I’ve been getting fat on cupcakes recently. Near Meidaimae station, along the train tracks there’s a small cupcake shop that makes some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. The shop is called N.Y. Cupcakes because the owners actually went to the U.S. and learned how to bake cupcakes from some cupcake guru, apparently. There’s a whole story about it on the website how they quit they’re jobs just to make cupcakes. On some podcast, I remember hearing about some rich investment bankers in the U.S. who also quit their day jobs to open up a cupcake shop in Beverly Hills, “Sprinkles” was the name I think? Anyways, these cupcakes are good. Not as moist and sweet as your typical american one, but altered to be more palatable for the Japanese. They’re small and cost about ¥200-250 each. I like the chocolate cream filled ones, 2nd and 4th on the bottom row.
The shop is only the size of a doorway so you may walk right by it and miss it. Next door is a dry cleaners. The shop is not open on Sundays, so don’t come on a sunday.
I never mind that Japanese cakes aren’t as sweet as American ones (in fact, I prefer that, even though I’m American), but a dry cake is a useless cake to me. Cake has to have good texture and that’s something that is so often disappointing in Japan. I’m not sure if they over-bake them or the omission of some of the sugar (which lends moisture to cake) causes this problem, but I find this a major failing in cake here and rarely buy cake because of this. The bakers can add moisture without sugar by using soy flour or adding unsweetened fruit puree, but this adjustment doesn’t seen to be made.
I agree. I have yet to find a good moist carrot cake in this country. But these cupcakes were pretty good.
i cried a little when i read this entry, as i used to spend a bit of time right by the meidaimae station a few years ago and obsessed over the dearth of cupcakes in tokyo. thanks for blogging it, though (it’s on my to-do list for my return)!
but - carrot cake. have you been to good honest grub (goodhonestgrub.com)? they’ve moved a bit and are now in shibuya but i would make weekly treks there for their carrot cake. it’s to die for. i tried, and failed, to finagle the recipe out of the owner before i left, it was that good.
They look amazing!
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you want good carrot cake? albeit expensive, but dean and deluca’s carrot cake is f’ng gooooood.
I tried this cupcake shop twice and it’s just amazing.
The place is very small, but cakes are really nice looking and tasty.
I remember they give you a cape for free if you buy a birthday set (special candles and at least three pancakes or so..)
The cup cake design is sometime so detailed. The ’saru’ (monkey) you is one of the funniest.