A Taste of Heaven

Name: A Taste of Heaven

Neighborhood: Andersonville
Address: 5401 N Clark St
Map (link above): blue dotted pin
Nearest El Transit Locations: 
Berwyn Red Line Stop
Hours:
Mon - Thur  7am - 10pm
Fri - Sat  7am - 11pm
Sunday  8am - 10pm
Bake On-Site: Yes
Individual Cupcake Prices: $2.75
Boxing/Packaging: Cups with lids
What makes this bakery special: They have a substantial, homemade-fresh, assortment of unique cupcake flavors. 

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:

Nutella
Cake: Nutella
with
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Lemon Meringue

Cake: Lemon
with Meringue icing filled with lemon curd
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Additional Notes:

After the disappointing Nutella cupcake at Molly's I was hesitant to try the one here at A Taste of Heaven. With some convincing, I gave it a shot--and will never regret it! This cupcake is exactly the dream Nutella cupcake I've been wanting: rich, moist cake, extremely light and fluffy frosting with [almonds?] on top. ABSOLUTELY FRIGGIN' DELICIOUS! A Taste of Heaven, please know that you gave me what I so badly wanted last year and it was WELL worth the wait and commute. Honestly, this was one of my absolute favorites so far. Even if you're not a huge fan of Nutella, I'd say give this cupcake a chance. The cake and frosting were absolutely, well, heavenly.
The Lemon Meringue was also amazing. The cake wasn't over-powering, the lemon curd filling was packed with flavor, and the creamy frosting was delicious. This cupcake had a nice balance of cupcake sweetness and lemon tartness.
The actual storefront is kind of tiny (they're a cafe, too!). There is an indoor seating area, but if you're dropping in for cupcakes, I'd recommend you take them to go so you don't have to bother with the cramped space. The staff is super friendly and are not only willing to make suggestions, but will give an honest answer to any questions you may have.

Luscious Layers Bakery

**HAPPY (British) NATIONAL CUPCAKE WEEK**

Name: Luscious Layers Bakery

Neighborhood: Bucktown
Address: 2315 N Damen Ave
Map (link above): pink marker

Nearest El Transit Locations:
Damen Blue Line stop

Hours: 

Tue - Fri 10:30am - 5:30pm

Saturday 10am - 2pm

Bake On-Site: Yes

Individual Cupcake Prices (walk in): $1.00-2.25

Boxing/Packaging: Box w/out inserts

What makes this bakery special: 

Luscious is literally the closest you can get to a bakery-in-a-kitchen...outside of the kitchen of course. The storefront is a expansion of a home kitchen that went from baking for friends to baking for weddings and other huge events. Everything is extremely fresh and offers you a great opportunity to try the flavors without committing to a full cake. 

Cupcake Purchased and Reviewed:

The Watergate Cupcake

Cake: Pistachio

Chocolate Hazelnut (Left) and Watergate (Right)

with Vanilla Frosting and Pistachio Cream Filling

Appearance: 2

Size: Average 

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 3

Price: $2.25

Chocolate Hazelnut

Cake: Chocolate

with Chocolate Frosting and Hazelnut Mousse Filling

Appearance: 2

Size: Average 

Bite #: 3

Moisture: 3

Price: $1.00

Additional Notes:

First, the facility is absolutely breathtaking. Seriously. Immediately upon entering my nose and brain filled with the most delicious, fresh-baked smells I have ever experienced. The walls are decorated simply but elegantly with half tiered cakes protruding in an eat-me-now fashion. Yes, the display case is small, but it's packed with delicious, unique flavors. Luscious Layers really is more about wedding cakes (and other orders) but gives us, the community, the special opportunity to taste their creations at the individual cupcake level. I feel honored. 

The Watergate Cupcake was pistachio (!!!) cake with fluffy, creamy, almost savory filling--this was my favorite part. The cake flavor was a little subtle, but the pistachio was definitely detectable. The frosting was extremely sugary and I wish the cupcake was iced with the delicious filling. Seriously, I was all about the filling. Yum! 

*If anybody knows the Watergate reference with pistachio please let me know (comment below). 

