Cupcakes

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday July 10, 2007

Joanna Savill

Cupcakes on Pitt

Many would say this unassuming little cafe (pictured) made the cupcake trend official. It has certainly made it popular, with a second, beachside shop now tempting the beautiful Bondi crowd. And you can see why, with the all-singing, all-dancing decorations, from extravagant yellow swirls with flashy purple stars (that's the passionfruit cupcake) to toasted lemon meringue peaks. Whole Oreo cookies sit like handles on the cookies-and-cream version, while elsewhere white-chocolate-coated strawberries float on a soft white frosting sea. The good news is the cake part actually tastes of cake - moist and freshly baked with real sugar, flour, eggs and butter. Miraculous, really. At $3.50 each, they're a sugary meal in themselves ($5 with coffee) but you can order mini versions or get a cheaper-by-the-dozen box for $39. 323 Pitt Street, city, 9264 4644; 112a O'Brien Street, Bondi Beach, 9300 8306.

Edith and Rose

Lemon, chocolate and ... er, pink, complete the cupcake selection at this newish bakery with the promisingly sweet, old-world name. It stands on an unlikely corner on Malabar Road and to get there you may need to park around the side and over the road. But the cakes here are truly beautiful, made with butter, milk and free-range eggs. What the cupcakes might lack in extravagance and variety is made up for by their taste, as in baker Michael Hughes's softly frosted lemon cupcake, with twists of candied peel and a moist, buttery crumb. It's a benchmark for the genre (and they're a steal at $2.50 each). They can do fancier ones if you order ahead. Little boys should check out the pirate designs in the order album.142 Malabar Road, South Coogee, 9344 3255.

Rowie's Cakes

Buying from the oven door at Rowie Dillon's new rustic-looking cafe (at the front of her bakery-factory) means instant access to her dense chocolate cupcakes ($3), made with dates and almond meal, and the chocolate, orange and almond version, topped with thick chocolate ganache. The sweet little raspberry iced cuppies are chiffon light ($3). Dillon is the queen of gluten-free indulgence, so if you can't eat wheat or dairy, you'll be in heaven twice over. After a run on coeliac birthdays (Dillon reckons there must have been a flock of wheat-intolerant babies 70 and 21 years ago this June), she has nailed the celebration cupcake spread, building names, numbers or personalised designs on big silver boards, topped with cute fondant shapes. If you just want to indulge and run, stop long enough for a Single Origin Roasters coffee or Toby's tea - dairy free, but there is soy milk.78 Livingstone Road, Marrickville, 9550 0346.

Need to know

THEY'RE BIG, AREN'T THEY?

Big as in everywhere and huge as in size (though you can get bite-sized ones).

AND YUMMY?

Anyone can make good icing. But good cake? Not always.

WHEN TO EAT THEM?

They're just right for high tea, birthday or wedding cakes (one for each year, or guest, or spelling out your name).

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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