Cupkates by Kate
Red Velvet – red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting
Vanilla Bean – vanilla cake, vanilla buttercream
Snickerdoodle – cinnamon cake, vanilla cinnamon buttercream / Chocolate Lab – chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream / Coco Cream – chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream / Sticky Fingers – caramel cake with white frosting, caramel drizzle
Never ashamed to admit my fondness for cupcakes as a sort of dessert sampler or ‘tasting menu’ and happy to see the ‘fad’ still going strong despite yearly talk of their imminent demise it was with high hopes that I stopped by cutesy Cupkates by Kate at Tivoli Village late Saturday evening only to be met with resounding disappointment on all fronts. Obviously not the shop’s target audience as I’m neither female nor five and certainly not content to be condescended to by the tiny male attendant who refused to sell me a half dozen – one of each flavor – because they only had two dozen left in the store it was begrudgingly that the little fella even broke conversation with another mall employee to accept a Yelp! check-in lowering the $12 dozen to $10, and taking the small plastic clamshell downstairs to enjoy the frustration continued with each bland bite…the saving grace an impressive “sticky fingers” harkening a moist tres leches cake, though certainly not on par with that at Drago Sisters. First taking into account the obscure location plus a layout suggesting a clothing boutique rather than a bakery and then tacking on limited selection, disinterested service, and $1 selections the size of a Ping-Pong ball I really can’t think of a single reason why anyone would visit this store when so many superior options exist nearby…a sentiment I generalize to Tivoli Village as a whole thus far.
http://www.cupkateslv.com