America developed an obsession with cupcakes in the past couple of years. Small cupcake-only shops sprung up all over the country. I visited my first, Georgetown Cupcake, two years ago. That was before that shop had a television show. Cupcakes became the cute, trendy thing. They propelled into popularity because of their excellent portion controlled size. Even Morgantown has its own cupcake shop, The Cupcakerie.
Located right on Willey Street, this small shop is prime location for foot traffic. A shop dedicated to only cupcakes. It's a cute idea, and I love that it's something different. Yes, it might be trendy, and yes, it might be this whimsical kind of notion, but it's a nice addition to Morgantown because it's not the same burger joint or bar-trying-to-be-a-restaurant. I stopped in the other day to try it out. I had been awaiting its opening forever. I kept calling, and the opening date kept getting pushed back. But finally, it opened.
I walked in, and the shop is a long, somewhat narrow space. It is whimsical, with pink stripes everywhere and crystals and a chandelier. There's a small countertop with maybe a half-dozen varieties of cupcakes with small signs in front that name the flavor. A couple tables are inside to sit and enjoy your sweet treats.
I walked up to the counter and got entirely too exited. I had to think about this rationally. A regular cupcake was $2.50. But, the mini ones were $7 for 6. That didn't sound bad - all I needed was to taste each one. So I got one of nearly every one they had that day. I was really happy with the concept of these minis. I could get a bunch of different flavors, just a bite of each. I didn't need a whole cupcake. I just wanted to try a little of each. So this was perfect. I ended up getting 6 minis and one full-sized because they didn't have any of that flavor in a mini. My total came to $10. On a side note, they mix the minis and the regular size cupcakes on each of the cake stands, so it's really pretty and sweet.I left with two small plastic containers, one with one full-sized cupcake and another with six mini ones. I took out the large, Rocky Road cupcake first. This chocolate cupcake was rich, smooth and definitely, decadently chocolately. It was topped with a creamy chocolate butter cream, sprinkled with mini chocolate chips, some mini marshmallows and some chopped nuts - pecans and walnuts. If you like chocolate, this is for you. Very rich.
The pumpkin pie mini was next. You can imagine what it tasted like - a slice of fluffy pumpkin pie. Light nutmeg, spiced pumpkin pie cake, all topped with a fluffy whipped cinnamon brown sugar butter cream. Also sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. This is a slice of Thanksgiving in bite-sized form.
The chocolate mini was the same rich chocolate cake with a sweet vanilla icing with a few chocolate chips on top. Similar to rocky road - just with less components.
I chose the peanut butter cupcake next. It was a chocolate cake, with a hidden surprise! A small peanut butter cup was hidden inside. The frosting was a creamy peanut butter, and it was topped with some orange sprinkles. Yum.Next was another peanut butter cupcake - I think the cookie monster. It was a vanilla cake - almost lemony - with some peanut butter chips inside. It was topped with a creamy vanilla butter cream and a few peanut butter chips. Right now, I felt like I was eating a jar of peanut butter. But in a good way. The flavors were vibrant.
Finally was a raspberry kissed cocoa mini. It was the chocolate cake, with raspberry butter cream icing and sprinkled with pink pearls. I wasn't sure if I could eat those, but I did. Just sugar. Not too bad either.
I really like the idea of this place. It's fun. It's different, and they make a damn good cupcake. I'm not sure how often I'll be in the market for just cupcakes? But maybe enough people around town will be to keep this place afloat. It's always good to have new places that add a new flair. Try it out sometime. They have so many different flavors, it's difficult to not find something to like.
Grade: A
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