PHX - red velvet cake or cupcakes?

[abbefaith]

Does anyone know of some restaurants/stores that have good red velvet cake or cupcakes? The only place I know of is Claim Jumper, and theirs isn't up to par. Thanks! =)

[kmarg]

Also, Bertha's Cafe on 40th and Indian School makes rockin RV cupcakes

[AnonymousWaitress]

delux 2 go(next to the actual delux restaurant) has red velvet cupcakes most days. the baker they used to have, who created mediocre cupcakes, has been replaced by a new baker who is awesome. Lolo's is still the best red velevet cake or cupcake I've found however

[rebnnix]

Lolo's is a definite first choice but Crackers & Co over in Mesa was really good too. Let Them Eat Cake on Thomas was horrible! Super market cupcakes are better. I hear from a very reliable source that they buy their frosting in bulk instead of making from scratch and it shows.

[kate adler]

Copper Star Coffee makes HUGE red velvet cupcakes. I ordered two to go thinking i would eat one and give one to my mother. When the bag arrived I needed a crane to lift it. Not as artfully iced as some of the speciality cupcake places can do but the red velvet cake was delightfully moist. I haven't had the opportunity to sample red velvet cakes in many places so I'm not sure what the best ones are supposed to taste like. This was good tho.

[Lala0310]

I only buy my red velvet cakes and cupcakes from Barb's Bakery at 24th St and Thomas (just north of Thomas). They have great carrot cake cupcakes too.

[Tamar324]

Try Fairy Cakes in Chandler, they make a good Red Velvet cupcake, located on the SE corner of Ray & McClintock.

[tastyjon]

I spotted a new cupcake shop setting up in the Hilton Village shopping center in the 6000 block of N. Scottsdale Rd. (a few miles N. of Old Town). I was heading somewhere else in the center and didn't catch a name - just saw a temporary vinyl sign that said cupcakes over the front. If anyone frequents the area, give us an update. For all I know, Cupcakes could be the name of a fashion store!

[vibrant]

I'm from LA and there's a very popular cupcake shop called Sprinkles out here in Beverly Hills. I heard that they will be opening a Scottsdale location this summer, could that be it?

[silverbear]

I don't think so. The Sprinkles site will be right by Fashion Square:

http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/map_...

It might be a competitor trying to get in before Sprinkles, or, as suggested above, another type of store using "cupcakes" as a name.

[cmh4302]

Try the red velvet cupcakes at Bertha's Cafe on 40th street and Thomas. One of my favorites.

[themis]

Ditto! My office orders lunch from Bertha's, occasionally, and they always throw in a plate of their mini-cupcakes. Their icing isn't cream cheesey, it's more of the royal style, tastes like marshmallow fluff. But the red velvet is top-notch.

[susanarizona]

Yes, Karsh's has very good red velvet cake, Ive never been a big fan of red velvet but we had it for someone's birthday at work and it was sooo good--great frosting! Also, I know "Nothing Bundt Cake" in Ahwatukee had one for their cake of the month in Feb so I think you can special order one ($15-$25??) ...I didnt have any, but they always make a great cake.....

[abbefaith]

i actually go to that target all the time, but i've never been in there!

[winedubar]

there's a bakery at the downtown farmers market that has been having a dozen red velvet cupcakes every week now for awhile..i had a sample and they were tasty :D

[abbefaith]

thanks winedubar. =)

[winedubar]

np - i asked if they would sell me one and they said no :( i can understand tho...it was gooooood but if i got a dozen i'd eat them myself...not so good :D

[abbefaith]

yeah that's kinda unfortunate. i don't know if i would want a whole dozen either!

[melcarr]

I was at Karsh's bakery at 7th St. & Missouri on Friday and they had red velvet cupcakes.

[ciaogal]

I was watching Channel 12 this morning and they did a feature on 'Let Them Eat Cake' on 48th st and Thomas.....
They feature both red velvet cakes and red velvet cupcakes on the menu......

http://www.letthemeatcakeaz.com/cupca...

[abbefaith]

awesome! thank you so much!!!!

[JaimeeRose]

The famous Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes have been reborn in a mix at Williams-Sonoma. I made last night: yummy. But my kitchen is a red-tinged mess.
I've had the Sprinkles cupcakes in Beverly Hills, too, and I have to say: the mix is right on.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produc...

[abbefaith]

ahhh i can't wait for them to open the sprinkles here! seems a little expensive for the mix though... does it only make one batch?

[JaimeeRose]

Yes, it makes only 12, but 12 cupcakes at sprinkles is what -- $36? :-) (Although, you don't have the red mess. And it is a MESS.) I also think the cream cheese icing recipe it comes with sorta sucks. I like the Barefoot Contessa cream cheese icing recipe best. I made mini cupcakes - and got 24, and that made it seem like so much more.

[abbefaith]

NY times today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/din...

[hzp]

the AJs at Pinnacle Peak had red velvet cake on Saturday. Didn't taste it, but I'd generally give AJ's pastry department high marks.

[brianroaz]

And there's also LuLu's on Miller and McDowell in south Scottsdale for cupcakes. Again, not sure on their flavors, however.

