I've mentioned my friend Aaron on this blog before; he is my Minneapolis cupcake connection. All photos here are by him. Also, stay tuned for details about a Minneapolis cupcake meetup! And informally, I will probably have one in the late afternoon of August 10th; will post here when it's all sorted out.
Name: Aaron Landry
Age: 29
Location: Minneapolis
Occupation: IT Manager / Social Media Consultant / Blogger
URL: http://s4xton.com/
Who makes the best cupcakes in Minneapolis?
It's close, but Sheela Namakkal of Miel y Leche probably takes the crown here. Her cupcakes are only sold on Fridays and Saturdays at specific times and places and they are worth going out of your way to get. Her Miel y Leche blog tells what cupcakes to expect the upcoming weekend. She uses very high quality ingredients and some of the cupcakes are vegan as well. On Cupcake Saturday, I've seen people waiting outside in the middle of January (which, by the way, is cold here) to get their paws on these treats. While Miel y Leche makes a lot of cupcakes, I've also heard people complain they sometimes sell out too fast. It happens for good reason.
What is the single best cupcake you've had here?
The Strawberry Macaroon cupcake by Miel y Leche is fantastic. So hard to choose, but when asked this question it's what I thought of. It's light and moist. The frosting is creamy and has a very fresh strawberry atop. A close second place is the Chocolate Ganache at Franklin Street Bakery. It's large, rich, creamy and could almost serve as a lunch -- probably the tastiest lunch of all time.
How do other cities' cupcakes compare?
I've recently had some cupcakes in New York and Washington, D.C. and what it boils down to, I think, is that while Minneapolis has some excellent cupcakes it doesn't have as wide of a variety yet compared to larger cities. While the city is large enough to support a cupcake scene, there's only a couple places that focus strongly on cupcakes, the most popular being Cupcake Cafe. A long-time friend of mine and his wife are planning on starting up a bakery here with a strong lean on cupcakes. I can't wait because I think the demand is here, I don't think it'd take business away from other cupcake places and they'd do fantastic work.
What do you think goes into the perfect cupcake?
For me, the perfect cupcake starts by being rich without being too rich, sweet without being too sweet, moist without being wet and holds together nicely. Easier said than done, I know. When I taste a balanced mix between the frosting, the cake itself and filling (if any) and get blown away by how they interact and compliment with each other, I realize I'm eating a close-to-perfect cupcake. And, well, I'm a sucker for chocolate.
Do you have any suggestions for local bakeries as to how they could improve their cupcakes?
I wish I did, but I really have no experience and little knowledge in that arena. I admit: I'm not sure if I've ever made my own cupcake in my life. Perhaps I should go out and change that soon. Outside of the actual making of cupcakes, I think it is really important to keep things fun. I like the concept of the Cupcake Bar at Love Café in Washington: the idea of ordering a cupcake with the frosting and toppings you want, fully individual to you and having it made right away in front of you is exciting. I think there's a lot of room for bakeries to do more fun things with cupcakes. As well, when you buy Miel y Leche cupcakes, chances are Sheela is also the one selling them to you and she loves talking about them. Having that one-on-one connection with the person behind the magic makes the whole experience better.
How often do you eat cupcakes?
I have cupcakes about every other weekend.
What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?
There's so many different kinds and types, and they're sized individually. They're many times quite unique. It's not like you're eating part of a larger cake or sharing your cupcake with other people; generally a cupcake stands on its own and is all yours. They make great gifts for the same reason.
What's your favorite type of cupcake?
Right now, I can't stop thinking about the Chocolate Dragon Devil's Food Cupcake from Batch in New York. It has a rich devil's food cake with Valhrona chocolate frosting and caramel in the middle. It was so well balanced -- last time I was there I had two in a row! That, I do rarely. So right now, I'm saying my favorite is chocolate, chocolate, carmel. And chocolate.
Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?
I'm going to work on both of those things very soon. :-)
What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?
