It's been 5 years since I got the perfect cupcake here. I'm not a fan of cake. As a kid, I always…read morehad ice cream at parties, or a special fruit punch. Cake was just too heavy, and worst of all was the frosting. Cake lacked depth and left me feeling bloated, teeth hurting from the cloying sweetness. I felt this way until, on a whim, I picked up a blueberry cupcake from Lola's on my way out of the tube. I took it home and bit right through the side, picking up one of the fresh blueberries on top, some of the frosting, and a good chunk of the sponge. I didn't expect much, as I figured the cart wasn't restocked often and the cakes on it were likely stale with wilting fruit. I could not have been more wrong.
I still regularly think about that first bite. The tart, fresh blueberry, popping and soaking the gently-flavored vanilla sponge with its juices. The sponge, light as angel food cake but so moist it melts in your mouth. The frosting, light and creamy -- sweet, yes, but not cloying. It was the perfect cupcake. All the flavors complemented each other while serving their role. The cake was gone in seconds.
Since moving back to the States, I've searched and searched for a bakery that can reproduce Lola's blueberry cupcakes, but I haven't found one yet. Their cupcakes are uniquely well made, with fresh ingredients as toppers, and are delicious enough to convert me into a fan of cake.