Buttercup Bake Shop (CLOSED)

These cupcakes used to tempt me from 40 blocks away, and now you can barely pay me to eat them. The cake is WAY too dry and the frosting tastes old and scrappy. I don't know what happened, but I've moved on. I can't even give them credit for interesting flavors -- Crumbs beats them in that department hands down. Sorry Buttercup, but you used to be my favorite.

I absolutely love Buttercup! While I do admit that I tend to stay away from the buttercream frosting (too sugary for me) the red velvet cupcakes are amazing and so is the Banana Pudding! I'm not a huge pudding fan (when there is chocolate around) but a friend suggested I try it and they were right - SO GOOD! The cupcakes are the perfect size. I definitely recommend a stop at Buttercup.

I taste no difference in buttercup and magnolia cupcakes and they look almost the same to me. A few friends disagree, but to me, I cannot understand why people would wait in line for hours when they could pop into buttercup and get the same thing. The shop itself is cute with a retro soda shop feel. They are kind of expensive for what they are, but this is NY and people will wait in line for an hour for a cupcake so they can charge whatever the heck they want and they will still sell. The red velvet is particularly tasty. And I have heard their banana pudding is divine, though I have never tried it (a friend of a friend was proposed to over the banana pudding - had to dig for her ring - because her BF knew she loved it so much).

While on vacation my sister and I stopped in for what we thought would be an excellent cupcake. Boy were we wrong! We tried a variety of things, a couple cupcakes, a brownie and a pecan bar. The cupcakes tasted like they were left out for a day or two (the only upside was the frosting on the devil dog - good marshmallow flavor). The brownie was the same way with a crusty outside. The pecan pie bar was good - and we had that the next day. We were the only people in line and the staff was not very willing to answer any questions and we got the impression she had better things to do. I would find another bakery.

The cupcakes here are fine. But NOT the reason I go to Buttercup. Their Banana Pudding is by far the best in the city. Always fresh, with vanilla wafers and real bananas. Keeps well in the fridge. My only complaint is I wish Buttercup was open later in the evenings!

The first time I went to Buttercup the hummingbird cake was moist and delicious. But when I went back for the red velvet cake and cupcakes they were dry and inedible. I thought I'd let the salesperson know but she didn't seem to care. I haven't been back since. It is a shame because the first impression was so great.

I have been doing a great deal of cupcake "research" all over Manhattan and, I have to be honest, Buttercup Bake Shop's were by far the best. True, the cake was dryer than others I tried, but that's actually what I prefer ;) and there was so much more flavor in their cakes than anything I've tasted anywhere else. The buttercream is fantatstic. And I love that they ice right there in front of you! It was so cute. All of the staff was very sweet as well. I can't imagine anybody not loving this place!