New York City, December 2016 – I have been a fan of Magnolia Bakery since 2009. Whenever I am in New York, I will definitely pick up cupcakes from this classic American bakery.

Depending on where in the Big Apple I am, I usually go to the one inside Bloomies (Bloomingdales Department Store) or the branch next to Radio City on Seventh Avenue. Recently, I even found one (quite sizeable one) at Woodbury Mall (the premium outlet).

Why I love Magnolia cupcakes? First of all, they are soooo pretty – just look at all those pastel colors. The frosting is heavenly – sweet and fluffy. The cake is not too dense, but always moist.

Though they have quite a repertoire of flavors to choose from, I tend to stick to classic flavors – like Red Velvet, Vanilla and Chocolate.

At the Radio City location, the bakery offers a “Rockette” (after the famous Rockette show at Radio City) decorated red velvet cupcake. It tastes the same as the regular red velvet but each costs about 10% more (regular cupcakes $3.50 versus Rockette $4.00).

The bakery’s selection has extended into other baked goods – cookies, ice box cakes, cheese cakes, pies and puddings. I tried the banana cream pie, which was not as sweet as I expected. For those who love whipped cream, this is the dessert!

Magnolia cupcakes and baked goods were also a big hit when I brought them as a gift for my nieces and nephews (all under 8 years old).

Although there are now Magnolia Bakeries around the world, I still find the best cupcakes in New York City!

All photos were taken by Mrs. King.