Cox Cookies & Cake © Rob Greig
London's best cupcakes
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By Charmaine Mok
Updated: Wed Mar 2 2011 -
The combination of sweet icing and fluffy sponge in an irresistibly cute package is our tea-time treat of choice. Here's our guide to the bakeries, cafes, tea rooms and coffee shops baking London's best cupcakes
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Bake-a-boo
86 Mill Lane, NW6 1NL (020 7435 1666/www.bake-a-boo.com).
This West Hampstead tea room taps in to the girlie side of things, even paying homage to Carrie from ‘Sex and the City’ with a cupcake flavoured with vanilla, cranberry and Cointreau – the ‘Carrie’ Cosmopolitan. There are gluten- and dairy-free creations too. Read more
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Bea's of Bloomsbury
44 Theobalds Rd, WC1X 8NW (020 7242 8330/www.beasofbloomsbury.com); 83 Watling St, EC4M 9BX (7242 8330).
Best known for its light buttercream frostings, such as a deliciously tart raspberry number atop rich chocolate cake. Get your fix from either the Bloomsbury original or the new branch at One New Change near St Paul’s Cathedral. Read more
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Crumbs & Doilies
Partridges Fine Food Market, Duke of York Square, SW3 4LY (10am-4pm Sat/www.crumbsanddoilies.co.uk); Chocodeli, 24 Upper Tachbrook St, SW1V 1SW (9.30am-5.30pm Fri; 9am-5.30pm Sat).
This market favourite is still going strong, trading in crowd-pleasing cupcake flavours from salted caramel (made with proper Maldon sea salt) to raspberry and white chocolate. There are vegan cupcakes, too.
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Hummingbird Bakery
133 Portobello Rd, W11 2DY (020 7229 6446/ www.hummingbirdbakery.com); 47 Old Brompton Rd, SW7 3JP (7851 1795); 155a Wardour St, W1F 8WG (7851 1795).
For ultimate US-style cupcakes. They tend to err on the sweet side, but the range of flavours is a big plus. Strawberry cheesecake, for example, is vanilla sponge with strawberries, cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of crushed digestive biscuits. It’s recently launched a ‘Made Without’ range, which means cupcakes made without gluten. Read more
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Violet
47 Wilton Way, E8 3ED (020 7275 8360/www.violetcakes.com).
Pastry chef Clare Ptak brought her beautifully made cupcakes to Broadway Market in 2005, and finally opened her own café in increasingly trendy Wilton Way, Hackney, in 2010. The signature is a candied violet cupcake, though we’ve a soft spot for the mellow coconut milk creation. The mini bite-sized cupcakes are perfect for a spontaneous treat. Read more
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Cox Cookies & Cake
13 Brewer St, W1F 0RH (020 7434 0242/www.coxcookiesandcake.com).
Fierce Soho cupcake shop by shoe designer Patrick Cox and patissier Eric Lanlard. The creations aren’t quite as tasty (or tasteful) as you might hope for, but there’s no doubting the creativity of glitter-dusted chocolate lips (Kiss cakes: vanilla sponge with a blueberry compote centre) and sugar ‘diamonds’ (Bling cakes: raspberry sponge with a raspberry compote centre) that adorn their offerings. Kitsch and so very Soho. Read more
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Buttercup Cake Shop
16 St Alban’s Grove, W8 5BP (020 7937 1473/www.buttercupcakeshop.co.uk); 1/F (outside Habitat), Westfield London, W12 7SL (8746 0333).
US favourites such as red velvet and banana split make up a good chunk of the flavours on offer here, but there are some British concessions, too, such as Bounty bar. The main shop is in Kensington but a kiosk at Westfield London provides sweet respite in between shopping sprees.
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89 comments
Kooky Bakes at Bricklane Markets is the BEST!!! He also does amazing whoopie pies. All amazing and quirky flavours.
She's back in April I believe, although I'm not sure that she's officially announced that yet. Whoops! Ha ha. I'm so excited I'm going to get to eat a Wraggamuffins cupcake again, especially as my birthday is in May so it's perfect timing! She did my birthday cupcakes last year and they were so delicious. We even had strangers who weren't part of my party coming up and nabbing them! For anyone who hasn't tried one yet you have to check them out, they're fantastic.
Oh my god, Wraggamuffins! YES! I found out this week that she's coming back too. I loved the peanut butter truffles she did, I know this is a thread about cake, but those were amazing. Does anyone know when she's reopening?
I was in Balham this week and had a some fantastic cupcakes at Bertie & Boo cafe. Great flavours ( rose, lavender, Apple, Chocolate & Orange among others ). Nice friendly staff on the high street.
Tried Hummingbird again this week as it was a colleague's birthday - they have gone really downhill. I remember when I first tried them about 5 years ago they were good, it seems once these cupcake places get big they forget to add any flavour to their cakes. The cakes were dry, the frosting was too sweet and had no vanilla, the chocolate sponge did not taste of anything (certainly not chocolate), the carrot cake was bland and dry, the vanilla cake was like cardboard. Total waste of money.
I was addicted to Wraggamuffins before she moved to the US, but I hear through Facebook that she's moving back next year (yay!). Her cupcakes were amazing because they weren't too sweet like most of the others, and you could actually taste the flavour without feeling like you've just had a mouthful of sugar. She did others bits and pieces too, so I'm really happy she's coming back.
I have to say I have tried many cupcakes in London and most have disappointed especially from the big bakeries such as Lolas, Hummingbird, Ella's et al. There's too many cupcakes now and most of them are not very good. I did quite like Cat & the Cream when I tried theirs and Violets is also good. I recently came across a stall called Molly Bakes near Broadway Market, I'd never heard of them before but later found out they are stocked in Selfridges and have quite the celebrity following. A brilliant find, the two cupcakes I tried were divine. Their flavours range from classic to unusual, I tried salted caramel, matcha green tea and carrot (seriously the best carrot cake I have ever had). If I lived in East London I'd go get some every week but then I'd be the size of a house!
Ms.Cupcake is also hosting a stall in Balham at the Sunday Fresh Food Market: http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/article/10677/trio_of _food_markets_come_to_balham?utm_medium=twitter&utm _source=twitterfeed
red velwet cup cake was very hummmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy
Sweet Tooth make delicious cakes and cupcakes to order and deliver, if you cant catch them at one of their pop up market places!
www.indulgemysweettooth.com
I highly recommend the shop 'Ms Cupcake' in Brixton. They sell the most delicious vegan cakes- but you can't even tell they're vegan! really lovely, beautifully presenting, shop is like a delightful 50s style shop/diner. they have a stall in greenwhich market too.
ive just discovered maria louie on Northcote road, so unusual and yummy!
Rosie's cakery
She dose not have a shop, but works from a kitchen in south London. I ordered some cupcakes for a friends baby shower and they were truly amazing www.rosiescakery.com/. you really must try them :)
The best Cupcakes in London have to be from Crumbs Couture!!!! Delish!
I serhaced a bunch of sites and this was the best.