Put on the map by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City’s iconic cupcake-eating scene, Magnolia Bakery is as famous as the series itself. While Carrie and Miranda opted for pink-frosted cupcakes, and many tourists follow suit, there’s so much more to this West Village-born bakery than cupcakes. Consider this your go-to guide to Magnolia Bakery’s best desserts, ranked by order.
Chocolate Cake
Cupcakes will never be big enough to satisfy my sweet tooth (unless we’re getting a box), especially when you can get the same deal done extra decadent in layer cakes. And because chocolate is forever my weakness, Magnolia Bakery’s chocolate layer cake is an obvious win: a milky chocolate buttercream cuts through the darkness of a rich dark chocolate cake, which to me, is pure perfection.
Confetti Cake
Covered in copious amounts of confetti, lined with a classic vanilla buttercream and dotted with even more confetti throughout the cake, this beauty is the meaning of love at first sight. But it’s more than a short-lived romance: the cake itself is super soft, the buttercream refreshing, and well, confetti is always fun to be around.
Blueberry Jambolee
If you’ve ever wondered what is lying beneath that never-ending layer of bright blueberries, popping up out a tray behind Magnolia’s counter, it’s called a Jamboree, and it deserves more attention. A thin pecan shortbread crust gets piled high with whipped cream cheese – unexpectedly fluffy and light – and a topping of blueberry compote for juicy bursts of tartness.
Red velvet cheesecake
Marrying America’s much-loved treats, the red velvet cheesecake starts rich with an oreo cookie crust and red velvet cream cheese, which is then balanced with a generous topping of fluffy whipped cream. You can’t go wrong.
Vanilla cheesecake
It’s hard to pick a favorite amongst Magnolia’s cheesecakes, but vanilla proves you can’t beat the classics. A seamlessly smooth and creamy sits on a classic graham cracker crust, while whipped cream on top is paired with a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs. There’s not much more that needs to be said, other than, RUN.
Pumpkin cake
Celebrating all the sought-after flavors of Fall, Magnolia’s pumpkin cake is the whole package. Think moist layers of cinnamon-spiced pumpkin cake, dried cranberries in almost every bite and caramel cream cheese frosting. Let me repeat that for you: CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE – decadent and dangerously addictive.
Banana Pudding
The banana pudding no longer needs an introduction, a hand-held delight with more orders than Magnolia Bakery can handle (is there anything worse than hearing: banana pudding is sold out?). Creamy clouds of vanilla pudding mingling with layers of vanilla wafers and fresh banana slices, it’s obviously the bakery’s best dessert.