I can't think of anything more fun with a cupcake than eating it. After some advice and a recommendation from Cupcakes Take the Cake, I'll probably put together a cupcake picnic in Minneapolis soon. Sounds like fun to me.
Name: Aaron Landry
Age: 29
Location: Minneapolis
Occupation: IT Manager / Social Media Consultant / Blogger
URL: http://s4xton.com/
Who makes the best cupcakes in Minneapolis?
It's close, but Sheela Namakkal of Miel y Leche probably takes the crown here. Her cupcakes are only sold on Fridays and Saturdays at specific times and places and they are worth going out of your way to get. Her Miel y Leche blog tells what cupcakes to expect the upcoming weekend. She uses very high quality ingredients and some of the cupcakes are vegan as well. On Cupcake Saturday, I've seen people waiting outside in the middle of January (which, by the way, is cold here) to get their paws on these treats. While Miel y Leche makes a lot of cupcakes, I've also heard people complain they sometimes sell out too fast. It happens for good reason.
What is the single best cupcake you've had here?
The Strawberry Macaroon cupcake by Miel y Leche is fantastic. So hard to choose, but when asked this question it's what I thought of. It's light and moist. The frosting is creamy and has a very fresh strawberry atop. A close second place is the Chocolate Ganache at Franklin Street Bakery. It's large, rich, creamy and could almost serve as a lunch -- probably the tastiest lunch of all time.
How do other cities' cupcakes compare?
I've recently had some cupcakes in New York and Washington, D.C. and what it boils down to, I think, is that while Minneapolis has some excellent cupcakes it doesn't have as wide of a variety yet compared to larger cities. While the city is large enough to support a cupcake scene, there's only a couple places that focus strongly on cupcakes, the most popular being Cupcake Cafe. A long-time friend of mine and his wife are planning on starting up a bakery here with a strong lean on cupcakes. I can't wait because I think the demand is here, I don't think it'd take business away from other cupcake places and they'd do fantastic work.
What do you think goes into the perfect cupcake?
For me, the perfect cupcake starts by being rich without being too rich, sweet without being too sweet, moist without being wet and holds together nicely. Easier said than done, I know. When I taste a balanced mix between the frosting, the cake itself and filling (if any) and get blown away by how they interact and compliment with each other, I realize I'm eating a close-to-perfect cupcake. And, well, I'm a sucker for chocolate.
Do you have any suggestions for local bakeries as to how they could improve their cupcakes?
I wish I did, but I really have no experience and little knowledge in that arena. I admit: I'm not sure if I've ever made my own cupcake in my life. Perhaps I should go out and change that soon. Outside of the actual making of cupcakes, I think it is really important to keep things fun. I like the concept of the Cupcake Bar at Love Café in Washington: the idea of ordering a cupcake with the frosting and toppings you want, fully individual to you and having it made right away in front of you is exciting. I think there's a lot of room for bakeries to do more fun things with cupcakes. As well, when you buy Miel y Leche cupcakes, chances are Sheela is also the one selling them to you and she loves talking about them. Having that one-on-one connection with the person behind the magic makes the whole experience better.
How often do you eat cupcakes?
I have cupcakes about every other weekend.
What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?
There's so many different kinds and types, and they're sized individually. They're many times quite unique. It's not like you're eating part of a larger cake or sharing your cupcake with other people; generally a cupcake stands on its own and is all yours. They make great gifts for the same reason.
What's your favorite type of cupcake?
Right now, I can't stop thinking about the Chocolate Dragon Devil's Food Cupcake from Batch in New York. It has a rich devil's food cake with Valhrona chocolate frosting and caramel in the middle. It was so well balanced -- last time I was there I had two in a row! That, I do rarely. So right now, I'm saying my favorite is chocolate, chocolate, carmel. And chocolate.
Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?
I'm going to work on both of those things very soon. :-)
What's the most fun you've ever had with a cupcake?
I can't think of anything more fun with a cupcake than eating it. After some advice and a recommendation from Cupcakes Take the Cake, I'll probably put together a cupcake picnic in Minneapolis soon. Sounds like fun to me.
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