the deep red colour of the cake. The colour is obtained by the reaction of the ingredients cocoa, vinegar and buttermilk which creates a rusty red colour. Nowadays, red dye is also added to the mixture. Originating from America the flavour is also very popular here!

   Eric’s Tip: “My personal favourite at Magnolia Bakery is the banana pudding. It’s a creamy vanilla pudding with fresh wafers and bananas. Due to the popularity of Magnolia Bakery, be prepared for long queues.”

   

2. Little Cupcake Bakeshop

   The cute vintage look is present in every detail here. The store is completely CO2 neutral and the cakes are all made using organic ingredients. Little Cupcake Bakeshop is consciously involved with the planet in everything they do. In addition, part of the revenue goes to the FEED project: aiming to reduce famine among children worldwide. There are many reasons to go to the Little Cupcake Bakeshop, and that’s without mentioning the fantastic cupcakes! Little Cupcake Bakeshop has a wide range of cupcakes such as the Mott Street Cupcake, and the Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcake.

   

3. Buttercup Bake Shop

   Cheerful staff welcome you into their multiple shops in Manhattan: the Buttercup Bake Shop. With a variety of different cupcakes, such as the Golden Butter, Lady Baltimore and Red Velvet, as well as their phenomenally delicious cakes and banana pudding, it’s hard to choose.

   

4. Baked by Melissa

   The cupcake is the perfect treat, but with so many different flavours, you’re bound to want to try more than one. This is exactly what Melissa Bushell, owner of Baked by Melissa, thought too! The reason why she created her mini cupcakes: the perfect solution. In 2009 Baked by Melissa opened its first store in SoHo and now the cupcake empire already has about a dozen stores in New York.

   There are as many as ten regular flavours such as the Tie-Dye, Cookie Dough and Chocolate Chip Pancake. There is also a new flavour every month, often related to the season. The mini cupcakes are about 1 inch (2.5 cm), which is why you should feel guilt-free when you buy more than one.

   

5. Molly’s Cupcakes

   A cute little shop in The Village. Their Chicago branch has won many awards and received raving reviews as “best cupcakes in town” and their New York shop isn’t any different.

   Molly’s Cupcake story is just as sweet as their cupcakes: the name is a homage to the owner’s third-grade teacher, Miss Molly. She baked cupcakes for all her students if someone had a birthday. In honour of Molly and as a way to help children, a portion of their profit is donated to schools in the community.

   At Molly’s you can choose the flavour of your cupcake and which frosting and topping you want with it. In addition, you can decorate it at the Sprinkle Station. They also have seasonal, vegan and flourless cupcakes, all as delicious as the regular flavours. Some customer favourites include Apple Pie, Peach Cobbler, Pumpkin Spice, Ron Bennington (pb&j and chocolate) and Red Velvet.