A red velvet delight from Buttercup Bake Shop

Last night I had the pleasure of indulging in the perfect little treat: a red velvet cupcake from Buttercup Bake Shop, courtesy of my thoughtful friend B. I've had Buttercup's red velvet cake before-- a big, honking slab of shockingly red cake slathered in cream cheese frosting. It is delectable. So I was really looking forward to this cupcake.

B brought me the cupcake on Friday, but I didn't get around to indulging until Sunday night. By the time I eased it out of its paper bag, it was a wee bit squished. No matter. I pressed on.

A little worse for wear but still good...

I cut this little baby in half. The cake was a lovely maroon color with a tender, small crumb. The frosting had that delectable sugary crust on the outside, which I love so well.

The cross-section

So colorful and appealing!

The cake had a very, very light taste-- mainly just sweet cake, not really much chocolate. I think the cocoa that I sensed was more due to power of suggestion than to any real chocolate flavor. The only real problem was that the cake was a little stale around the edges-- but I stress that this was my fault for not eating it right away, not any intrinsic problem with the cupcake.

Tight crumb action

The frosting was the real star in this equation. Incredibly sweet (probably too sweet for some, but that's how I like it) and with a slight cream-cheese kick at the end, this frosting is to die for. Plus, the little red sugar granule garnishes added both crunch and flavor-- a pleasant surprise, as usually cupcake garnishes add nothing but visual interest.

Sweet, sweet frosting

Needless to say, I finished this cupcake almost faster than I could take pictures of it. It's not huge (we're not talking Crumbs here), so when I was done I didn't feel sick, or even really all that satisfied. But this is a good, good cupcake. I can confidently say it's one of the best red velvets in the city, so I'd encourage you to go to Buttercup and pick one up (or, if you're feeling gluttonous, pick up a huge slice of their red velvet cake). Even if it sits around for a few days, it'll still deliver solid cupcake satisfaction.