The cupcake trend has made its rounds, but you still can’t deny the happiness that bubbles forth when you bite into a perfectly frosted little cake. Plus there is a bit of joy in the ritual involved before taking the first bite. You hold the cake in one hand, carefully peel off the paper wrapper, check out where you’re going to take your first bite and attack. So. Good.
The Able Baker just opened its doors (er, door) in Maplewood, New Jersey and it is the perfect addition to this quaint little downtown. Even for someone who prefers savory snacks over sweets, this place takes the cake (pun intended). When you walk through the wooden screen door, it’s like you’re walking into your neighbor’s kitchen. The cozy space is outfitted with three tables accompanied by mismatched chairs and a cute hutch adorned with knick knacks. The front counter greets you with an abundance of brownies, cookies, coffee cake, and cupcakes. If you walked in with the intent of just getting a cup of coffee, don’t be surprised if you walk out with a bagful of goodies.
This is exactly what happened to me the other week.
I walked out of the bakery with a half dozen of Julie O’s and four cupcakes – a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin spice with vanilla frosting, yellow cupcake topped with vanilla frosting, and of course the chocolate cupcake topped with their chocolate frosting in their signature swirl, in case you were wondering. The cupcakes have the perfect cake to frosting ratio. I loved the sampling I had, but my favorite so far is the red velvet cupcake.
What I was really looking for was the s’mores cupcake that I eyed the other day. The cupcake was described to me as a graham spiced cake filled with chocolate ganache and topped with a homemade marshmallow frosting that had been lightly toasted. Doesn’t that sound absolutely decadent? The Julie O’s, named after the owner Julie Johnson Pauly, are a tastier version of the Oreos.
What you really need to do is stop by The Able Baker later today and pick up a chocolate cupcake to celebrate National Chocolate Cupcake Day!
187 Maplewood Avenue
Maplewood NJ
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