Text size:

Cupcakes and more cupcakes

2:14 PM EST, January 15, 2007

An assortment of cupcakes from Crumbs (HANDOUT)

Saying you don't like cupcakes is a little like saying you don't like Mom. Or the flag. The question, then becomes: who's got the best ones. Here, a sampling of some of our favorites all around town.

MANHATTAN

Burgers & Cupcakes. Very tasty. The cake is moist, and the chocolate icing is addictive. The little ones are the perfect little bite of sugar. Burgers are pretty good, too. ($2-$3; 458 Ninth Avenue; 212-643-1200)

Eleni's. Inside the Chelsea Market, Eleni's is famous for her illustrated cookies, which have become a staple at holiday time. The cupcakes also have a following, and also come with illustrations if you order ahead. Among the flavors: vanilla, chocolate, banana, carrot, oreo and peanut butter with assorted buttercream icing. ($2 per cupcake; 75 Ninth Avenue; 888-435-3647)

Crumbs. Our favorites are the raspberry swirl and the red velvet. But there are plenty of other flavors: caramel, topped with Snickers bars, the bakery's own version of Hostess cupcakes. You get the picture. ($1.95-$3.50 per cupcake; 321 1/2 Amsterdam Avenue; 212- 712-9800; 1371 Third Avenue, 212-794-9800)

Tribeca Treats. One of the newest entrants in the cupcake stakes, the cakes here are a little more elegant than elsewhere. Chocolate and vanilla are available every day, plus two of the specialty flavors. ($2 per cupcake; 94 Reade Street, 212-571-0500)

Cupcake Cafe. The grandaddy of the cupcake craze--they were around before Magnolia. They're most famous for the decorated cakes -- buttercream as art. ($2.50-$3.25 per cupcake; Note: They've moved -- the new shop is at 545 Ninth Avenue or at 18 West 18th Street, 212-465-1530)

Buttercup Bake Shop. We know people who are addicted to the Lady Baltimore cupcakes -- rich with almonds and iced with merengue frosting. Then again, the German chocolate isn't bad, either. ($1.85 per cupcake; 973 2nd Avenue, 212- 350-4144; 141 West 72nd Street, 212-787-3800)

Sugar Sweet Sunshine. They have the homey, neighborly vibe down pretty well, and the thrift-shop furniture fits right in. The pumpkin cupcake has a serious following. ($1.50 per cupcake; 126 Rivington Street, 212-995-1960

Billy's Bakery. The most popular of all the cupcakes is vanilla with vanilla icing, a just-right hit of sugar. But they also have special flavors, chocolate cherry and coconut among them. ($1.75 for chocolate and vanilla; $2.25 for the special flavors. 184 9th Avenue; 212-647-9956)

Magnolia. What more do you need to know? The 'Sex in the City' girls ate here, and the lines on the weekend stretch down the block. For our taste, the cupcakes are too sweet, but there are hordes who beg to differ. ($1.75-$2.25 per cupcake; 401 Bleecker Street, 212-462-2572)

BROOKLYN
Baked. Tasty, and they come in the classic flavors: chocolate and vanilla with icings like mocha, chocolate and vanilla. Stop by on Mondays and get a cupcake for a buck. Now, that's a deal. ($1.50 per cupcake; 395 Van Brunt Street; 718-222-0345)

Two Little Red Hens. OK, we'll admit to an unseemly craving for the Red Hens' cakes. Doesn't matter what flavor. We eat them all. You can get very fancy, with a Brooklyn Blackout (chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, fudge frosting) or you can stick with the simple (yellow cake or chocolate). Then again, there are the lemon clouds... ($2.75-$4 per cupcake. 1112 Eighth Avenue; 718-499-8108)

Sweet Melissa. The best thing at Melissa is the butterscotch pudding. But you have to get very lucky, since they rarely have it anymore. Still, they bake up a mean cupcake: When they're available, the orange ones are a treat. A perfect snack to take across Court Street to the movies. ($2.50 per cupcake. 276 Court Street, 855-3410; 175 Seventh Avenue, 502-9153.)