Angel Food Bakery

Name: Angel Food Bakery

Neighborhood: Ravenswood
Address: 1636 West Montrose Ave
Map (link above): yellow marker
Nearest El Transit Locations: 
Montrose Brown Line stop
Hours: 
Tue - Fri  7am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 2pm
Bake On-Site: Yes
Individual Cupcake Prices: $3-3.50
Boxing/Packaging: unknown (ate in)
What makes this bakery special: They have a gorgeous and extensive Easy Bake Oven collection, including many that date back to the 1950s! Possibly this is something you have to see for yourself to understand. 

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:
Vegan Peanut Butter
Cake: Chocolate
with Peanut Butter Frosting
Appearance: 2
Size: Large
Bite #: 5
Moisture: 2

Mud Pie
Cake: Fudge
with Fudge ooey-gooey filling and homemade vanilla bean whipped cream dip
Appearance: 2
Size: Large
Bite #: 5
Moisture: 3

Coconut*
Cake: Coconut
with Vanilla Coconut Buttercream
Appearance: 2
Size: Large
Bite #: 5
Moisture: 3



Additional Notes:
Angel Food is awesome! I recommend eating in because there is so much to look at in here. They have an amazing collection of Easy Bake Ovens on display around the perimeter of the dining area, some (as mentioned above) dating back to the 1950s! You'll have to actually visit yourself to understand how cool it is to see the evolution of something so seemingly childish. 
We ordered brunch to eat in, anxiously waiting for the moment to order dessert--the cupcakes were staring at us from behind the display window.  Another reason to eat in: brunch is amazing (I recommend the pot pie). Absolutely fantastic. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Old kitchen supplies turned art.

Originally, the plan was to take the cupcakes to go (which is perhaps what I'll do next time since I was Thanksgiving-Day-full by the end of this adventure) but I couldn't wait until we got home to try the vegan peanut butter cupcake.  The vegan PB had been recommended to many customers while we devoured brunch and it was worth the wait-- rich and thick peanut butter frosting matched with chocolate cake, which I swear doesn't taste any different from non-vegan cake. (Amazing!) 
Next, the Mud Pie: I'm embarrassed to admit this but I was hoping for something similar to the Lava Cakes at Domino's Pizza (for shame, I know). Instead, we got an even better, almost bittersweet, extremely rich chocolate ooey-gooey goodness paired to perfection with homemade vanilla bean whipped cream dip.  Absolutely fabulous (but suuuuuper rich).
D.E. picked the coconut cupcake.  I'm not big on the texture of coconut, but did try a little tiny piece and found it fresh baked, like everything else. This cake was moist, the frosting had coconut flakes mixed into it, and it was dipped in coconut flakes. Really, it is perfect for coconut lovers. 
Overall, the cupcakes were fresh, well-balanced (frosting-to-cake ratio), and flavor-filled. Love.
*enjoyed by cupcaking partner, D.E.

Sweet Sensations

Name: Sweet Sensations Pastry
Neighborhood: North Center / Ravenswood
Address: 1918 West Montrose Ave
Map (link above): red marker
Nearest El Transit Locations: 
Montrose Brown Line stop
Hours: 
Tue - Fri  7am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 2pm
Bake On-Site: Yes - open kitchen
Individual Cupcake Prices: $2.25-3.50
Boxing/Packaging: Box without inserts
What makes this bakery special: The huge open kitchen, the chef/owner (Sharin), and the creative and unique cupcake flavors.

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:
Boston Cream Pie
Cake: Vanilla
with vanilla custard filling topped with ganache and a candy snowflake
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3


German Chocolate
Cake: Chocolate
with German filling (pecan, caramel, coconut) dipped in ganache and topped with German filling
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Banana Cardamom (right)
Gingerbread Cardamom (left)

