With toppings ranging from mini doughnuts to gold-dusted brownies and sticky, caramel popcorn clusters, London’s best cupcakes are far from basic. Plan a cupcake crawl in East with a visit to Lily Vanilli and Violet, splurge on a flower-topped cupcake in Mayfair – at £9, it’s definitely London’s most expensive cupcake – or discover a whole range of all-American, cream cheese-swirled delights in West.
Salted caramel cupcake: Violet
Deep, dark chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream and flaky sea salt on top, it’s bitter and incredibly rich, moist like Devil’s Food Cake but more sophisticated in size.
47 Wilton Way, London E8 3ED
Vanilla cupcake: The Lily Vanilli Bakery
Soft, cloud-like vanilla sponge with strawberry buttercream – full of real strawberries, nothing artificial – and a slice of strawberry to finish, it’s light but buttery sweet.
18 Ezra St, London E2 7RH
Salted caramel cupcake: The Lily Vanilli Bakery
Dark chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream – so light and creamy it melts in your mouth – a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and salted caramel popcorn on top, it’s soft with a chewy, super sticky bite.
18 Ezra St, London E2 7RH
Lemon verbena cupcake: Hideaway
Lemon poppy seed cake with mascarpone frosting, edible flowers and a filling of creamy, strong-scented lemon verbena curd. It’s subtle in lemon flavour, super spongy – the cake is soaked in a lemongrass and lemon verbena syrup – and incredibly refreshing.
100 Mount St, London W1K 2TG
Red velvet cupcake: Apple Blue Patisserie
Red velvet sponge with a generous glob of cream cheese frosting, it’s rich and so moist, sweet with a slight tang.
212 Balham High Rd, London SW12 9BS
Banoffee cupcake: Ben’s Bakery
Fluffy banana sponge with cream cheese frosting, crunchy chocolate pearls and a thick, fudge-like toffee sauce in the centre, it’s sweet and super gooey.
Victoria Park Market every Sunday
Blackberry & lemon cupcake: Ottolenghi
Light, lemony vanilla sponge with fresh blackberries – on top, plus more baked into the batter – and a lavish amount of the thickest, creamiest, dreamiest mascarpone frosting.
The Homer cupcake: Crumbs & Doilies
The sweetest, sprinkle vanilla sponge with vanilla buttercream, chocolate sauce, a mini pink-glazed buttermilk doughnut – crunchy, not soft – and a filling of runny, super sweet raspberry jam. Crumbs & Doilies always announces the cupcake flavours for the week on Instagram!
1 Kingly Ct, London W1B 5PW
Cereal milk cupcake: Crumbs & Doilies
Cornflake sponge with cornflake buttercream – sweet but salty, like the last bit of milk in your cereal bowl – sprinkles on one side and cornflakes on the other, it’s a bit of nostalgia in every bite.
1 Kingly Ct, London W1B 5PW
Bad Ass brownie cupcake: Flavourtown Bakery
A dual base of dark chocolate brownie sponge and cheesecake – half bitter, half sweet, both super creamy – cream cheese frosting, cocoa powder and a bite-sized, gold-dusted brownie on top. This is pure indulgence.
771 Fulham Rd, London SW6 5HA or 1-3 Britannia Way, London NW10 7PR
Red velvet cupcake: Flavourtown Bakery
A fluffy, spongy red velvet sponge with perfectly tart cream cheese frosting, it’s simple – without any weekend extras added on top – but so very good.
771 Fulham Rd, London SW6 5HA or 1-3 Britannia Way, London NW10 7PR
Chocolate & mandarin cupcake: Lola’s Cupcakes
Fluffy vanilla sponge with mandarin mascarpone – super light, more sweet than sour – a dark chocolate drizzle and a chunk of dense, fudge-like dark chocolate ganache in the centre.
Multiple locations
Sea salt caramel & popcorn cupcake: Peggy Porschen
Caramel buttermilk sponge with caramel cream cheese frosting, super gooey salted toffee sauce – in the sponge, plus more drizzled on top – and a crunchy, caramel-coated popcorn topping.
219 King’s Rd, London SW3 5EJ or 116 Ebury St, London SW1W 9QQ
