Cupcakes are big in America (I’ll never forget my first bite of a Magnolia Bakery cupcake… mmm), and they are becoming more and more popular. Bakeries are opening up across the U.S. selling “freshly made and hand-frosted” cupcakes. They’re the new “it” treat!
They are perfect for birthday parties (if you have the Magnolia cookbook, you can even bake them yourself), and always a hit at baby showers (which is also very American, so I suppose they go hand-in-hand). I just LOVE them!
So you can imagine my disappointment when we moved to London 4 years ago and there was nothing here that could compare. Unlike America, handmade cupcakes didn’t seem to be on the rise.
Thankfully, Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas of Primrose Bakery are taking charge, and London now seems to be catching up!
After starting out baking cupcakes for their kid’s birthday parties in 2004, and then supplying them to their local deli, Melrose and Morgan, the girls set up the cutest shop in Primrose Hill. They now cater to Selfridges food hall, Fortnum and Mason, Tom’s Deli, Fresh & Wild, and Liberty.
They make loads of different flavours (including vanilla, chocolate, lemon, mocha, carrot, and coconut) and they come in two sizes: regular (for the mama) and mini (for your darling child who couldn’t possibly let you get away with eating one and not sharing)!
You can order them for parties and events and they’ll deliver to you on the day. (Their themed cupcakes are beautiful and very detailed, and they’ll do their best to customize). But it’s also fun to visit their shop on Gloucester Avenue in Primrose Hill, where you can grab a capuccino, or a babyccino, and a cupcake (or two)!
-Courtney
Comments (6)
Yum! These cupcakes are delicious (Courtney got them when she hosted my baby shower, about a year ago – ouch! Time flies)!
And Magnolia is such a wonderful place in NY, there are always a couple of people drooling in front of the window!
I have the Magnolia cookbook, but haven’t been to the bakery itself. The cupcakes recipe is delightful; I love me a cupcake!
I love cupcakes! I try to bake my own but somehow they never look as good as the ones on the photo! Cupcake cases are one of those things that are still impossible to find in Paris. I always pick up a huge amount when I visit the UK…..
just tripped over your blog…such a treat!
and we adore cupcakes, too. two of my girlies’ pics are ten-foot-tall adverts outside a local cupcake shoppe that rivals magnolia.
(we’re americans living in the middle east. so much for keeping a low-profile…)
i will return! well done, ladies.
I too love cupcakes and got some from Primrose bakery for my birthday last year. They are delicious! The new place to go in NYC if you are in town is Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea. Even better than Magnolia Bakery (if you can believe it)! Try it next time you are visiting the big apple – you won’t be dissapointed!!
http://www.billysbakerynyc.com/
Hummingbird Bakery in South Kensington and Notting Hill has been around a few years is purely a cupcake/bakery shop. It’s a charming shop and the cupcakes are very good!