Cupcakes! ----- and more.... (PHX)

[Alice Letseat]

In search of the very best cupcakes...and pound cake, too. NOT a restaurant serving, the bakery, please!!!

Many thanks for any assistance you might be able to offer!

[Alice Letseat]

Thanks to everyone. After extensive cupcake tasting and comparison, we'd have to say that Barb's and Essence are in a dead heat for the best cupcakes. The rest - meh. They're nice, light, sweet stuff akin to fluffy bread with too much frosting. At least one bakery's cupcakes had totally indistinguishable flavors in their cakes.

[ziggylu]

Thanks for the feedback. I"m glad I don't live around Barb's...I could eat their cupcakes everyday. I haven't tried Essence's...closer to home, maybe I shouldn't!

[drobe30]

I just sampled an amazing cupcake at Hillside Spot in Ahwatukee. It was vanilla with a slight lemon undertone. The flavor was great but the texture was even better. Perfectly fluffy cake and buttercream. I know they get their bread from MJ but I don't think the cupcake came from Tammie Coe.

[hohokam]

from The Republic:

"And now, Rebecca Reeder has joined the team as pastry chef. She comes from a lengthy career with Le Grande Orange, and before that, Arcadia Farms in Old Town Scottsdale."

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/d...

[drobe30]

Thanks. She definitely knows what she's doing.

[ipsedixit]

Lulu's is pretty good and so much less expensive than Sprinkles.

[jkgourmet]

Hate to agree with Oprah, but Sprinkles was very very good. I'd agree that the cream cheese icing was wonderful. I'm not a carrot cake fan, but those that were positively swooned. I had a lemon something that was actually not too sweet - always a pleasant surprised with baked goods. No, they weren't cheap, definitely expense account or special occasion purchase.

Jeanette
www.AnythingGoesGourmet.com

[ziggylu]

I love the pink champagne cupcakes at Barb's.

[biga290]

i just saw that sprinkles opened a branch on scottsdale road near camelback. haven't stopped in yet. but in LA there was literally a line around the block to purchase their stuff. i thought the carrot cake cupcake i had in LA was beautifully decorated and all-in-all outstanding. no lines in scottsdale yet but definitely worth a try!

[Jess321]

I'm a big fan of Sprinkles, particularly any of the varities with cream cheese frosting-the red velvet, vanilla milk chocolate (vanilla cake w/choc cream cheese frosting), pumpkin (with cinnamon cream cheese frosting), and carrot (also cinn cream cheese). I reallyyyy hated every variety I tried at Cupcakes on Scottsdale road near the Houston's. They were dry, and the frosting was just plain gross (wish I could be more specific). They were also the same price or pretty similar to Sprinkles.

[Sapa]

I have heard great things about TammieCoes Cakes in downtown Phoenix... went there last night with a friend, but they were closed. She's an incredibally picky eater, and had high praise for their cupcakes...

[Alice Letseat]

Phoenix metropolitan region.

[Eric]

What city?