So Sprinkles opened a new location here in San Diego so my Mom and I decided to go stand in line with everyone else to try one of these coveted cakes.

The best part of the whole thing was that the line formed around the side of the building where they were pumping out the warm air that smelled like chocolate cake. YUMMY.

Anyways, we finally got in and paide $14 for 4 cupcakes and we took them home to eat them.

I have never had a Sprinkles cupcake and I know that everyone raves about them but I wasn't too impressed. The frosting is good, but there is way too much on the cupcake.

The cakes however just tasted off to me. Like if you used olive oil in place of vegetable oil. Both chocolate cakes had little taste at all.

We were super disappointed. Anyone else not think the world about these cupcakes? Or is just an acquired taste?

I've never had their cupcakes, but you stood in line 2 more hours than I would have! I have no patience for waiting like that....sure am sorry to hear that it wasn't worth the wait, though--lots of hype and no substance is what it sounds like.

Oh... and what did they look like??

I just had a friend post on FB that she was not impressed with sprinkles either...but maybe they're ok-just the hype about them exceeds the actual product. That sucks you had to wait two hours in line for un-amazing cupcakes.

I would never stand in line for two hours for anything.

Magnolia's bakery line also goes around the corner in NYC. I only try them if they're free gifts that someone sends to the office because I've found out that they're just OK, too, nothing extraordinary.

I haven't been to every bakery in NYC (yet), but so far, the best cupcakes I've had there are the ones from Cupcake Cafe. They use either smbc or imbc, so they're refrigerated. I waited until mine came to room temperature before eating it, and it was so good. The cake was moist and dense, the chocolate was deep and dark (almost like a brownie), and there was just the right amount of frosting on it.

I would love to try a cupcake from one of the food trucks that travel around the City, but there's never one around where I am, and when I go there, I don't feel like scooting around the boroughs to find one.

Theresa

Something has to really make me melt to my toes for me to be impressed.

My daughter swoons over a particular cupcake shop in town. She gets her birthday cake from there each year. I tasted it. It was good .... but not swoon good. It tasted like cake. Just cake. Plain 'ole regular cake. No biggie.

Sometimes I think taste in all in someone's head. "everyone" says its good so of course we all think its good. I believe this about my own cakes. I internally laugh everytime someone talks about how my cakes don't taste like anything else. yeah they do ... they taste like every other Betty Crocker cake out there! but in THEIR head, it tastes 'better'

Oh well! Works for me!

Thank you, Theresa!

I'll make sure one of these days just to turn around from the bus station and go that way before coming to work! IMBC is the only frosting I make. And yes, I always let my cake come to room temperature. I think bakeries have to keep them refrigerated because that's what the health department wants.

I've been to Crumbs, which are better than Magnolia's in my opinion, and I have tried the food trucks, but still no favorites. I'll make sure I try these! I saw some photos and they look good.

Amy's Breads, just the best. The other day I walked by them and there was a long line. Someone asked one of the people in line: What are people standing in line for? The person answers: We're just buying bread. lol.

the cupcakes were pretty cute. just basic frosting with a little like candy dot on them...some of them had sprinkles. the store was very modern and hip.

like i said, the best part was standing in line with the warm cake air wafting out of the building...LOL

I've been to the Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, and it sill sometimes has a line out the door. They aren't cupcakes for which I'd wait in a long line. I'd rather go to this little cupcake shop in Burbank called Cupcake and Co. Their cupcakes are the best I've had anywhere. Yummy!

This post gave me a good laugh. I've got some friends that just had the same experience (but they went to one of the Sprinkles on the east coast) and they said the EXACT same thing you did. Waited in line for 2 hours and the cupcakes were just ok and way too much frosting!

It's like buying brand name vs. store brand -- not necessarily better just more hype behind it!

I decided to start a baking business about 10 years ago after standing in line for over 30 minutes at Magnolia Bakery in NYC to buy undecorated cupcakes for $3/piece (limit 12!!!). And I wasn't super impressed with their cake either!

I sometimes have wondered if I bought the Sprinkles cupcake mix and made them myself, would they still be dry?

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/8844714/?catalogId=45&bnrid=3180501&cm_ven=Shopping&cm_cat=Froogle&cm_pla=default&cm_ite=default

We have this same thing here..2 local sister opened up a cupcake shop about 6 years ago here.They now have 2 or 3 locations..anyways...everyone raves about these cupakes and how you wait in line and they are sold out by 1:00 pm everyday and DON'T rebake so if you are standing in line and Joe in front of you buys the last dozen cupcakes..You are Out of luck!!

My SIL brought a few dozen over one night for dinner so we all could try them...Nothing special...Dry and gritty sweet BC icing....I wouldn't give you $1.00 a cupcake let alone the $3.95 they want for them..

