For a while, the cupcake trend was worrisome. The frenzy for cupcakes was so overwhelmingly intense, it might have killed off the treat: like tiramisu, or creme brulee.
But cupcakes still exist, there are still eateries that specialize in the treat, and you can still find good cupcake offerings from independent bakeries such as from Four and Twenty Blackbird Bake Shop.
Packaged individually, a single cake will set you back about $1.89 at a gourmet grocer (they’re also found at Pearl Market). For the analysis, two classic versions were selected: Chocolate Cupcake and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake.
Both are pretty little things, they’re packaged in cute individual plastic bubbles that protect their swirls of frothy frosting perched on top. Both cupcakes are built on a similar chocolate cake foundation. It’s a natural-tasting cake, and the ingredients on the label testify to that perception: it reads like Grandma’s recipe with all-purpose flour, sugar and cocoa powder topping the list.
So, there’s the springy, chocolate-y foundation… it’s still the frosting that sets any cupcake apart. Of course, this is coming from someone who frequently eats only the frosting on cakes.
In any case, the frosting from the bakery does not disappoint. Where mass-produced cupcakes are often crowned with flavor-free fatty puff globs, the frosting from Four and Twenty Blackbird is sweet and complements the chocolate mini-cakes.
More specifically, the chocolate frosting on the Chocolate Cupcake is smooth and charged with chocolate flavor; the ingredient list includes dark chocolate chips, so the cocoa butter there might explain that distinctively attractive feature.
What makes the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake different is that it has peanut butter frosting instead. It’s equally fun, and equally flavorful with a sweet, super-smooth peanut butter lid.
The fact that the peanut butter version is equally good might very well lead to analysis paralysis. Save time: buy both.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/FourTwentyBakeShop.