Butch Bakery: Manly Cupcakes
When I first heard about Butch Bakery, I had to laugh. Only in New York would a tongue-in-cheek bakery designed for ‘manly men’ not only be created, but thrive to the point of a cult following!
Created by David Arrick, a former attorney, Butch Bakery aims for that fine line between unique and kitschy. As Arrick says, masculine cupcakes don’t have to equal baseballs and golf tees. Instead customers at Butch Bakery select from a series of cupcakes with camouflage or wood grain chocolate discs (to name a few) and alcohol infused cake. There is no pink frosting or sprinkles in sight!
As a Valentine’s Day surprise for Justin, I ordered a ‘Short Round’ consisting of four alcohol infused cupcakes. The delivery was delayed by a week due to their overwhelming popularity (a quick look at their website shows that they remain swamped, with current delays of 2 weeks). All of my interactions with Butch Bakery, both via email and in person, were incredibly positive and friendly. They make the process of ordering cupcakes online (it’s hard not being able to smell the batter and debate flavors incessantly!) as smooth as possible.
By the way, this wasn’t a completely selfless purchase (sorry, Justin!). I had to try these unique Butch cupcakes for myself.
The cupcakes arrived nestled in torn paper, looking like mini camouflaged works of art. I wasn’t sure if the various patterned discs were truly going to be edible, but they ended positively enhancing the cupcakes’ overall taste.
Standard 1: Moist and Flavorful Cake: The cake stayed moist for several days. After the delivery, I put the cupcakes in the fridge for 4 hours and when we removed them, the cake was soft and refreshing. This remained the case even after another night in the fridge. Our cupcakes had three different cakes: lemon, vanilla, and whiskey. The lemon was fantastic: not overly lemony, reminiscent of lemon meringue.
Standard 2: Fresh, Soft Frosting: Because the frosting was only half of the topping, it was slightly different from your standard cupcake frosting. The frosting was tasty and firm. It served as the glue between the chocolate disc and the cake. The interior cream was moist and complemented each cake completely.
Standard 3: Visually appealing: Yes! The cupcakes were beautiful inside and out. The cupcake was a medium size and perfectly round, adorned with a masculine top hat.
Butch Bakery has managed to find a niche that didn’t exist in Manhattan! Despite being overwhelmed with orders, their customer relations remained positive and the flavor and freshness of the cupcake was not impacted. Butch Bakery’s cupcakes are a creative gift that will be appreciated on birthdays and other special occasions.
Final Grade: A
