Service: 5/5
Cake: 5/5
Frosting: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Total: 17.5/20
This is the one cupcake place that feels like a home to all, from the rowdy group of teenagers to the prim-and-proper cupcake connoisseur. The “eat, drink and be merry” quote posted on the wall (painted in a color that could be called, without a doubt, pinkalicious) seemed incredibly appropriate, instead of cheesy. The fragrance of frosting hit me as I walked in the door. The cashier welcomed us and shared what makes their cupcakerie special: it’s family owned. This family makes darn good cupcakes.
The first cupcake I tried was the “Vanilla Nutella”: a vanilla cake with Nutella swirled throughout with Nutella buttercream frosting and a hazelnut bon-bon candy on top. Oh. My. God. This was the best cupcake I had ever eaten. The cake was really moist and tasted like vanilla, but Nutella undertones were definitely there. The frosting wasn’t as expected either- instead of being completely made of Nutella, it was mixed with buttercream.
I also tried a “Zebra”- chocolate cake with vanilla frosting- and the “Oh My Gosh Ganache”: chocolate cake filled with vanilla cream, topped with chocolate icing. This one was a little too much chocolate for me, but my chocolate-loving sister devoured it.
Their only problem is location. KC Cupcake Co. is located in a rather drab-looking strip mall, the outside of their store being covered in boring brown bricks. Judging from the outside, it might not be the perfect place to eat a cupcake. But don’t judge a cupcake by its frosting- check this place out.
2. Smallcakes Creamery and Novelties
Service: 3/5
Cake: 4.5/5
Frosting: 2/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Total: 14/20
Smallcakes is a child’s dream. We were greeted with free powder-blue cotton candy as we walked in the door. A face painter sat outside the store, surrounded by children. Every candy imaginable could be found on tables placed in corners.
Smallcakes claimed to be a cupcakerie but, looking at the menu, it wasn’t clear what was a cupcake and what wasn’t. What we ended up buying was two bundt cakes – a chocolate one with vanilla and chocolate icing, and a vanilla one with a thin layer of icing and sprinkles.
The vanilla cake was sublime. Somehow they had melted the icing onto the cake and then mixed the sprinkles into the melted icing. Perfection. The chocolate cake wasn’t quite as delectable. Sickeningly sweet vanilla icing was piled a little too high on top of the moist chocolate cake.
Overall, Smallcakes is definitely worth a visit. There is something for everyone- from cupcakes, to ice cream, to cotton candy.
Service: 3/5
Cake: 2.5/5
Frosting: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Total: 13/20
Cupcake a la Mode is the classiest place to get a cupcake in the Kansas City area. Tucked away in a chic corner on the Plaza, its location could not be better. The interior decoration isn’t too shabby, with a black chandelier hanging from the deep pink ceiling. It is small, making it hard for groups of preteens that hang out in large groups to find a comfortable seat for everyone.
I tried the “stuffed french toast” and the “raspberry lemonade” flavors – points for creativity. Both disappointed a bit, though. The cake part of both cupcakes was vanilla. The stuffed french toast cupcake wasn’t swirled with cinnamon and the raspberry lemonade didn’t have the tang, the sourness, that all lemon-lovers search for.
All of the flavor was found in the frosting. The icing that topped the stuffed french toast was the perfect mix of sugar and spicy cinnamon. The raspberry lemonade frosting favored the sweet raspberry as opposed to sour lemon, but it was much better than the oversimplified vanilla cake.
Check this place out if you’re in the neighborhood. It may not be something to go out of your way for, but if you happen to wander past, these cupcakes won’t disappoint you.
4. Gigi’s
Service: 3.5/5
Cake: 4/5
Icing: 1.5/5
Atmosphere: 2.5/5
Total: 11.5/20
This cupcakerie caters to a different crowd, a higher class, or so it felt. As I walked in the door, silence and stares met us. The air was cold and the inside was dark; I wasn’t sure if they were prepping for Halloween or if it was always that way.
I ordered a “wedding cake”, a white cake with vanilla buttercream, and a “chocolate chocolate chip cheesecake cupcake”. The wedding cake cupcake was topped with icing that I swear, weighed more than the cupcake itself. The chocolate chip cheesecake didn’t have any icing, just loads of chocolate.
The piles of icing on the wedding cake ruined it. It could have been a nice cupcake- dull, yes, but not covered in enough frosting to make a person gag. This cupcake is only for those who like to eat frosting, plain, and in a large quantity.
The chocolate chocolate chip cheesecake cupcake was quite a mouthful, in more ways than one. Gigi’s did not spare any chocolate while making this cupcake, and the intense chocolate flavor clashed with the cream cheese of the cheesecake. This place is not worth a trip out of the way, and if you happen to be close by, visit Smallcakes instead. It’s right around the corner.
5. Babycakes
Service: 1.5/5
Cake: 2.5/5
Frosting: 2/5
Atmosphere: 2.5/5
Total: 8.5/20
When we walked into Babycakes, it was quiet, small and to be honest, didn’t smell like frosting and sprinkles – which is what all cupcake stores should smell like. The single person working there greeted us quietly when we came in, then went back to her work.
We debated over which cupcakes to buy, though there weren’t that many choices in the first place. One could say that they sold the classics- chocolate, vanilla, red velvet- or one could say that their cupcakes were boring.
I have to go with boring. I didn’t sample much variety, though, trying a chocolate cake with vanilla icing and chocolate and a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. The cupcakes didn’t taste much different than if they had been made at home from a mix- not terrible, not great. The icing was bland as well. The vanilla was, well, pretty vanilla, and the peanut butter tasted like it was 90% peanuts and 10% buttercream.
The group I had with me seemed to disrupt and annoy the worker.The lack of tables in the shop suggested that eating cupcakes there was not encouraged. This place might have been better if it were more welcoming.
Cupcakeries are a new trend, one yet to be perfected, at least in Kansas City. While I did come close to finding that perfection, it wasn’t achieved. However, the atmosphere and service in some places were great, even if their cupcakes weren’t quite up to par. Though I did try the best cupcake of my life, I’m not so sure it was the perfect one. But go and see for yourself- if I couldn’t find the perfect cupcake, maybe you can.
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