Five New Canaan cupcake destinations… and one very tall glass of milk. Was I really going to sample all of them? We started with:
Garelick & Herbs—Cookie Monster ($3).
Garelick & Herbs is New Canaan’s answer to New York’s Dean & Deluca. A haven for prepared foods, this meet-and-eat destination is known for their signature Cookie Monster cupcake that stares at customers through the glass case. Cookie Monster is available with chocolate or yellow cake. I, of course, chose the chocolate—a better complement to the vanilla frosting.
The frosting is piled a few inches high, coated with bright blue sprinkles that define the monster's face, and embedded with chocolate pupils, and an Oreo cookie mouth. Biting through the thick sweet frosting, my mouth was full before I could even find the cake. The cake itself was not too sweet and the cocoa is faint, but the frosting made up for the mild flavor.
Lemongrass—White Velvet Butter Cake ($2.50)
Owned and operated by Pastry Chef Ginger Pizzurro, Lemongrass is a charming gourmet shop that offers food enthusiasts colorful and healthful salads, wrap sandwiches, entrées to go, and full catering menu options. When I walked in unannounced asking for cupcakes, Pizzurro teased, “Did you say cupcakes? Take a look at these.”
I followed her into the kitchen to see a tray of pristine cupcakes frosted with butter cream and little pink roses. These delicate white velvet butter cakes have a unique quality to them–a thicker batter, yet not dense. Pizzurro explains that this is due to the method of mixing dry ingredients first, then adding the milk and egg whites. The silky butter cream frosting is truly rich and buttery, but still fluffy, also due to the addition of egg whites.
Amazing, simply amazing.
Crumbs—Twinkie and Chocolate Coconut Cream ($3.75)
Crumbs Bake Shop recently opened next to the New Canaan Playhouse on Elm Street. The store is just big enough to fit the cupcake display case, sales counter, and the coffee set-up. Crumbs does (basically) one thing and they do it right— make lots of cupcakes.
The classic Crumbs cupcake is fairly large, although smaller versions are available. Varieties include traditional vanilla and chocolate, and crazy concoctions including their take on Hostess Devil Dogs and Twinkies, as well as key lime, red velvet, carrot cake, cookie dough, and even apple crumb.
I went for the Twinkie first, a childhood favorite, with its classic golden cake and sugary filling–only this time, it was, well, cupcake-shaped. This denser version of the original covered all the major taste sensations and brought back memories.
The chocolate coconut cream had to be sampled too, as I’m a sucker for coconut. The denser cake was a good fit for the chocolate, with its deep dark cocoa flavor contrasted wonderfully with the white frosting and shaved coconut. This is a Mounds bar gone wild.
Rosie—Hostess (full-size $3)
Rosie is New Canaan’s go-to place for a hearty breakfast or well-deserved lunch, but the counters are piled high with dessert—freshly made cakes, pies, tortes, giant muffins, cookies in all styles, and their homemade version of Hostess' famous cupcakes.
True to form, these little devil's food cakes are filled with sweet cream and covered in a chocolate glaze piped with white curls. Whether consumed in mini or full size, these melt-in-your-mouth treats hit the spot with a cup of coffee or a tall cold glass of milk.
Food Emporium—Basic ($3.99 package of 6)
Next up, a little shopping at the Food Emporium for the basics. Okay, so they’re from a commercial grocery, but how bad could the cupcakes be? I selected some simple chocolate ones with white frosting and red sprinkles.
I immediately noted how light they are—the entire half-dozen package weighed less than one of the other single cupcakes I’d tried. As I peeled back the wrapper from a cake it began to squish between my fingers. The first bite was pure nirvana as the sponge and the frosting became one in my mouth. It was actually really good. Light, chocolaty, creamy, and just sweet enough. I was thrilled with the discovery.
Then the sugar coma set in. For my next column I’ll be comparing lettuce…
