The Word on the Street Is...Sprinkles & Crumbs Bakeshop may Open in Atlanta!

Earlier this month I reported that Georgetown Cupcake is opening in Atlanta in Spring 2013. I was excited given the burgeoning cupcake scene happening in the peach state. Well, it seems that Sprinkles Cupcakes  and Crumbs are following suit and are also making tracks to the gem of the South. Sprinkles is slated to open in Lenox Mall (and the Buckhead area in general; an upscale enclave of Atlanta) upon it's renovation while Crumbs is looking to open eight new shops in the Atlanta area. Although this is purely the scuttlebutt, I'm happy to see so much attention being focused on The Critic's hometown and the spread of Cupcake Love! ;-)

Crumbs Bakery: Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Crumbs Bakery (43 West 42nd Street, NY Times Square)
Flavors: Caramel Apple 
Cost: $3.85
Score: 3.0

Crumbs in Times Square

Although I disavowed Crumbs in a previous review, on this sunny afternoon in Times Square I would try them again. Walking into the petite shop I was greeted with several cupcake flavors and food choices. Although Crumbs is known for their cupcakes, they are a bakery that serves other baked goods such as danishes, mini cheesecakes, brownies, and cookies. 

Crumbs had great variety

I came across two fun cupcakes that caught my attention: the red velvet delicious (a red velvet cupcake decorated to look like an apple with a green stem) and a caramel apple cupcake (an apple spice cupcake topped with caramel and butter cream frosting with a protruding wooden stick). I decided to go with the caramel apple cupcake alone. 

Red Velvet cupcakes shaped like apples

My total was $3.85 which isn't bad for such a sizable cupcake. The young lady who waited on me was very kind. She even looked up the address for another bakery on her iPhone after ringing me up. 

Grabbing my cupcake I was a bit hesitant because everything within me wanted it to be good so that I could change my original opinion of Crumbs. They were already winning in the flavor category (I love caramel apples) so I had to put this baby to work.

Flavor of the week: Caramel Apple

Dipping my spoon into the large cake and sliding it downward revealed chunks of apple, spices, and a cream cheese frosting underneath the thick caramel. Holding it to my mouth I thought, "this better be good" and it was. The cupcake was bursting with real apple flavor complemented by the caramel. The cream cheese rounded out the fairly textured cake making it sweet and moist. The stick even acted as a sufficient anchor to the heavy cupcake. 

My treat...caramel on top with apple chunks in the middle

All in all I dug the cupcake and my experience at Crumbs was favorable. I can't say that it is one of my top five but in a pinch, I may see myself stopping by to try some of their other flavors. 

                           

Cupcakes Aren't A Fad...It's A Lifestyle!

Courtesy of: Chef2Chef.net

It's Cherry Blossom (Cupcakes) Season!

Photos courtesy of The Nat'l Cherry Blossom Festival

                         
It's Cherry Blossom season here in DC and everyone is a buzz! This year commemorates the 100 year anniversary of the cherry blossoms and their placement near the tidal basin. To celebrate, cupcakeries are debuting their own cherry blossom inspired cupcakes. 


Baked and Wired: Vanilla cake with maraschino cherries mixed in the batter and topped with a cherry-flavored buttercream ($3.50).

Cherry Blossom Cupcake on the Left (Photo Courtesy of Jess Harper)

Buzz Bakery: ($3.75) Lemon chiffon cake with a sour cherry curd filling. Green tea Italian butter cream frosting with fondant cherry blossom decoration.

Photo Courtesy of Buzz Bakery

Crumbs: ($4.50) Vanilla cake filled with cherry preserves, topped with our signature vanilla cream cheese frosting mixed with cherries and a candied cherry.

Georgetown Cupcakes:  Classic madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake baked with fresh cherries and topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a fondant cherry blossom. (Price $2.75)

  (Photo courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake)

Hello Cupcake: Meyer lemon cake with a filling of French cherry preserves topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and a handmade fondant cherry blossom. (Price $3.50)

Cherry Blossom Cupcake (Photo courtesy of Hello Cupcake)

Sprinkles: Made with loads of sweet, pureed cherries in both the cake and frosting. (Price $3.50)

Sprinkles Cherry Blossom Cupcake (Photo Courtesy of Sprinkles)
  

Sticky Fingers Bakery: ($4.00) Vanilla cupcake with tart cherry filling, almond creme frosting and toasted almonds

Photo courtesy of Sticky Fingers Bakery

Looking for more things to do? Cherry Blossom events will be going on between now and April 27th. Visit www.NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org for more info and events!

Crumbs

Crumbs Cupcakes
Location: DC on 12 & G
Flavors: Strawberry & Vanilla
Cost: $3 each
Score: 2.5


Crumbs bakeshop is metro accessible via the Metro Center station and is quaintly located next to the standard Monday through Friday lunchtime fare. Although they offered other treats such as cookies, brownies, and coffee beverages, nothing in the glass encased treasure trove struck me as inviting even with over 15 different flavors of cupcakes. Further the cupcakes were unusually big to be so lackluster. The frosting was adequate but they lived up to their name in that the cupcakes were crumbly and subsequently messy. Their customer service is poor and the ambiance lackluster as well. The upside is that $3 is an adequate price for abnormally large cupcakes.
*Originally published July 2011