Report from Babycakes

New Yorkers love their cupcakes. Love them. When I worked in the West Village I often scoffed at the line for Magnolia’s excessively frosted concoctions wrapping around the block. Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about Babycakes, which is like Magnolia for vegans. Last night I detoured over to the LES to check out the goods myself.

I got this: a carrot cupcake with spelt (which the girl behind the counter said was better than the gluten-free variety).




The verdict: The frosting is amazing—creamy and flavorful. Alas, the cake itself was nothing to write home (or blog?) about. I appreciate that they use agave nectar instead of refined sugar, and maybe my palate is just too used to overly sugary foods, but I did think it was lacking in sweetness. When I worked at Hi-Rise Bread Co. in Cambridge, they also had a philosophy of making less-sugary pastries. Rene Becker, the owner, would say they were treats for adults, not kids. But somehow those muffins and cakes used the ingredients to better effect.

So, I love the idea of Babycakes, and may very well try them again. Meantime, I will still marvel over those incredible vegan chocolate cupcakes I made awhile back. Perhaps I should go into business!


Photo by me.