I first learned of Magnolia Bakery on an episode of "Sex and the City." Carrie and Miranda were sitting outside the bakery, in the fall, talking about their current dating situations as they attempted to gracefully eat cupcakes piled high with an inch and a half of frosting.
Saturday night of my New York City trip, after a great Mexican feast at Gabriela's, my friends and I hopped in a cab to Magnolia to get our sugar fix in the last thirty minutes before they closed at midnight.
From the outside, Magnolia looks very quaint. The first thing you notice is their white, lace curtains tied to the side in every window.
When you open the door, the bakery is so charming! It actually reminds me of one of my other favorite New York City spots, Penelope, at 30th Street and Lexington in Murray Hill.
There was a group of people crowded around the cupcakes when we first walked in, confirming to me that they must be good.
When I got up close, I peered over the glass and inspected every offering. Should I go with chocolate cake/chocolate frosting? Coconut? Red velvet?
Then I moved further down the counter to check out the brownies, bars and cookies. There were so many great choices!
We made our selections and moved down the line to the cashier. I couldn't help but notice all the cute touches near the register including cupcake themed aprons and these old fashioned, decorative, paper straws. They also had colored birthday candles.
With our treats in tow, we took our seats at table in the front window.
The first item we tried was the red velvet cupcake. I love red velvet and I always order it at a new cupcake place. I find red velvet cakes tend to be more moist than other flavors.
Sadly, this red velvet cake was dry. Since we were eating it around 11:30pm, I wondered if it was dry simply because it had been out all day. The frosting was delicious, but not enough to carry the whole cupcake.
Next up was the chocolate cupcake with purple, butter cream frosting. Wow, this was delicious! The cake had a classic, chocolate taste and I could taste the sugar with every bite of frosting.
Our third treat was the white chocolate, heath brownie. The brownie itself was dry, but the white chocolate layer and the heath topping was a sweet tooth's dream.
I've saved the best for last. The best treat we had at Magnolia was not a cupcake, but a piece of caramel, nut cheesecake! This individually sized, round cheesecake was creamy, rich, dripping with caramel sauce and topped with freshly chopped nuts.
When you took a bite of all four layers (crust, cheesecake, caramel and nuts) it was pure nirvana. If you visit Magnolia, promise me you will order this!
We had very big eyes and couldn't finish two of the four treats, so we asked for a to-go box. Even the box was adorable!
Though two of our four treats were disappointing, I was really glad I got to experience Magnolia Bakery. The bakery itself is beautifully decorated and I am thrilled to have discovered their incredibly decadent and crave-able cheesecake!
Have you been to Magnolia Bakery? What did you think?
