London bakery visit 1: Hummingbird Bakery

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My first taste of London's cupcakes was from Hummingbird Bakery, the one located at 47 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington. The shop was very sweet and girlie, and for about the dozenth time, I found that their t-shirt colors were pink and brown. Is that the universal colors of cupcakes?

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These rocky road cupcakes, one of their weekly specials, looked appealing. After all, who doesn't like chocolate and marshmallows?

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Well, let me just state that while I do love those things, and indeed, all the treats that were included in these desserts, such as Snickers bars, maltesers, mini marshmallows, dried fruit, and chocolate chips, I do not think they qualify as a cupcake. Why? Because there was no cake! It was just chocolate and candy smushed into the shape of a cupcake. What's up with that? I had to use a fork to break it apart, and this is what it looked like at the end:

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My friend Frank chose a little more wisely with the cappuccino cupcake:

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I tasted it, and the frosting was creamy and sweet and coffee-like, not to heavy, and the cake was spongy and light.

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I really liked the atmosphere, with cupcake art on the walls and a relaxing environment; there were some families with kids, but also plenty of people just there for coffee and a piece of cake.

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We couldn't finish them all, so took the pink one with dragees (or, to British readers, hundreds and thousands) home for later:

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They also sell cupcakes cards and postcards, and larger cakes, and told me that red velvet is their bestselling cupcake.

All in all, it was a nice shop, but not necessarily somewhere I'd rush to return to. Perhaps it's like the Magnolia Bakery of London? Anyone have any opinions on this? Next up is my trip to Buttercup. And I do plan to return probably in the fall so will have a chance to taste some others and hopefully meet up with some of our British readers.

We took lots of photos. See them all here (if you can't view them, it's because of my Flickr account moderation - set your Safesearch to off and they should appear)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hilarious! I too called Hummingbird the "Magnolia of London" when I visited. You must check out Primrose Bakery...they had the best cupcakes I sampled in London.
Frannybee said…
In Australia, dragees are known as cachous. Hundreds and thousands are tiny, matte coloured sugar balls, much smaller than dragees/cachous. I'm not sure but I think it's the same in the UK.
Anonymous said…
Although I have never visited myself, a lot of people I have spoken to about hummingbird have said that it didn't live up to expectations. I too love Primrose Bakery. I think Lola's Kitchen are the best cupcake makers in London right now!
Anonymous said…
I ordered a tier of cupcakes for my nephew's first birthday from The Little Cupcake Company and they were really pretty. They tasted great too (he didn't get to eat many of them!). They deliver in London and around the country. I thought they were better than Primrose Bakery and Lola's Kitchen, but I haven't tried Hummingbird.
Anonymous said…
I've found a new bakery in London that puts all the aforementioned to shame! I've tried some Blackout cupcakes from Outsider Tart and they are by far the best I've had in London (and I've had a lot)
Essie said…
Hi, I must admit that out of all the blogs Ive seen this is truly a taste of cupcake heaven its all so beautiful. I get to travel vicariously through your blog. I live in sunny south Africa.
Check out my blog:

http://cupcakedecor.blogspot.com/
Sugar Daze said…
Will be in London over the Xmas holidays and trying to make a list of *must visit* cupcakeries. Have read a lot about Outsider Tart and it's tops on my list. Where else? I think Hummingbird is a must as I have heard so much about it. Primrose? Crumbs & Doilies? Others?