Bakeries

I can’t bake all the time, and sometimes it is nice to enjoy cupcakes baked by someone else! I’m also interested in what other people are doing, what established bakeries–big names and the little guys–are creating and selling, and what their shops are like.

Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

The Chocolate Room
269 Court St.
www.thechocolateroombrooklyn.com

Display case at the Chocolate Room in Brooklyn

Heading to a dinner party with no time to bake, I stopped by this chocolate-focused dessert shop in my old neighborhood.

Box of treats from the Chocolate Room

I went right for the cupcakes, of course, but they only had two left. That gave me the opportunity to sample more goodies! Though I was tempted by a small chocolate layer cake, I decided on cookies–two chocolate chunk and two chocolate peanut butter–and brownies to fill up my box.

Plate of Chocolate Room baked goods

They were a hit with the group of women at dinner that night, we all got to try a little of everything. I will note that nibbles of a brownie paired nicely with sips of red wine.

I thought all the baked goods were nice, but I have to vote for the cupcakes as my first choice (duh?). They were light, the cake not heavy or dense at all, and the rich and silky smooth chocolate frosting was a good contrast.

 

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Lower East Side, Manhattan

Roni-Sue’s Chocolates
148 Forsyth Street
www.roni-sue.com

Go to Roni-Sue’s Chocolate Shoppe for chocolate truffles, toffees, caramel popcorn, pretzel treats, and other confections. Bacon lovers can’t miss the Pig Candy (chocolate-covered bacon). The café has a cute backyard garden and also offers classes and hosts private events. Roni-Sue uses MOHO Chocolate, direct-trade, single origin 60% dark chocolate from Belize.

Amelie Dips Chocolate

I visited Roni-Sue’s for “Fall Into Chocolate” co-hosted by Divalicious Chocolate Events. This was a chocolate-dipping party with both a dark chocolate fountain and—something I’d never before seen—a matcha white chocolate fountain.

Divalicious Chocolate Fountains
Want one of these for a party? Check out Divalicious Chocolate Fountain Rentals.

There were strawberries, cookies, pumpkin muffins, pretzels, marshmallows, cream puffs, popcorn balls, gummy candy…and much more to dip. I think my favorite were the rice crispies treats, the chocolate really got into the crevices!

Dippers for Chocolate
Popcorn, fruit, cookies—including beautiful pizzelles—and even potato chips were perfect dippers for both the dark chocolate and matcha-flavored white chocolate.

Happy Chocolate Dippers

Chocolate Dipped Goodies

To wash it all down, there was hot chocolate and hot apple cider with chocolate-dipped cinnamon sticks.

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Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

Betty Bakery
448 Atlantic Avenue
www.bettybakery.com

Betty's cupcakes at Atlantic Antic 2016
Betty’s Atlantic Antic spread

I’ve always eyed this bakery when walking past it on Atlantic Avenue, but I have never quite made it inside. When I saw their table outside the shop during the recent Atlantic Antic—an annual can’t-miss street festival, the oldest and largest in Brooklyn—I stopped to give one of their cupcakes a try.

Betty Bakery Strawberry Chocolate Cupcake
Strawberry Chocolate Cupcake from Betty Bakery

It was a solid no-nonsense cupcake. Nothing fancy but some sprinkles, the chocolate cake did the job with a sweet berry punch of strawberry frosting.

Stop at Betty’s for a sweet break when shopping Atlantic Avenue, where you can get spices, furniture, knick-knacks, or maybe even a wedding dress.

Betty Bakery Brooklyn
Outside Betty Bakery on Brooklyn’s Atlantic Ave

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Chelsea, Manhattan

City Cakes
251 West 18th St. (basement)
www.citycakes.com

Though it calls itself “the cake shop known for cookies,” City Cakes–quite a small bakery with only one oven–serves up a gorgeous array of gourmet cupcakes on a daily basis.

City Cakes offers classics alongside innovative creations. Here are the flavors I recently tried with a few trusty tasters.

Red Velvet
Red Velvet

A good red velvet is a must, and City Cakes’ Red Velvet Extravagance is a nice, moist cake and frosting with just the right balance of cream cheese.

PB&J
PB&J

City Cakes’ special Peanut Butter & Jelly cupcake has “white bread” cake filled with, yes, peanut butter and jelly, covered with a light peanuty buttercream with some jelly on top.

One taster wanted more peanut butter and was a little thrown off by the “bread” cake, finding it too dense. It is a different sort of cake from the norm, but it hits that PB&J sandwich nail on its head.

Cookies-n-Dream
Cookies-n-Dream

The City Cake’s Cookies-n-Dream cupcake will please Oreo fans. Vanilla buttercream and a Nutella-dipped Oreo tops it off. This cupcake was described as having a Nutella core, but mine seemed missing. (No worries, we still enjoyed it!)

Raspberry Chocolate (GF)
Raspberry Chocolate (GF)

The Flourless Dark Chocolate Cupcake filled with raspberry purée from City Cakes is a tasty gluten-free option. It’s a powerful punch of chocolate and raspberry that I really liked. Great with coffee (milk, no sugar).

Sharing City Cakes Cupcakes
Sharing is caring! The Cookies-n-Dream and Red Velvet for four
Inside a City Cakes PB&J Cupcake
Inside the PB&J

The cupcakes aren’t all on offer. City Cakes’ famous cookies deserve their own post, as do its crazy-dreamy sculpted cakes (this one will do for my next birthday, thanks!).

City Cakes Storefront
A tiny spot tucked under a residential building

Venture downstairs to try these treats for yourself!

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Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

Mia’s Bakery
139 Smith St
www.miasbrooklyn.com

Salted Caramel Cupcake - Mia's Bakery Brooklyn

I lived in Cobble Hill until recently and had noticed this bakery preparing for its opening before my move. The spot used to be Coco Roco, a Peruvian place whose roasted chicken with rice and beans is a favorite of mine (their Park Slope location is still open, go get some).

I stopped by recently and tried the Salted Caramel cupcake and a cappuccino. The cake was light, like angel food cake rather than a typical vanilla cupcake. It made me feel less guilty about the thick frosting (buttery, not too sweet) with a generous dollop of salty-sweet caramel.

Mia's Bakery - Salted Caramel Cupcake
A lopsided beauty

With ample seating both indoors and out, Mia’s is perfect for a shopping break, a leisurely afternoon, or a dessert date. The bakery offers coffee, a wide array of sweets, and a few savory breakfast options. Mia’s Brooklyn is open until 11pm on weeknights, 1am on weekends.

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