“Does errm… Emily Howard live here or something?” says my husband apprehensively holding his camera and facing My Little Cupcake, the pastel heavy, girl’s paradise and celebration of all things pink and ladylike. During my previous visits, he had remained in the car therefore the shop interior is somewhat of a surprise to him. Indeed, its really a straight man’s nightmare: what would happen if his shabby-chic mad girlfriend decorated their love nest if she had half a chance.
Inside the shelves and walls are filled with pastel hues and glass cabinets house miniature tea sets, toys, cups, soft toys and cupcake display tiers in various vintage and modern finishes. Its old fashioned and pastel everywhere you look and is quite charming if its your sort of thing (and I admit it, I love pink!). My husband looks like he is a little daunted by this extreme girliness. When the salesperson spies him with the camera she looks suspicious and when I ask whether its ok if he takes a photo, she summarily advises us that “There are no photos allowed in the store at all” in a curt manner. Okaaay so much for good old fashioned charm.
Its late in the afternoon and a quick glance into the display of cupcakes shows there are 2 boxes of 6 cupcakes left as well as about 12 single large and small cupcakes. All, we are told, are in the same Vanilla flavour but there is at other times also chocolate. The salesperson behind the counter is very keen for me to buy a box of 6, despite my protestations that I don’t actually want 6, there is the strong suggestion that I really should buy 6. “I’ll take two” I say and her face falls and she says tightly “Two then”. I pick a pink one and a yellow one which she calls the lemon one so I hope that there is a lemon flavour to the icing. They’re packed into a tray with a lot of pretty pink tissue paper to cushion them and we’re off before she can push the box of 6 on us again!
At home, I open up our package and they are rather spectacular beauties. The cupcakes themselves are perfectly domed and the icing attractively swirled and the cupcakes have survived the short trip home very much intact. Despite the fact that I know that the flowers aren’t made in-house, they’re lovely, large and detailed and the veined leaves really lift the look of the cupcakes. I’ve actually bought some of these sugar flowers from Bakery Sugarcraft in Wetherill Park and use them regularly.
A cut into them reveals a soft very vanilla-ey cupcake with a sweet vanilla frosting (no vanilla bean specks in the cake though). The cake itself is delicate, soft and comforting, much like cakes of yesteryear and the icing is thickly slathered on so that there is also enough for every bite. I keep wondering to myself “Where have I tasted this icing before?” before realising that it is the same icing that the ready made Top Taste/Coles/Franklins marble cakes come with.
Overall its a very pretty cake to look at and it tastes freshly baked but if you’re after interesting fillings or icings, its probably not worth making a special trip unless you really have a hankering for old fashioned vanilla or madeira cakes (which from time to time you may do). Perhaps my opinion of them was lowered by the service I received today but service is after all, part of the very pretty package…
My Little Cupcake
62 Ben Boyd Rd,
Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Ph: 9909 3908
Fax: 9908 4434
Opening Hours: Tue-Fri 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-5pm
Closed Sun/Mon
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10 Comments | Add your own
hihi im new to your blog i looove it! i agree with you about service at my little cupcake the salespeople can sometimes be a little too pushy trying to upsell. the cupcakes look gorgeous tho!
Hi chocolatesuze-wow, I just realised you’re the talented person that sells the really pretty cupcakes at Kirribilli markets. Are you going to be there this month? Your cupcakes are gorgeous! I actually have a pic of your display on my Kirribilli markets story. Yes I wish the people at MLC were a bit less pushy, its not a nice experience when you’re made to feel “cheap”!
hehe the organiser said im not supposed to sell heaps of cupcakes otherwise id be in direct competition with palm beach cupcakes so i had to scale down my range which was sad. But yes! ill be at kirribilli markets next sat altho not in the tunnel out on the grass. are you on facebook? add me http://www.facebook.com/srch.php?nm=susan+thye and let me know if youll be coming so i can save u a passionfruit cupcake
Hi chocolatesuze-Oh no, that sucks and Palm Beach weren’t even there last month too!
Cool, I’ll definitely be there and will look out for you on the grassed area-and thanks for saving me one, I love passionfruit!
I’m not on facebook (yet!) but I’ll definitely add you once I get my act together and sign up for it!
bahahahaa ROFLMAO emily howard! thats gold. Nice shots of some very well crafted little cupcakes! I have been past this place quite a few times and have always thought that it was an antiques furniture place or something similar.
Hi GS-Thanks, I almost expect to see Emily and Florence exiting the shop carrying their lace parasols!
As a local resident I completely agree with your comments and would add that at $4 a cake they are expensive. We all know that plain cupcakes can be whipped up (a la Nigella) in about 10 minutes courtesy of the food processor so I dont understand why they persist in having such a limited range. So although I would shop there if there was a prospect of something interesting (passionfruit?) or even very chocolately (I suspect cocoa rather than chocolate is the basic ingredient) I cant say I think it worth the walk.
However I will look out for your cupcakes at Kirribilli!
Hi Kimberly-Yes people always ask me where the best cupcakes are and I always say the ones you make yourself which I still believe to be true.
I don’t have any cupcakes at Kirribilli I’m afraid-I think the only place that sells them there is Palm Beach cupcakes which I’m yet to try!
I had My Little Cupcake do my wedding cupcakes and they were delicious and when I was pregnant I craved them, but I have to admit that the shop owner and staff aren’t the friendliest – I’ve been there a few times and it’s like they can’t be bothered with you.
The cupcakes are nice, but I’ve started making them myself as it got too expensive to buy from them.
Hi Ollie-A pity they weren’t friendly to you considering a wedding order of cupcakes makes you a very good customer! I always feel like cupcake and chocolate shops, are such charmed little places that the service should match and it’s a letdown when it doesn’t.
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