The Cupcakes of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh tends to be several years behind on most trends (like dropping that outlawed "h"), so the recent onslaught of, you guessed it, cupcake bakeries should come as no surprise. Speaking of the tardy factor, though, if you are ever in need of a successful business concept, take a look at what the "cool" cities are doing, copy them, and then haul your ass to the steel town and set up shop. Anyway, cupcakes! Last year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the prominent newspaper in town, conducted a taste test of the city's cupcake offerings, utilizing a panel of "judges" from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. The results? A supermarket chain's mass-produced version, reeking of chemicals, beat out most of the other offerings. That's Pittsburgh for you! Luckily, there are plenty of other alternatives for discerning palates, from the old, traditional mom-and-pop bakeries to the glitzier cafes run by a younger breed of newcomers. They do indeed take the cake. (photo)
Sweetie Sweetie
1103 S Braddock Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Perhaps your cupcake budget is going the way of the economy, but not to fear, one can still find a $1 cupcake at a decent, from-scratch bakery. Sweetie Sweetie in Regent … Square makes a mean bacon-cheddar scone, according to locals, and their cupcakes rival the others on this list; to top it all off, there's also a fortune-telling machine, just like in the movie Big! (inkyhack/flickr) [link]
Prantl's Bakery
5525 Walnut St
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Prantl's Bakery is precariously located on a strip of Walnut Street that's difficult for mom-and-pop places like itself, and it has fast become surrounded by chains … (Apple, Gap, J. Crew). Hopefully the "Home of the Famous Burnt Almond Torte" will keep baking up its cupcakes, wedding cakes, and other traditional baked items in the middle of this consumer uniformity. [link]
Gluuteny
1923 Murray Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
For those of you with gluten allergies, the cleverly-named Gluuteny is your baked goods mecca, and they will soon be shipping their wheat-free goodies nationwide. In … addition to $1.90 cupcakes, there are pies, cookies, breads, turnovers and brownies, all adjacent to the supermarket where superior cupcakes lie. Right. [link]
Dozen Cupcakes
1707 Murray Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Maybe Pittsburgh is late to the cupcake game, but I challenge you to find another Cosmo cupcake out there: vanilla cake, lime butter cream frosting, and vodka- and … lime-soaked cranberries. How about Thai Iced Tea, Rice Krispy Treat, Root Beer Float, or Cherry Pop versions? Anyone? [link]
CoCo's Cupcake Cafe
5811 Ellsworth Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
With "Happy Hour" specials like Kahlua n' Orange and Vegan Margarita, CoCo's brings variety to the industry and has bestowed the title of "Pittsburgh's First Cupcake … Cafe" on itself. The Cafe totes Fair Trade coffee and also wrangles in some local celebrities and artists for cupcake-creating purposes. [link]
Barkus Bakery
561 Lincoln Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15202
The Barkus folks have been running bakeries since the 1950s, but that doesn't mean their cupcakes are run-of-the-mill: there is the quintessential icing on the cake, but … sweet stuff is also injected into the middle of the cupcake, doughnut style. [link]
