Best Cupcakes in London: The Rundown

Posted on 13. Jan, 2012 by in Destinations, Europe Travel, United Kingdom

If you know me at all, you know I’m a sucker for everything sugary. Ice cream. Candy. Cake. Nougat. Bring it on! So when I’m in London, the mother of all foodie cities, I know I’m in for a treat. Especially cupcakes wise. There are hundreds of cupcake shops scattered around the city, some good, some not so good. No one should ever have to eat bad cupcakes in London, and so I decided to kindly offer my altruistic services to sample the best cupcakes in London and avoid you guys any disappointment. So if you are in the mood for one of these many UK breaks, read on for sugary inspiration!

cupcakes in london

Hummingbird Bakery

I visited 4 shops in 2 days:

  • Hummingbird Bakery
  • Candy Cakes
  • Beas of Bloomsbury
  • Sweet Couture

As much as my taste buds wanted to, I couldn’t possibly visit all the different shops, so I stuck to the 4 most popular. There are various criterias to consider when sampling a cupcake: the shop itself, the appearance of the cupcake, and of course, the taste. Here goes Best Cupcakes in London rundown!

The Best Shop

All shops were actually really cute in their own way, but definitely all on the tiny side. Hummingbird Bakery was definitely was you think a cupcake shop would look like: welcoming, pink and incredibly mouth watering. I also really loved Sweet Couture’s idea for wall decor: muffin tins! Very original. Candy Cake was probably the most disappointing – it definitely felt more like a colorblind little’s girl bedroom than an actual shop. Less is more!

cupcakes in london

Beas of Bloomsbury

The winner: Beas of Bloomsbury! I liked the modern twist to the traditional cupcake shop. Exit the childish touches, and welcome the adult way to properly enjoy a sugar rush. It’s a very happy mixture of both romantic and contemporary touches.

The Best-Looking Cupcake

That’s an easy one. As much as I wanted to love Hummingbird Bakery, their cupcakes didn’t look good at all – I can make cuter ones myself! I was a bit disappointed by that. However, the other shops definitely set the bar high with quality candy toppings and artfully spread icing and colorful touches.

cupcakes in london

Candy Cane cupcakes

Ex-aequo: Candy Cakes and Sweet Couture! Because I love how they both added a little something on top of each cupcake, and the way they spread the icing. Kudos to Sweet Couture for also offering cute, bite-size cupcakes and not just giant ones.

And now, the hardest part…

The Best-Tasting Cupcake

I took my role very seriously when came the time for this criteria. I tasted the strength of the flavor. I evaluated the moisture of the cake, and the texture of the icing. Very serious job! First off, I crossed out Hummingbird Bakery after the first bite: the cake was dry and tasted pretty much nothing, and the icing was kind of bumpy. Not good! Candy Canes, despite the good looks and tasty icing, had disappointing cakes, sadly. Beas of Bloomsbury kind of surprised me with a very fresh, strongly flavored cake and an airy icing, almost closer to a mousse. It would’ve been a winner, but I prefer a more solid icing.

cupcakes in london

Sweet Couture cupcakes

The winner: Sweet Couture! I have never tasted such a strong flavor of pure milk chocolate in a cupcake. It was heavenly and mouth-watering and completely eclipsed all competition.

And the big big big winner in this rundown is Sweet Couture, closely followed by Beas of Bloomsbury. The only difference between the two is the icing on the cake, literally, and the fact that Sweet Couture offers bite-size cupcakes for the reasonable people (which I am not!). I loved both shops, locations, flavors and cakes and strongly recommend them if you want to treat yourself to a cupcake when in London.

Have you ever had cupcakes in London? What shop is your favorite? What are your criterias for a good cupcake?

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  3. London for First Timers: The Essential Sights
  4. Recommended Reading: Walking in London by AA Travel

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21 Responses to “Best Cupcakes in London: The Rundown”

  1. Laura

    13. Jan, 2012

    OMG! Such a yummy post! Love cupcakes :)

    Reply to this comment

  2. Angie Orth

    13. Jan, 2012

    Bookmarking this post for some month when I’m not on a diet =)

    Reply to this comment

  3. Laurence

    13. Jan, 2012

    Ok, now I’m hungry.

    Reply to this comment

  4. Katherina

    14. Jan, 2012

    Ok so now I have a Cupcake Mission in London! SO far I’ve only tried Hummingbird (so cute!) but I really need to make it to Sweet Couture! (just checking their web right now!!)

    Reply to this comment

    • Marie

      25. Jan, 2012

      Yes, Sweet Couture is definitely my favorite, although I also recommend Beas of Bloomsbury – lovely!

      Reply to this comment

  5. Christy @ Technosyncratic

    14. Jan, 2012

    How did we not visit any of these places when we were in London?!? That needs to be rectified, stat.

    Reply to this comment

    • Marie

      25. Jan, 2012

      Oh yes it does have to be rectified – no trip to London is complete without a cupcake stop!

      Reply to this comment

  6. Andrea

    14. Jan, 2012

    Mmmm – these look so yummy!

    Reply to this comment

    • Marie

      25. Jan, 2012

      They were! I can’t believe I ate 4 cupcakes in two days, haha.

      Reply to this comment

  7. Glampacker

    14. Jan, 2012

    I need to get to Sweet Couture asap! Great post ;-)

    Reply to this comment

  8. Christine

    15. Jan, 2012

    Yum! I went to Hummingbird Bakery a couple of years ago and loved it–such an adorable shop, and the red velvet cupcakes were delish! Super keen to try the rest of these :)

    Reply to this comment

    • Marie

      25. Jan, 2012

      What I like about the Hummingbird, though, is the variety of flavors – they even have gluten-free cupcakes! The particular cupcake I had wasn’t that good but I’d be willing to try another one.

      Reply to this comment

  9. cheryl

    17. Jan, 2012

    Oh … I love love love cup cakes! I’ll have to try these places out sometime.

    Reply to this comment

  10. Stephanie - The Travel Chica

    18. Jan, 2012

    Yum! I love the fancy cupcake trend.

    Reply to this comment

    • Marie

      25. Jan, 2012

      Me too! I am pretty good at making cute ones at home, but nothing beats specialty shops.

      Reply to this comment

  11. James - Ouroyster.com

    22. Jan, 2012

    Those look so tasty. I have not had cupcakes for ages. I think I will have to make them soon!

    Reply to this comment

    • Marie

      25. Jan, 2012

      You MUST attend to this situation immediately. Cupcakes must be eaten on a regular basis!

      Reply to this comment

  12. Cappuccino&Baguette

    02. Feb, 2012

    thanks for this post that goes direct to my bookmarks! =D Muffins and cupcakes are absolutely my favorite desserts!
    If you ever go to Stockholm, you should try http://www.muffinsfabriken.se/, and in Rome there is http://www.sweetyrome.it/.

    Reply to this comment

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