Mine are way better...I think what happens is when these people decide to go into business on a large scale they somehow compromise the integrity of their product be massed produced or whatever..Mixes are used sometimes instead of whole ingredients due to cost and the end result is not that of the home baked melt in your mouth goodness we are all used too...

It's funny..I had a bride email me and wanted to know if I could quote on wedding cupcakes..She wanted all the wraps etc..fondant flowers etc..and when I sent her a quote she said way too expensive..I think my price was like $4.50 each with the wraps etc..

So she went on to say that she'll order from Such and such cupcake Place (The one mentioned above)..I said okay fine whatever...but I hope she realizes that mine are wayyy better tasting and presented for her money but they have this pre-conceived notion that because this giant cupcake biz is popular....

This gave me a good chuckle! Ah, the Sprinkles cupcakes... the closest one we have in the Bay Area is about 30 minutes south in Palo Alto, and I've been tempted to make the drive just to taste one. I live in snobish San Francisco where no matter how good something is, if it came from a chain people automatically claim it "sucks". The big cupcake place here is Kara's Cupcakes, people used to line up around the block for those things and actually fight for the last one - then Kara opened 8 (or so, maybe more) stores and has a mobile truck - same product, but people now claim they "suck".

Mob mentality cracks me up!

I had a Sprinkles cuppie in AZ last year and wasnt impressed either. I got 6 different flavors and not one of them was very tasteful and they were all dry and they had just been made not an hour prior.
Needless to say I'm not a fan

From IndyDebi:

Indydebi -- you are a woman after my own heart!! I am the same way

Two hours!?... really? your a more patient person than I ever will be.

hee hee, everyone is saying that they wouldn't do it, but I would be right next to you waiting.. lol
I love cupcakes!!!
Jodi

IMAGENTHATNJ: I have tried Magnolia Bakery and they are much better than Billy's cupcakes. I didn't have to stand in line when I went, maybe because at that time it was raining and people just started converging to the bars on a Friday night... but you're right too, I will not wait for a cupcake for 2 hrs. If I see that there's a long line, I will leave or not even attempt to stand in line.

PLAYINGWITHSUGAR:As for the food trucks, I have tried Cupcake Stop only because it was featured in Food Network where Michael Symon did the Food Wars...was not impressed with it too. BTW, Cupcake stop has a booth at Limelight Marketplace now located on 6th ave bet. 22nd and 21st. Tried Crumbs because it seems that it is the fad right now and my nieces and nephews have been raving about it...not a fan of it too. I have not tried Cupcake Cafe tho.

Quote:

Originally Posted by playingwithsugar

I haven't been to every bakery in NYC (yet), but so far, the best cupcakes I've had there are the ones from Cupcake Cafe. They use either smbc or imbc, so they're refrigerated. I waited until mine came to room temperature before eating it, and it was so good. The cake was moist and dense, the chocolate was deep and dark (almost like a brownie), and there was just the right amount of frosting on it.

I would love to try a cupcake from one of the food trucks that travel around the City, but there's never one around where I am, and when I go there, I don't feel like scooting around the boroughs to find one.

Theresa

Cupcake Stop is #1 on the Zagat's top cupcakes in NYC list. But there are so many lists, that I don't know which one to believe.

SeriousEats.com lists Baked, the shop in Brooklyn, as #1.

Another list says Magnolia.

I guess I'll just have to buy the day pass and tour the city one day. One day, when the weather is better, and I am not on a diet, that is.

Theresa

It seems to me that if a placed is said to be really good and I wait 2 hours in line to purchase something, then it has to be extremely good in order to justify the wait that it could never live up to my expectations. If it's good, but not extremely good, it's a let down.

I MIGHT stand in line for 2 hours to make out with Jon Bon Jovi but not for cupcakes!

I can't think of anything I'd stand in line 2 hours for.

Oh, maybe to meet Duff or something..lol, but not for any kind of food.

Sorry it wasn't knock-your-socks-off good; it should be, for that wait!

My friend went there too and was texting me. Said it tasted like....a cupcake. With too much frosting. *shrug*

Sometimes I think people buy certain things so they can say they did it. Its that way alot...kids buy Abercrombie because of the name....women buy Coach just because its Coach.... and maybe people buy Sprinkles cupcakes just because...well...its a Sprinkles cupcake I guess.

You don't always get what you pay for...one time I went into Godiva and got myself and a friend a covered strawberry thinking it would be less expensive than pure chocolate. Nope. It was $14 for two berries. And the chocolate wasn't even that thick on them! They were good...but not $14 good!!!!! I'll go home and make a whole tray for that!!!!