Babycakes Bakery
We don't need to talk about how many cupcakes I've eaten in the past three days. We DO, however, need to talk about where I got these delicious, irresistible cupcakes. Because I'm allergic to cane sugar I can't eat normal cupcakes. Does that make me sound like I think I'm too good for cupcakes? Because I don't. Being allergic to cane sugar fucking blows. Birthday cake is in my top three favorite foods (along with sushi and cheeseburgers, FYI) and I don't mean fancy designer birthday cake. I'm talking about grocery store birthday cake where you can actually feel the sugar granules in the frosting. So I have to admit, I'd much rather go to the grocery store and pick up a six pack of cupcakes than go out of my way to a specialty place and pay five times as much. But these are the cards I've been dealt, and thankfully there's a magical place where I can get my sweet treat fix, feel relatively down to earth, and not make myself sick.
Babycakes is a lifesaver for people with a sweet tooth that also have crazy restrictive diets (whether by choice or not). Everything that comes out of the Babycakes bakery is free of gluten, caesin, soy, and eggs, is vegan and kosher, and is free of refined sugar (more on that later). I discovered Babycakes years and years ago when I was experimenting with going gluten free (I wasn't trying to be trendy so stop rolling your eyes. Being gluten free wasn't even a trend back then. It was doctor recommended, so shut it). I was completely bummed to not be able to have any of my favorite desserts and baked goods, so when I came across the Babycakes cookbook on Amazon I snatched it up. Let me tell you, in all honesty, it is difficult to make this stuff at home. I could never perfect the frosting, and the ingredients are super expensive. The book was okay, but I really wanted to taste the professionally made stuff. At that time the only Babycakes shop was in Manhattan, but lucky for me, my pal Sadie lived there, and didn't I owe her a visit?
I'm sure Sadie got sick of my constantly going on and on about how we absolutely NEEDED to go to Babycakes, but once we sampled the goods she was hooked. And she didn't even have any dietary restrictions! I think the real test of specialty food like Babycakes is if someone with a "normal" diet can eat it and say it's amazing. Babycakes more than passed that test. I've visited Sadie many more times, and each time we always make sure to stop by Babycakes and buy one of everything.
One sad note about my beloved Babycakes: Just about everything has cane sugar in it. BUT! Not the cupcakes. So now I just gorge myself on cupcakes and remember the good times I had with the fab cookie sandwiches (Two cookies and frosting? To die for. Probably the number one thing I'd recommend) and the brownies and I've never actually tried their donuts but I'm sure they're magnificent.
Hopefully the genius behind Babycakes, Erin McKenna, is at work in her kitchen perfecting some sugar-free baked goods. Not that I'm complaining! I love those cupcakes like no other! And now that there are two Babycakes locations in LA I have easy access! There's also a shop in Disney World, which is ironic because Babycakes is MY happiest place on earth.
If you're in LA, New York, or Disney World, I demand that you go to Babycakes. If you're a little further away, try a few recipes from their two cookbooks, or buy the baking kits they sell on the Babycakes website. If you have any food allergies or special dietary needs, Babycakes will change your life. I promise.
Babycakes Bakery: A cupcake is around $5