Candy Cakes, Goodge Street, London

[peelmeagrape]

Passed this place several times recently while out on errands and noticed the tooth-tinglingly sweet wares through the open doorway. The ultra bright colours of the icings initially put me off, but there always seem to be people buzzing around, so yesterday I decided to give it a go.

Ugh and totally not worth the calories. I tried the banana and toffee cupcake, which turned out to be a dry, dense and vaguely banana-y muffin with a very hard shell of food dye-laden icing and a couple of desultory pieces of chewing gum stuck to the top. No taste of toffee discernible whatsoever. Hopefully this will save someone else from disappointment.

[paulcox]

In hindsight, I should have left a warning as well. I had a go two weeks back at their second location on Monmouth, and they were shockingly bad. Your description is accurate-- I would accept these as home-baked cupcakes served at a party by someone still learning to bake (such as myself), but coming from a specialist baker for £2.60 each they're a joke.

By way of contrast and within walking distance, Bea's of Bloomsbury provides an exquisitely professional cupcake for a similar price.

[iheartcupcakes]

I go to Candy Cakes about once a week to meet friends but solely for coffee and the chance to sit outside in their "courtyard" in Covent Garden. I'm not sure who decided these huge muffins are cupcakes but they really aren't. I also dont think they're baked there, but rather iced on the premises, as I've seen box loads of "giant muffins" (as it said on the box) being delivered.

Its a really nice little cafe to pop into but if you want cupcakes head to Buttercup, Hummingbird or Profile, for Outsider Tart cupcakes. Beas is good but i'm not keen on their cupcakes - their cakes on the other hand RULE!

[DietStartsTomorrow]

Excuse the ignorance but what is the true definition of a cup-cake?
Is it what we brits would call a 'fairy cake' but with an extra thick layer of buttercream icing on it?

[iheartcupcakes]

I would say a cupcake is pretty much a fairy cake but with frosting rather than icing (ie icing sugar and water).

Hope that helps! By the way I love your name!

[zuriga1]

American-style cupcakes always have icing on top. It's not always buttercream. It can be a smooth chocolate, vanilla or something else, too... usually made with what we call confectioner's sugar... icing sugar, here in the UK. Sometimes, the icing has sprinkles on top. They're a sweeter thing than a muffin, and one wouldn't eat one for breakfast. Or would one? :-) OK... it's a fairy cake.

[iheartcupcakes]

I have eaten a cupcake for breakfast but I was in New York and I just couldn't resist!

[iheartcupcakes]

I have had a cupcake for breakfast but I was in New York staying v.close to Buttercup so I just couldn't resist!

I would disagree that they're fairy cakes however - I associate fairy cakes with water icing and cucpakes with frosting or another topping (not water icing!).

Whatever you want to call them - I heart cupcakes ;)

[DietStartsTomorrow]

Thanks for the responses and satisfying my curiosity....thank god I haven't got a sweet tooth otherwise I'd be twice the size I already am....I'v e always held off trying cupcakes and stuff because I have the fear that if I started eating them I'd never stop (hence the DST name) !

[iheartcupcakes]

The sad thing is I dont really have a sweet tooth - its solely cupcakes! I could give up everything else but those!

Zuriga1 - the cake part is pretty much the same - its just the frosting difference!

I think a cupcake is probably more healthy than a croissant :) Well thats what I'm telling myself!

[zuriga1]

I'm sure a croissant has more butter than a cupcake... eat and enjoy. If you are young, my advice is to enjoy what you love eating now. When you get older like me, it's not so easy to do and stay alive. I'm very glad I ate to my heart's content when I was a young'un.

[zuriga1]

That's OK.. my brother used to eat pizza for breakfast. I'm sure you're right about the fairy cakes. To be truthful, I've never eaten one and just assumed they were like cupcakes - at least the cake part.

I guess eating a croissant for breakfast is no worse a sin than a cupcake, and I've done that many a time.