Cupcake Comparison: Sprinkles, Kara’s, Boulder Baked and Cupcakes
cupcakes from sprinkles
Cupcakes are hot. Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills claims to be the world’s first cupcake bakery and are credited with creating the haute cupcake craze.
And craze it is. My first brush with this childhood-treat-gone-upscale happened when my Gen-Y cousin absolutely insisted we go to Sprinkles in Orange County in January 2008. I loved the atmosphere - long lines of incredibly gorgeous, tan Southern California girls waiting around for adorable cupcakes with smooth icing and a candy disc or generous sprinkle-covered top. The cupcake itself was anti-climatic and I chalked it up to a see-and-be-seen experience.
When I visited my darling sister in Palo Alto, I had an opportunity to do a direct comparison between Sprinkles - Palo Alto and Kara’s Cupcakes - Palo Alto location. The clean, sophisticated interior of Kara’s was decidedly grownup. I found myself wishing I had worn my bad@$$ power pinstripes instead of my more casual jeans and flip flops. The cupcake from Kara’s was definitely a rich confection, and I felt adorably decadent indulging my sweet tooth at $3.25 a pop.
My next cupcake experience was at Boulder Baked, sharing cupcakes with an old college friend. She had been craving cupcakes and Tee and Cakes closes at 6:00 pm on Saturdays. Boulder Baked stayed open late and had cupcakes. Cupcake craving problem solved.
While in I was in TriCities for business, Craig Sutton of Network Task and Bright Web Marketing picked up cupcakes from Cupcakes Bakery and Deli. OMG. Yes, I just “OMG”ed. Why? Because these cupcakes were AMAZING - they weren’t too rich or too sweet. The texture wasn’t too crumbly either. They became even more amazing when Craig let on they were only $2.00/pop, or $20/dozen. While the presentation left much to be desired (the plastic boxes reminded me of meh cupcakes from any grocery store), the cupcake itself is a secret too good not to share.
Cupcake Comparison: Price
Sprinkles: 3.25 each or $36/dozen
Kara’s: 3.25 each or $36/dozen
Boulder Baked: 2.50 each or $27.50/dozen
Cupcakes: 2.00 each or $20/dozen
Cupcake Comparison: Location
Sprinkles: Beverly Hills, Dallas, Newport Beach, Phoenix - Scottsdale, SF - Palo Alto, Houston
Kara’s: San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Jose, Napa
Boulder Baked: Boulder
Cupcakes: Kennewick, WA
Cupcake Comparison: Packaging/Experience
Sprinkles: Line out the door but well worth the wait. Wooden knives and forks for those who share or are concerned with manners.
Kara’s: Upscale and posh, with pretty cardboard boxes.
Boulder Baked: Highly utilitarian for-here plates.
Cupcakes: Plastic Boxes - Plain and not the most environmentally friendly packaging that detracts from the cupcake experience.
*prices, locations, & packaging all subject to change
July 1st, 2009 at 10:04 pm
[...] Below is an excerpt from from An Bui’s blog post titled Cupcake Comparison: Sprinkles, Kara’s, Boulder Baked and Cupcakes [...]
July 9th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
You will have to add to this list after your NYC visit–there are so many cupcake places here.