Goodbye Crumbs

A few hours ago, I read on Twitter that Crumbs Bake Shop abruptly closed down all of its stores today. I knew they were having some financial issues, but I never thought they would shut down without any warning whatsoever. That completely sucks for their workers and it's certainly not going to help unemployment in this city...

I've had plenty of cupcakes from Crumbs over the years. Mini-cupcakes at work parties, afternoon snacks, free promotional cupcakes like one I got earlier this year for going to the Aerial America exhibit in Times Square. The cupcake craze may be over, but I didn't think they would just shut down everything all at once. I thought they would just close more of their stores, but I guess the stores were a lot less profitable than I thought. Crumbs was the only cupcake chain I really went to (not a fan of Magnolia, Sprinkles is not close by, and Baked by Melissa is so expensive for such tiny cupcakes), so this is kind of sad for me.

My favorite Crumbs cupcake was the vanilla coconut, especially in the mini size. The cake was always soft and fluffy, the icing wasn't overly sweet, and the shredded coconut was the best topping. If only they had publicized that they were closing even a day in advance, people could have gone to get one last cupcake and say goodbye. I know that I would have braved the 90 degree weather to get one more vanilla coconut cupcake and maybe an assortment of minis.

I remember reading a few months ago that BJ's was going to start carrying Crumbs cupcakes, so I don't know how this affects those sales. But even buying those wouldn't be the same as just stopping in to the store and picking up a cupcake on a whim. Goodbye Crumbs. Thanks for the cupcake memories!

National Cupcake Day

Last Sunday was National Cupcake Day, but we observed it on Friday instead. When they're giving out free cupcakes over lunch, why not make it a Cupcake Friday?

Just like last year, Cupcake Vineyards gave out free cupcakes (and had wine tastings at various liquor stores) for National Cupcake Day. However, this year I'm not sure if they ran their promotion out of the Sweetery truck again. The cupcakes didn't taste the same as some of the other Sweetery cupcakes I've had. Doesn't mean they can't change their recipe, but this reminded me of those bulk cupcake boxes you can get from Costco. I do still like the Costco mini cupcakes though, and when the icing is a bit chilled (thanks to it being so cold outside), they're even better. We both thought the free cupcakes were good, just nothing really remarkable or special. But free!

I got chocolate cake with vanilla icing. A went earlier in the day and they had red velvet. When it comes to free cupcakes though, I'm not really very picky. Would I have preferred yellow cake with vanilla icing? Sure. But I wasn't going to hold up the line like a woman ahead of me looking and rejecting every single cupcake combination until she found one she liked (no indication of any allergy or other health reason, just personal preference). They're free. Just take what they give you if they don't offer choices!

A surprised me later in the evening with a cupcake from Amy's Bread for dessert! (Funny how we always go to Amy's Bread for sweets, but never really buy bread...)

He knows how much I love cupcakes and especially how much I love sprinkles, so he made sure to get one with as many sprinkles as possible (and the friendly worker was happy to oblige). This surprise made me really happy. The cupcake had just the right amount of sweetness and was soft, fluffy and delicious. And it looked beautiful too! I really don't understand why so many people go to Magnolia for cupcakes when their cupcakes are so overly and cloyingly sweet, and there are so many better options out there.

Amy's Bread was definitely the winner in this cupcake battle, which was no surprise as their cupcakes are always good. Love an excuse to get cupcakes!

On the Road Again

One year ago yesterday, Sweetery teamed up with the Food Network for a pop-up truck called Cupcakes on the Road. They featured cupcake flavors based on various travel destinations as well as a free tote bag. Both A and I took advantage of the free cupcakes.

I got the pineapple crunch (inspired by Hawaii and Aston Resorts). It was a perfect fit since I love Hawaii and we have actually stayed at an Aston Resort. The cupcake was good - like a crumb cake cupcake and just as moist as all the Sweetery ones I've had before. It got a little crushed on my walk back to the office but survived mostly intact. At a different truck stop, A picked up the Mississippi Mud, but I don't have a picture of that one.

Yesterday, Sweetery and Food Network teamed up again but this time - it was popcorn on the road! I'm not a huge fan of popcorn but of course I was going to check it out for a free snack.

I narrowed it down to bacon BBQ, spicy cajun and chipotle cheddar and eventually decided to go with the chipotle cheddar (inspired by Texas). It was pretty good and had a zestier cheese flavor than regular cheddar popcorn, but I thought the flavor would be stronger. I didn't love it, but I think that's more about my feelings about popcorn than the popcorn itself.

What will it be next year? Donuts?

Drink Cupcake

On Friday, I stopped by the Sweetery truck, which had partnered with Cupcake Vineyards in honor of National Cupcake Day to give out free cupcakes around Midtown.

Unlike some of the other cupcake giveaways in the past, this one was a red velvet cupcake.  The cake was moist and dense and the frosting was creamy and rich.  As with the other cupcakes I've had from Sweetery, I really appreciated that the cupcake wasn't overly sweet, but just the right amount.

If you come across a Sweetery cupcake giveaway, definitely stop by.  The cupcakes are always so good, no matter what flavor they are!

Christmas Cupcake

Last week brought another opportunity for free sweets from the Sweetery truck, thanks again to Lord & Taylor. Similar to the last Lord & Taylor promotion for the holiday windows, they were offering free cupcakes, smores or whoopie pies (this time to promote the friends & family event).


I went for a cupcake like last time, except I got a vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing (instead of a chocolate cupcake):


The cupcake was really good, just like the last one. Moist cake, sweet but not too-sweet icing, crunchy sprinkles. I was so hungry on my way to lunch and this was the perfect snack. Thanks L&T and Sweetery!

Holiday Season

Holiday lights have started appearing all over the city and today, there was yet another sign that the holiday season is upon us. Lord and Taylor teamed up with the Sweetery truck to offer some free snacks in honor of the unveiling of their holiday windows today. The truck offered free whoopie pies, smores and cupcakes.


I went for the cupcake. It was a chocolate cupcake topped with a yellow icing, some sprinkles and little sugar beads, and a chocolate medallion with the Lord and Taylor logo.


Cupcakes are tough to get right, but the Sweetery cupcake achieved it. Some cupcakes are too dry, but the cake here was moist and not the least bit dry. Sometimes the cake and/or the icing end up too sweet and you feel like you need to drink 3 glasses of water to recover (coughMagnoliacough). This cupcake was sweet, but it was the right amount of sweetness. It was definitely not cloyingly sweet.

I loved the icing and all the sprinkles. Along with the top layer of the cupcake, those are usually my favorite bites and these did not disappoint! The cupcake was also really pretty. They did a great job planning out the look of the cupcake.


I made it to the truck just in time to get the snack, and was thankful because I was so hungry. They were scheduled to be at that spot until 1:30 and my phone clock read 1:29 when I got there. I was almost out of luck as they told me the line was closed, but they let me on when I mentioned that I thought they would be there until 1:30. I didn't end up feeling that guilty about making it onto the line since, as I watched while eating my cupcake, a bunch of other people begged their way onto the line after me, and they ended up serving at least another 20 people. The perils of offering free food! Anyway, I am glad that I was able to try the cupcake, as I usually get other sweet items from this truck and had never tried the cupcake before. Recommend it!

Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence Day!

To celebrate, we had a Korean feast for lunch and a Greek feast for dinner. Celebrating the diversity that is the United States. A did have a Sam Adams beer and we had granola bars for breakfast, so I guess that's traditional "American."

If I had room for dessert (I don't, too much yummy Greek food), I would have had a cupcake like the one below. Those are considered "American", right?

Delicious cupcake from the Treats Truck
Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!