The Chocolate with Hazelnut Mousse was amazing and most definitely worth the ONE DOLLAR I spent on it. I actually felt guilty for paying such a low price when I realized how fantastic it was. The cake was super moist and fresh, with delectable hazelnut mousse filling. The frosting, oh, the frosting...it was more like styled fudge than chocolate frosting--extremely thick, rich, and smooth. Like my cupcaking partner D.E. noted, "It was a better Nutella cupcake than the Peanut Butter Nutella Cupcake from Molly's." I agree wholeheartedly. 

Last--and this may seem silly but--the cupcakes were in decorated paper baking cups (polka dots and shiny green) which really added to their appearance. Beautiful!

I will definitely return to Luscious. I can't wait!

(And again, the prices were more than fantastic!)

Molly's Cupcakes

Name: Molly's Cupcakes
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Address: 2536 N Clark St
Map (link above): orange marker 
Nearest El Transit Locations: 
Fullerton stop of Red, Purple, and Brown lines
Diversey stop of Purple and Brown lines
(And the 22 Clark bus has a stop right there!)
Hours: 
Monday: Noon - 10pm
Tue - Thu: 8am-10pm
Fri - Sat: 8am-midnight
Sunday: 9am-10pm
Bake On-Site: Yes
Individual Cupcake Prices: $1.05 (mini), $2.05 ("Molly"), and $3.75 (center-filled)
Boxing/Packaging: box w/ inserts (4+ cupcakes)
What makes this bakery special:
They are famous for their center-filled cupcakes and rightfully so! They have unique combinations with generous amounts of filling.
They also have "build your own Molly cupcake" where you can choose specifics for the exact ("classic") cupcake you want and they ice it right in front of you and, further, you can personalize your toppings!

Cupcakes Purchased and Reviewed:
Kahlua

Cake: Chocolate
with Kahlua Cream Filling and Coffee Buttercream
Appearance: 3
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Cookie Monster (Top Left), Kahlua (Top Right)
Ron Bennington (Bottom Left), PB Nutella (Bottom Right)

Price: $3.75

Note: This cupcake contains alcohol.

Ron Bennington

Cake: Chocolate
with Peanut Butter Filling and Ganache sprinkled with Butterscotch pieces
Appearance: 3
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Price: $3.75

Note: This is their best seller!

Peanut Butter Nutella

Cake: Peanut Butter
with Nutella Filling and Nutella Buttercream
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 2

Price: $3.75

Cookie Monster*

Cake: Vanilla Chocolate-Chip
with Cookie Dough Filling, Vanilla Buttercream, and a mini cookie
Appearance: 2
Size: Average
Bite #: 3
Moisture: 3

Price: $3.75

Additional Notes:

The Kahlua cupcake had fantastic smooth, rich coffee buttercream that actually wasn't too overpowering and was a nice compliment to the kahlua filling. Physically, the cupcake didn't seem to be able to handle the generous amount of filling and fell apart easily (same goes for the other filled cupcakes) but this didn't take away from the delicious experience. The filling had a definite kahlua taste to it but it was in proportion to the rest of the cupcake components.

The Ron Bennington is the most popular and I knew that without the sign telling me so. The entire cupcake is perfectly proportioned out, with smooth, rich, and dense chocolate ganache and cake with creamy peanut butter filling. The butterscotch pieces on top made for a nice crunchy surprise every bite. Absolutely fantastic.

Wait, are those swings?
...YES! 

I admit, I set high expectations for the Peanut Butter Nutella cupcake and was sadly disappointed. It seemed that all of the flavors were not as pronounced as the flavors in the other cupcakes, but were still detectable. The cake tasted more like a peanut butter cookie than a cupcake and had a large crumb. Without the Nutella filling this cupcake would be nothing. 

The filling in the Cookie Monster* is what made the entire cupcake "AMAZING." The frosting was good but could have been a little thicker.

The store is actually pretty sizable for a cupcakery and has many tables indoors and outdoors.

Good for eating in or for quick drop in.

They have swings at the espresso bar. (!!!!!)

Also, I visited Molly's this past winter with my bestie (who is a huge Molly's patron!) and I got the CAKE BATTER CUPCAKE, which was absolutely fantastic! I was one of those kids who begged to lick the bowl and this cupcake brought back all those wonderful memories. I think about this cupcake often, to this day. No joke.

* denotes that this cupcake was enjoyed by my research partner, D.E.