[ccl1111]

we did lulu's cupcakes on saturday and they were good but not anything unusual.

we got the blonde bombshell (vanilla buttercream on vanilla cake) and the tantrum tamer (chocolate buttercream on vanilla cake). my wife liked them because they reminded her of her mother's. while i liked them, didn't see anything extraordinary about them that would justify the $10 for 4 of them. have had cupcakes we liked just as well at lux or even starbucks. be interesting to see how long they are around.

[kindofabigdeal]

actually, i think LuLu's bakes for Lux.

[hollyeve]

I am shocked by how mediocre Lulu's cupcakes are. I purchased a four pack (vanilla w/ choc frosting, choc w/ vanilla frosting and coconut, german choc, and carrot w/ creamcheese frosting). At $10 for four pretty small cupcakes, I was expecting homemade deliciousness. None of them taste any better than a supermarket bakery cake. Maybe not even that good, actually. The space is pretty cute, though.

[brianroaz]

Besides their cobbers, I've had red velvet cake at Karim's Cobbler Shop (immediately east of the U.S. Airways Center in downtown Phx in the parking garage). Not sure if it's still open, since I haven't been there in awhile! Call first.

[1wino]

Bryna's right. If you want really good chocolate cake that will not necessarily stain your tongue, try Better Than Sex Cake Cafe in Chandler. It's a tiny little place off the beaten path on Wall Street, just south of downtown. Good lunches, too. I also like Nothing Bundt Cakes in Ahwatukee Foothills, on Ray Road near Target. I tried the new Cake Cafe in Ahwatukee on the other corner, by Michael's, and didn't like it at all. Their chocolate cupcakes did stain my tongue red all day, and tasted like artificial flavoring.

[abbefaith]

ok this may sounds crazy, but where exactly IS downtown chandler? i live in north ahwatukee and i just never know where people mean when they say downtown chandler.

[Bazel]

Downtown Chandler is the "Square" located just south of Chandler Blvd on Arizona Ave to about Frye (depending on who you ask). It is really the area around AJ Chandler Park. Here you will find the San Marcos hotel (no current notable dining), La Stalla, 98 South, Kokopelli winery and Brunchies to name a few.

Bz

[Bryna]

You know red velvet cake is not a flavor, just chocolate cake with lots and lots of red food coloring. A lot of serious bakers won't make it because they feel adding that much coloring gives the cake an unpleasant artificial flavor.

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

It isn't just chocolate cake with food coloring. If you were to add food coloring (even the two tablespoons called for in the recipe I have here) to a chocolate cake, it would be reddish-brown, not the vibrant red that is red velvet cake. The chocolate is there to add richness to the color, and maybe a little extra depth of flavor (but nothing that makes you say it's a chocolate cake). Red velvet cake is not so much about the flavor as it is a study in texture. The cake itself has a very tight crumb and is luxuriously moist, both of which provide the velvet in the name. The frosting absolutely must be a thick coating of rich cream cheese frosting, something that you'll almost never find on a garden-variety chocolate cake. A really great red velvet cake is like nothing else. To just call it a chocolate cake is like saying a Monet masterpiece is just a nice painting.

[Minx]

I second Lo-Lo's..and their red velvet cake does sell out!!

[JK Grence the Cosmic Jester]

Definitely Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles on Central and Yuma (south of downtown) for red velvet cake. I've had it, and it is ungodly good. Everything I've had at Lo-Lo's is utterly terrific. Trust me, go there when you're really hungry, else you'll be taking your red velvet cake to go.

[abbefaith]

would this be an ok place to dine solo?

[Seth Chadwick]

Yes. I have seen plenty of solo diners at Lo-Lo's. There is even a small counter for solo diners (which will be much quicker for you to get a table than waiting for a two or four top).

[abbefaith]

thanks for the info....btw i am currently in a situation where i have A LOT of free time at work. i read your entire site yesterday. my only complaint is that i wish you had an entry every day to keep me entertained! other than that i really like your reviews. =)

[Molto E]

Red Velvet Cake-

Lo-Lo's Fried Chicken and Waffles

Restaurant 28

[abbefaith]

is restaurant 28 pretty good?

[Molto E]

I have not been yet...plan to go very soon.

[abbefaith]

i stopped yesterday on my way home from work to get a slice. the restaurant was VERY small with only 4 tables and kinda dingy looking. i can't say anything about the food (although i just barely resisted getting some hush puppies for the drive home), but the cake was average at best. =/

[Molto E]

next time try the "Q" and let us know

[grrlscout]

I picked up some slices of red velvet cakes from Restaurant 28 for Valentine's Day. They were pretty good, but not to die for. The flavor was good, but the texture of the cake was kind of... how to descibe it? oily and mealy?

Lil Mama's also has red velvet cake. But I haven't tried it there.

[Molto E]

I made it over there for the first time and was left underwelmed.

[rebnnix]

I was also extremely underwhelmed. Very expensive for less than average food.

[mamamia]

RIP Chez Bubba...his wife made a great red velvet cake. After Bubba died the restaurant closed and went on to become--------Matt's Big Breakfast.

I don't know of good red velvet cake anymore. Tammie Coe's "ooey gooey" cupcake is great though.

[goldenroxy]

recently, i made a red velvet cake.I wanted to try something new. i was disappointed. sorry, can't think of any restaurants that has red velvet cake or cupcakes on their menu.