Banana Cardamom
Cake: Banana with cardamom
with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Appearance: 3
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Gingerbread Cardamom
Cake: Gingerbread with cardamom
with Cream Cheese Frosting
Appearance: 3
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Additional Notes:
I love Sweet Sensations! The chef/owner, Sharin Nathan, and her amazing pastry chef develop a heaven close to home. They both work hard to create delicious treats and savory goodies from the finest ingredients in one of the largest open kitchens I've seen yet. I love open kitchens because not only is it fun (and oftentimes educational) to observe people at work, but it's also nice to see how things are done, how the kitchen is kept, and what the environment the food I'm about to eat came from is like.  
At Sweet Sensations, the atmosphere is comfortable and laid back.  It was fun to sit back, enjoy coffee and cupcakes, and observe the regulars come and go, each showing familiarity with Sharin and vice versa. That's pure gold star customer service right there. I've always wanted to be a regular who is greeted warmly by name and only has to say "the usual" to place my order. 
~*~*~
Flavor combinations here can be super unique (like banana cardamom) or deliciously classic.  D.E. and I couldn't narrow our flavors down so we opted for two cupcakes to split to eat in and two to split to go.  
I have to say, I'm not big on the texture of coconut and picky with coconut flavor, therefore, am not much of a german chocolate kind of girl.  For those of you who also don't really enjoy the coconut texture but like the idea of pecans and caramel (the other two components of what makes german filling what it is), these germans are the cupcake for you.  The cake was rich, ultra-moist chocolate (not the light german fluff most bakeries offer) with sweet delicious ganache.  For those of you who do enjoy german chocolate coconuty goodness, have no fear; these cupcakes are topped and filled with the ooey-gooey filling you expect and love. Still, this is ideal for those who could do without the coconut (like me!).
The Boston Cream cupcake was everything I had hoped for.  The sweet vanilla cake enveloped the rich vanilla custard filling perfectly.  Add the same delicious ganache from above and you've got perfection. Seriously, absolutely nothing was off with the Boston.
The Gingerbread Cardamom cupcake was like a dense, yet fluffy, gingerbread cookie, with subtle but noticable cardamom flavor. Think of the deliciously light cream cheese as a supporting actress--kind of overlooked, but it wouldn't be the same without it.
Lastly, the Banana Cardamom (yes, we were intrigued by the cardamom cupcakes) had the consistency of a fresh-baked banana muffin with subtle cardamom notes and a scrumptious unique chocolate cream cheese frosting! LOVE!
Overall, these cupcakes--all four of them--were obviously fresh-baked, full of flavor, and made in small batches. I now have even higher hopes for every cupcake I eat henceforth.
Indoor seating (and presumably outdoor seating in the summer--wide sidewalk).
Coffee!

Blue Sky Bakery

Name: Blue Sky Bakery

Neighborhood: North Center
Address: 3720 N Lincoln Ave
Map (link above): Blue pin
Nearest El Transit Locations: Addison Brown Line stop
Hours:
Tue - Fri 7a - 5p
Saturday 8a - 5p
Sunday 8:30a - 1:30p
Bake On-Site: Yes - semi open kitchen
Individual Cupcake Price: $2.76 (with tax)
Boxing/Packaging: Box without inserts
What makes this bakery special: Blue Sky is a nonprofit organization which provides homeless and at-risk youth transitional employment and meaningful work experience.

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:
Vanilla/Vanilla
Cake: Vanilla
with Vanilla Buttercream
Appearance: 2
Size: Large
Bite #: 5
Moisture: 2

Additional Notes:
First, I just want to say that I fully support the cause of Blue Sky Bakery. As mentioned above, they provide a wonderful employment opportunity to homeless and at-risk youth. Really, you should check out the inspirational video on the website because it's great. If only more businesses had such a program--particularly in rougher areas of the city. Still, though, this is a great start and a true inspiration to make a difference in small but significant ways. You can donate to their cause via the link on their site.
Organic ingredients are used when possible.
Their bakery has plentiful indoor seating and a cafe menu.  The display case, though, is small and the options are minimal. The frosting on my cupcake was extremely creamy and delicious and the cake had rich vanilla flavor, but overall, it was a little dry. At least my purchase went to a cause. As Blue Sky says, "Social change, powered by your appetite."

Bulldog Bakery

Name: Bulldog Bakery

Neighborhood: Avondale
Address: 3207 N Elston Ave 
Map (link above): Blue dotted marker
Nearest El Transit Locations:
Blue line, California or Belmont stops. I took the California bus from the Blue line.
Bake On-Site: Yes
Individual Cupcake Price: $1.92 each, with tax
Boxing/Packaging: Box without inserts
What makes this bakery special: Kosher Dairy!

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:

Carrot
Cake: Carrot
with Cream Cheese Frosting
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 2
Chocolate/Chocolate
Cake: Chocolate
with Chocolate Buttercream
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 1

Additional Notes: 

Bulldog Bakery is really easy to find. A few different buses drop you off right at the corner. Inside is small and cozy and the baker herself came out and helped me. It was so intimate.
The cream cheese frosting on the carrot cupcake was delicious, smooth and rich. The cake was a little dry, but tasted like good ol' homemade cake.
The chocolate cupcake had rich frosting, the the cake was dry. The frosting made the cake much better.
I admit, I visited Bulldog about 30 minutes before they closed so it may be safe to say that it's best to go early. Again, I liked how cozy and intimate the experience was. Sometimes customer service makes more of a difference than product.
Bulldog also is Kosher Dairy and both the carrot and chocolate cakes are organic!
They also offer sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan options.
Since pistachio cake is one of my all time favorites, I'll be sure to come back to Bulldog for a chance to try their famous pistachio nougat cake!

Happy New Year!

Fellow Cupcakers,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season! Now that the holidays are over I can jump back into the cupcaking rhythm and continue to visit the cupcakeries of Chicago. Coming up this month: Blue Sky Bakery, Bulldog Bakery, and George's Ice Cream and Sweets. I cannot wait!
(Check out the schedule above for the complete list of cupcakeries yet to visit.)

Here's to a cupcake-filled 2013!

Peace, love, cupcakes.
Meg