Gigi's Bake Shop (Truck)

Name: Gigi's Bake Shop
Chicagoland area
See twitter for weekly truck locations

Cupcake Purchased and Reviewed:
Price: $3.50
Boxing/Packaging: Cup with lid

Carrot

Cake: Carrot
with Cream Cheese Icing
Appearance: 1
Size: Average
Bite #: 3

Additional Notes:

I finally had the opportunity to have some Gigi's! Carrot was one of my childhood favorites (yes, I was a strange kid) so I went for that one. The cream cheese icing was super fluffy and full of flavor. The cake was moist and totally hit the spot. A wonderful dessert to the day!
Purchased on 8/25/2012 at the West Town Food Truck Social.

Sweet Ride (Truck): Take Two

At the West Town Food Truck Social today I saw Gigi's (which is where I bought my dessert), the More Mobile, and Sweet Ride. Now, since I've been to Sweet Ride before I didn't purchase from them for myself, but my sister did and I couldn't resist posting about it:

For this event Sweet Ride had trio sets of mini cupcakes*. The one my sister got included Birthday Cake, Red Velvet, and Salted Caramel. Like I noted about their cupcake back in April, she reported that the cake was a little more dense/"dry" than expected but she absolutely loved the salted caramel. AND the best part about that particular cupcake is that it was filled! I couldn't believe a mini cupcake was filled! Adorable!

So, thank you Sweet Ride. Cute!

*I did not personally enjoy these cupcakes but just had to post about them.

Bake

*hours updated as of 20 March 2013*

Name: Bake

Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Address: 2246 W North Ave
Map (link above): red pin

Nearest El Transit Locations:
Damen Blue Line stop

Hours: 

Wed - Sat  8am - 5pm

Sunday  9am - 4pm

Bake On-Site: Yes

Individual Cupcake Price: $3.95

Boxing/Packaging: Box w/out inserts

What makes this bakery special: 

Bake bakes fresh every single day, like other Chicago bakeries, but at bake you can watch the product sell out via photos posted on twitter (or by personally stopping in of course). Although this means there aren't as many options later in the day, it's nice that you can know the product put out each morning is baked the day of.

Cupcake Purchased and Reviewed:

Chocolate Raspberry

Cake: Chocolate

with Swirled Raspberry and Chocolate Frosting

Appearance: 3

Size: X-Large

Bite #: 7

Moisture: 3

Additional Notes:

As I mentioned above, it's nice being able to watch the product sell throughout the day, even though it means less options the later you stop in. I went in two hours before closing and found just a few cupcakes left, but still ended up having a hard time deciding which one to get!

The cupcake was huge; I mean close to Crumbs huge! It took two sittings for me to eat, that's for sure.

The cake was moist--freakishly moist actually--to the touch and to the palette. The frosting was thick and I particularly enjoyed the blend of the raspberry flavor with the chocolate. I'm really glad that I chose this one over the vanilla/raspberry swirl (which I'm sure is also delicious), even though the counterperson mentioned she didn't like the choc/rasp flavor pairing.

Spacious indoor seating.

Full espresso bar.

Alliance Bakery

Name: Alliance Bakery

Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Address: 1736 W Division St
Map (link above): purple pin

Nearest El Transit Locations:

Division Blue Line stop

Hours: 

Mon - Sat  6am - 9pm

Sunday  7am - 9pm

Bake On-Site: Yes

Individual Cupcake Prices: $3.00-3.75

Boxing/Packaging: Plastic Cup with Lid

What makes this bakery special: 

This Polish bakery turned French pastry offers beautiful desserts while keeping neighborhood history alive. The neon sign outside has been there since 1947!

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:

Vanilla Passion Fruit

Cake: Vanilla

with Passion Fruit Curd Filling and Toasted Meringue

Appearance: 2

Size: Large (taller than "average")

Bite #: 5

Moisture: 2
Price: $3.75

Double Chocolate

Cake: Chocolate

with Chocolate

Appearance: 2

Size: Large (taller than "average")

Bite #: 5

Moisture: 3
Price: $3.00

Additional Notes:

Even though I went to Alliance near closing time, I was pleased to find a nice full display case with many options.

