Lexi-lupa: The cupcake Connoisseur

With the lovely fall weather, I have had a chance to get out more. Which has been SO NICE especially because there was no school today! Yes! My fam and I have had a recent obsession with gourmet cupcake places. We've pretty much been to every one in the SLC area. These places not only have great cupcakes, but each a unique atmosphere that none can duplicate. Sooooo, I've done my part and narrowed down the best of the best and the worst of the worst. And all for the three followers I have! (yes, counting the one that is on a mission.No worries.)

The Besties!

My all time favorite goes to...... {drumroll please}

Mini's cupcakes
they have two locations..
Sugarhouse - 1751 South 1100 East - 801-746-2208

Downtown - 14 East 800 South - 801-363-0608
website: www.mini-cupcakes.com

• The Dish {rocks} : Mini's has a sweet vintage-y atmosphere and the cupcakes are to DIE for! The cake is made from gourmet ingredients (MadagascanVanilla bean, Belgian Ghanoush dark chocolate, etc.) and is baked from scratch every day. {that makes a BIG difference} The frosting is sweet, but not too sweet, if you know what I mean. It is a perfect compliment to the richness of the cake, and each cupcake is mini! The size is so perfect, it isn't too big or too small, so the time you finish the cupcake, it is enough to tie you over without wanting more or going overboard. The best cupcake in the SLC!
• The Dish {rots} : Each cupcake is 2 dollars, which is a bit pricey, but worth every penny!
• My Pick: the snowball cupcake: Madagascar Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Swiss Meringue covered in fresh sweet coconut

Uh, YUM!!!!

The second best?

So Cupcake

location : 3939 S. Highland Dr.Salt Lake City, UT 84124

Website: www.socupcake.com

• The Dish {rocks}: The owners opened the store for their daughter, Celina, who has cerebral palsy. (how sweet!) The store is very pink and girly, and super inviting. Not only is the service friendly and the cupcakes made from scratch, they have a wall FILLED with Polaroids of their customers with the cupcakes they ordered, and the customers wrote 'So {word or phrase pf choice}' on each and every one . For example, one of my favorites is a picture of a very fashionable gay couple that has a caption of 'So Gay!'. The Cake part of the cupcake is amazing, ans the variety there is unbeatable. AND, each cupcake is served on a cute little plate with a doily! A DOILY! That means it's fancy! Yes! all of my cupcake dreams are coming true!!
• The Dish {rots}: the frosting can get too sweet after a while,in some cases overpowering the unique taste of the cake.
• My Pick: The So Blueberry Lemon cupcake and the Carrot Cake Cupcake

Third place goes to..

Diva's Cupcakes and Coffee

Location: 1560 East 3300 South Salt Lake City, UT, 84106

Website: Under construction, www.divascupcakes.com

• The Dish {rocks} :Diva's is the ultimate definition of an 'indie' coffeehouse. Not only do they have cupcakes, but they have food, a terrarium, a library, and the nicest bathrooms in our neck of the woods.Their atmosphere is totally an A+. They have meet the Artist nights and independent movie nights regularly. The wide array of customers make great subjects for budding artists (heh heh heh!) and there is FREE WI-FI! AWWW YEAH! If you don't go there for a cupcake, got there for the awesome terrarium and the experience. It is a Gem, and one any artsy localist must check out, for their street cred to remain in tact. Now to the cupcakes..... The frosting absolutely makes the {cup} cake. It is rich and creamy, so smooth. Not gritty like other places. It melts in your mouth. Ridiculous. And they come in large or mini sized! SCORE!
• The Dish {rots}: the cake part of the cupcake is kind of a let down to the amazing frosting. It tastes a little box-cake-mix -ey, which really affects the whole cupcake. It isn't very moist or soft, occasionally hard, depending on when you get it. It doesn't do the frosting justice. Also, the service hasn't been the best when I've gone there {which has been many a time} . I mean, sometimes, they are really nice [the guy with the dreads is really chill] but other times they aren't very welcoming and look at my clothes like "what is she wearing" [blond, pony-tail wearing girl, actual experience]. humph. No bueno. I'm individualistic! Gimme a break!
• My Pick:The Vanilla bean cupcake and the Lemon cupcake.

Honorable mention

CutsieCakes

Location: 354 N. Main Street Suite #1Layton, UT 84041

website: www.cutsiecakes.com

• The Dish {rocks} : They have a lot of local vendors wares, like a personal favorite, Vintage Fern.
• The Dish {rots} : The cupcake are no bueno. The frosting is way too sweet and the cake is made from CAKE MIX. CAKE.MIX. Literally, I've had better store-bought cupcakes. But.........the atmosphere wins you over with the vintage-y style and old-school candy shoppe candies. It is decorated beautifully, and you know I am a fan of supporting local! Woot! Props to them for that, but the cupcakes are pretty terrible. But, they have only been open for about two months, so there is still room for improvement. Which they need. No offense.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT! The scoop on the crappiest and most delicious cupcakes from this side of the West! Enjoy!

xoxo-Lexi

PS : Aren't you proud of me for posting?!?