I'm as infatuated with cupcakes as the world is with Jennifer Aniston's love life. Very much. So Friday I went down to check out this new bakery, Butter Lane, that just so happens to be right smack on the same block as my last apartment. I'm torn between thinking it's the worst luck ever or a really good thing that this bakery came in after I moved out of the East Village — a cupcake a day would have been hard to resist. It's deliciously decorated inside — love the handpainted wallpaper, bench seats, and chalkboard menu. And the cupcakes were OH MY GOD delicious. Butter Lane uses all organic ingredients and local suppliers: I can't say that I can taste when something's organic, but these were super fresh tasting cupcakes. Magnolia Bakery and the exotic cupcakes of Crumbs: you've been bumped. Butter Lane is my new cupcake crush.
This is not your average cupcake bakery, either. Butter Lane lets you choose your own cupcake: If you want French chocolate buttercream icing on banana cake or blueberry icing on vanilla cake, you got it. And Butter Lane's counter had a fun sampling of icings you can test with wood stirrers. I tasted them all — they offer many tempting flavors, including daily specials. Sadly grapefruit ginger icing was sold out— I thought that'd be a different icing to try out.
And here's a little something I learned: There are different kinds of buttercream, like French and American buttercream. French buttercream uses eggs, and it's a more involved icing to make. (Not many bakeries make French buttercream.) I tried both their American and French vanilla buttercream to taste the difference. American buttecream is sweet and delicious, but the French buttercream was holy cow divine. If you see French buttercream, give it a try. It's a smidge less sweet and oh so yummy. Check out here for a nice explanation of how each buttercream is made — and photos of even more tantalizing cupcakes.
If you're in the New York area, do treat yourself to a trip to Butter Lane. The bakery has good coffee too.
My friend Ellen and I picked these 6 cupcakes. Favorites were the banana cake with cream cheese frosting and the vanilla cupcake with lemon frosting. I'm more of a vanilla girl when it comes to cupcakes.
Bye, Butter Lane! See you soon for tasty cupcakes!
