The best cupcakes in NYC

New York is filled with countless bakeries and dedicated cupcake stores, bringing you everything from crowd-pleasing red velvet cupcakes to chocolatey bombs and even some dessert-cupcake hybrids. Some of these conveniently sized treats are more memorable than others, and in honor of National Cupcake Day (December 15 – a day we should all take VERY seriously), I’m sharing my top ten favorites. Call your cupcake partner in crime and embark on the ultimate sweet tooth crawl…

Brooklyn blackout cupcake at Two Little Red Hens

This small American bakery single handledly puts Yorkville on the map, attracting a crowd of dessertlovers in an otherwise quiet residential area. They are all here for perfect pies, classic cheesecakes and perhaps the most chocolatey cupcake ever created, the Brooklyn Blackout. Filled with chocolate pudding, swirled with chocolate fudge frosting and a final touch of chocolate cake crumbs, it’s mighty, moist and absolutely mindblowing.

Address: 1652 2nd Ave, NY 10028

Blueberry cheesecake cupcake at Molly’s Cupcakes

The queen of hybrid cupcakes, Molly transforms classic desserts into the conveniently sized cakes. The blueberry cheesecake creation has all the necessary elements and more, from a creamy cheesecake center to graham cracker crumbs and delicate pastry cream on top. Did I mention the glazed blueberries? Consider your daily dose of antioxidants sorted. 

Address: 228 Bleecker St, NY 10014

Apple pie à-la-mode cupcake at Buttercup Bake Shop

Part apple pie, part cinnamon streussel cake, this comforting cupcake is packed with caramelized apple cubes and cinnamon-spiced, sugary crumbs, while topped with a glob of buttercream (scooped up ice cream style), and a thick caramel swirl. 

Address: 61 E 8th St, NY 10003 (favorite location)

Red velvet cupcake at Sprinkles

You probably don’t need an excuse to spend your money on cupcakes, but Sprinkles adds in an element of fun with their pastel-pink cupcake ATM. Swipe your credit card, choose classic red velvet (fluffy, moist, and frosted with a generous amount of cream cheese) and wait in anticipation for your box of happiness to appear. 

Address: 780 Lexington Ave, NY 10065 (location with ATM)

Strawberry cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery 

A colorful-popping space with funky furnishings, friendly staff and wittily-named cupcakes (say hi to Holla Back Girl), Sugar Sweet Sunshine literally brings a ray of sunshine to the Lower East Side. Treats might not be the prettiest in sight, but the strawberry cupcake is pumped with so much fresh strawberry purée, it’s guaranteed to be love at first bite. 

Address: 126 Rivington St, NY 10002

Salted caramel cupcake at Empire Cake

Dark, rich and almost too good to be true – no I’m not describing your date, but Empire Cake’s salted caramel concoction. First, it balances deeply rich Belgian chocolate ganache with a sprinkling of sea salt. Then comes out a downright delicious river of salted caramel, oozing out so fast you’ll be doing your best to save every drip. 

Address: 112 8th Ave, NY 10011

Classic chocolate cupcake at Billy’s Bakery

With three locations across the city and a new UWS venture in the works, Billy’s Bakery has truly found the way to a New Yorker’s heart – through our (dessert) stomach, of course. The double chocolate cupcake is my favorite: a decadently rich chocolate cake gets crowned with silky smooth, chocolate buttercream. It’s a chocoholic’s dream. 

Address: 75 Franklin St, NY 10013 (favorite location)

Espresso cupcake at Butter Lane Bakery

This East Village bakery excels at sophisticated, adult-approved flavors like grapefruit ginger, honey cinnamon and key lime – all swapping artificial sugar for natural ingredients. Well, it doesn’t take an expert to tell the espresso cupcake is jam-packed with cacao and espresso powder, achieving bold and hard-hitting flavors that could easily replace your usual cup of caffeine. 

Address: 123 E 7th St, NY 10009

Vanilla birthday cupcake at Georgetown Cupcakes 

When it’s the classic, crowd-pleasing flavor you crave, head to the famed Washington-born bakeshop Georgetown Cupcakes, right here in Soho. The vanilla birthday features a buttery base, a super sweet buttercream frosting (made with that game-changing ingredient of Madagascar vanilla), which is then studded with colorful rainbow sprinkles. Happy as a kid in a candy store – except now we’re adults in a cupcake store with no one telling us how many of these we can eat.

Address: 111 Mercer St, NY 10012

Cookie bomb cupcake at DŌ

New York’s ever-creative cookie dough spot moves away from tradition with so-called cookie bombs. Less cake and more cookie, this delightful creation consists of a crunchy, cookie dough-stuffed cookie cup, which is then topped with a tower of cookie dough frosting, and a little munchable ball of cookie dough. All of that is garnished with seasonally-changing confetti, just for good measure.  

Address: 550 LaGuardia Pl, NY 10012