The Vanilla Passion Fruit cupcake was delicious. Usually I'm not a big fan of filled cupcakes but I just couldn't pass this one up. I loved that the "plain" vanilla cake flavor allowed the curd filling to take the spotlight and the sticky, mouth-watering toasted meringue put a terrific finish to the experience.

My favorite classic cupcake is definitely choc/choc and Alliance didn't disappoint! The cake was super moist and fluffy and the frosting was smooth and light (the chocolate flavor of the frosting, though, was a little subtle). Delicious!

The bakery itself seems small upon entering but, along with a sizable separate wifi room available for customers to lounge in, the back kitchens are nice and spacious with special areas for each dessert to be created in; don't let the seemingly small shop fool you!

Before becoming the French pastry it is today the bakery used to be a Polish bakery and still holds historical significance for the surrounding neighborhood.

Terrific for staying in; a lot of seating indoors and outdoors.

Also fine for take-out.

Sprinkles

Name: Sprinkles Cupcakes

Neighborhood: Gold Coast
Address: 50 E Walton St.
Map (link above): blue dotted marker

Nearest El Transit Locations:

Chicago Red Line stop

Hours: 

Mon - Sat  9am - 9pm

Sunday 10am - 8pm

Bake On-Site: Yes

Individual Cupcake Price: $3.50

Boxing/Packaging: Box (without inserts)

What makes this bakery special: 

-Sprinkles is the original cupcake-only bakery.
-THE CUPCAKE ATM! (I like to think of it as an "Automatic Treat Machine.) There are only two cupcake ATMs in the world: one in Beverly Hills and one brand-spankin' new one here in good ol' Chi-town! (I just missed the grand opening of it--by hours--so I'll be back soon!)

Cool, a wood fork!

-Sustainability is observably important to them (and they have a commitment statement on their website). All the boxes, bags, napkins, forks, etc are made from recycled materials; Green cleaning products are used along with earth-friendly waste practices; Annual Earth Day campaign, as well as support of other non-profit initiatives.

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:

Chai Latte

Cake: Spiced chai tea cake

with Chai vanilla

Appearance: 3

Chai Latte (Left); Raspberry (Right)

Size: Average

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 2.5

Raspberry

Cake: Raspberry

with Raspberry

Appearance: 3

Size: Average

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 3

Additional Notes: 

Super earthy and minimalist display!

I know you're going to think I'm crazy (hey, maybe you already think I am) but I had a blast waiting in line. Before my visit to Sprinkles I had never experienced I line out the door at a cupcakery. I think it escalated the anticipation to get inside and heightened my enthusiasm for the treats I came for. Sprinkles is exceptionally prepared for such an event: there are monitors outside for waiting customers to watch, i.e. Sprinkles cupcakes being featured on Martha Stewart! This made the waiting even more enjoyable. In addition to the in-line entertainment, Sprinkles has busy times down to a science. Once inside, you are given the opportunity (not at all rushed) to see their selection as well as the menu clearly and largely available behind the cupcake display. Once you've decided what you would like to order, you talk with an order taker (who has a fancy special order slip ready to go), and while you're over at the last station paying, they package your cupcakes right up and you're out the door! Even though I waited in line, I really was there for only about 15 minutes! Impressive, Sprinkles.

The Chai Latte is the reason why I visited Sprinkles on Friday this month (check the cupcake calendar on their website to see when each flavor is available). It was everything I had expected. The cake had a nice chai spice flavor to it (similar to a classic "spice cake") and the frosting tasted just like a chai latte, which complimented the cake well. This cupcake was well worth the wait.

The Raspberry cupcake was super moist and reminded me of the berry cupcake from The Cupcake Counter--it had a well-rounded raspberry flavor to the cake.  It was clearly not made with a mix or anything, especially since there were raspberry seeds in the cake, making it authentic. The frosting was a little overpowering (it had a strong raspberry flavor with a bit of a kick to it) but was smooth and thick, which was a good match for the moist cake.

You know you just made a smart purchase when you feel all special walking down the street sporting your shopping bag. This was the case with me after my visit to Sprinkles. I flashed that bag around as if it was a Louis Vuitton handbag or something!

During busy times, expect a short wait.

A few bar stools and counter inside, but best for take-out.

Thanks, Sprinkles, for a good time. I'll be back soon for the ATM. (Still can't believe I missed it by a few hours!)