Cake lover? A fan of The Great British Bake Off (where ever it ends up)? Well, you’re not alone. National Cupcake Week runs from 19 – 23 September and to celebrate we’ve hunted down some of the best melt-in-the-mouth cupcake venues to suggest for a first date, third date or (sod it) when you haven’t even got a date. Everyone deserves good cake!
Ms Cupcake in Brixton is London’s first entirely vegan bakery. Open seven days a week, they dish up cupcakes, layer cakes, muffins, cookies, squares, sandwiches and savoury treats, in zillions of different flavours and styles, without eggs and milk. And if you fancy a date with a difference, why not book onto one of their baking and decorating classes?
With cafes in Bloomsbury, Farringdon and St Paul’s, Bea’s mantra is “life is short, eat more cake”. You can expect creamy cupcakes, mini meringues, homemade treats and plenty of tea to wash it down. Their award-winning no-frills afternoon teas are available every day in the Bloomsbury and St Paul’s cafes by reservation only and include a scone with clotted cream and jam, a cupcake, mini meringues and fruity marshmallows, a selection of brownies, sandwiches and a pot of loose leaf tea.
Run by pastry chef Clare Ptak, who started her own business selling cupcakes at Broadway Market in 2005 and finally opened this café in Wilton Way in Hackney in 2010. All the cupcakes have delicious natural icings and the signature cupcake is a candied violet cupcake with vanilla sponge. As well as cakes, whoopee pies and other yummy bakery goodies, there are sandwiches and quiches on offer and coffee and teas.
Owned by Youtube sensation Jemma Wilson (known online as CupcakeJemma), Crumbs and Doilies in Kingly Court sells a huge variety of cupcake flavours on a rotating menu, including favourites like vanilla, double chocolate, red velvet, raspberry coconut, mocha, lemon mess, cookie dough and salted caramel. The café is decked out in blue and white and is a fab central location to meet a potential date.
Open every Sunday from 8.30pm to 4pm near Columbia Road Flower Market in East London, Lily Vanilli is perfect or you if you find the run-of-the-mill cupcakes too sweet. The interior has bare brick and white tiled walls and a wooden counter laden with treats, like red velvet cupcakes, absinthe and mint ice cream and cherry bakewells.
This modern black and white café in Primrose Hill is a well-kept secret among the locals, including Jude law, Nigella Lawson and Emma Thompson. The bakery supplies Selfridges and its café is perfect for sweet treats like cupcakes, triple chocolate brownies and Jammie Dodgers.
Do you adore cupcakes? Is there a great cupcake date venue near you? Tell us @lovestruck
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