The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

This past weekend, I decided to jet back up to NYC for 24 hours for some fun spontaneity with friends.  I did NOT anticipate we would eat cupcakes.  But as we walked through the city, Dev decided she needed a sweet treat from Magnolia.  On our way there, we ran across another cupcakery-Red Velvet West Side Bakery!!  This place has only been open for a few months.

We quickly selected three cupcakes to share.  First, we tried hummingbird. 

This cake traditionally contains pecans, pineapple, and banana.  This cupcake tasted old-the frosting separated as a solid chunk and fell off the cupcake.  It had a dry texture.  Not our fave.  I like the garnish, though.

Next, we chose what else?  Red Velvet! 

 This cupcake was dry and had hard frosting.  It also lacked flavor, which prompted a discussion amongst us about what goes into red velvet cake.  We were getting disheartened.

But THEN, came this delicious, rich, decadent, mouth-watering chocoalte layer cake cupcake.  AMAZING.  It tasted fresh, it tasted better than it looked.  It made me happy.
You'd think that after all this cupcake action, we'd be full.
You would be wrong.
Next, we headed over to Magnola, which P.S. has a party room!  Talk about a dream birthday experienece.  But anyway, we browse all the yummy baked goods (including mini pumpkin pecan cheesecake with gingerbread crust) and select more cupcakes.  This time, I selected pistachio.

This was a tasty, nutty, not-too-sweet cupcake.  You know how drinking coffee and sweets do not mix?  Like if you sip coffee, then bite into something sweet, it makes the coffee taste bitter?  This cupcake would be a prfect companion to your morning cup o' joe.  It could even masquerade as a muffin.

This cupcake journey taught me that cupcakes are one of the few areas in life that I explore. I order crazy flavors, experiment with flavor combination I don't think I'd enjoy, and generally throw caution to the wind.  I was watching one of those VH1 specials about the greatest pop stars ever, and when they talked about The Who, they said they are amazing because they let you break free.  And it hit me that's what I LOVE about cupcakes.  They let me break free.  Maybe the next time I bake I'll even play "Teenage Wasteland" for a truly liberating experience.