Tasting Tour NYC: Crumbs

I have so much to celebrate right now! A little over a week ago was both my birthday and my company‘s 8-year anniversary. I also became engaged on New Year’s Eve. (Yes, Jason wants to make sure I follow through on that lifetime’s supply of cupcakes I promised him in exchange for photographing for my blog.)

So, after lunch the other day, I decided I needed a celebratory cupcake immediately. I stopped at the first available cupcakery.

Flatiron/Chelsea, Manhattan

Crumbs Bake Shop
655 6th Avenue (CLOSED)
www.crumbs.com

There is a Crumbs near my office, and, though I pass it all the time, I never go in. I honestly never find bakeries that tempting, because I’m usually baking myself. However, it’s been awhile and I was craving a sweet bite. Even a chain would do…

The first thing I noticed was how big the cupcakes are. These things are HUGE and 500-600 calories. It’s their thing, these oversized cupcakes are their “Signature” Cupcakes. They do have minis, but I was told they only come in 6- or 12-packs.

I next noticed that Crumbs’ cupcakes are very pretty. They have put together some yummy-looking cupcakes topped with sprinkles, cookies, candy, all sorts of goodies. Several are over-the-top.

I picked a Pink Starlight Cupcake because it was pretty and sparkly and, ok, bridal. The description—vanilla cake and icing with chocolate mousse inside—sounded great.

It is too bad they don’t taste quite as good as they look. It was not bad, I just wasn’t impressed. I could tell it was not made recently, but I didn’t expect fresh out of the oven midafternoon. The cake was dense and doughy—ok but not very flavorful. The chocolate mousse inside did not taste like chocolate to me, but as there wasn’t much of it, it was hard to tell.

The verdict? My Crumbs sample tasted like good grocery store cake. I’m not bashing grocery bakeries. Some make tasty treats, but it is hard to get the freshness of a home-baked or small bakery cake. Crumbs does say that they do not use preservatives, which is great and more than can be said for your average grocery store.

Crumbs has locations all over the country. If you are in NYC, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, or Chicago, they provide local delivery. Elsewhere, order online, and they’ll freeze them and overnight them to you.