Cake Crusade Part 2: The Loop

Author & Photographer: Rylen Sigman

Cupcakes: the portable, urban solution to cake slices. In this second installment of Cake Crusade, I decided to see what Chicago’s bustling epicenter had to offer. Pitting beloved local business against famous worldwide chain, I visited Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique and Magnolia Bakery to compare four cupcakes by quality of cake and frosting. The result? Clarity and an inevitable stomachache. Welcome back to Cake Crusade.

Editor’s Note: Sugar Bliss offers pickup, delivery, and curbside delivery. Orders can be made through Sugar Bliss’s website, Grubhub, or Postmates. Gift cards are also available.

Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique

Launched by UChicago Alum Teresa Ging in 2007 as a catering business, Sugar Bliss now occupies a location on The Loop’s North Wabash Ave. Although the boutique is known for its cupcakes, it also sells a variety of macarons and cake pops, among other baked goodies. I decided to stick with two basic options: a vanilla cupcake and a chocolate cupcake.

Image from https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2654/3679930480_01b35258c0_b.jpg

Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake

Cake:

The texture of the cake was an interesting combination of oily and crumbly. Although it was satisfyingly dense, it did not quite capture the optimal moistness. I was also a bit off-put by the overwhelming sweetness of the cake, which felt more sugar-flavored than strictly vanilla.

Frosting:

The buttercream frosting was alright on its own, with a nice, buttery texture, but when paired with the cake, it also came across as too sweet. I again felt that the vanilla flavor was lost to the cloying sugar, and I had a hard time eating more than a few bites.

Overall: 3/5

Not bad, but the sweetness was overwhelming.

Chocolate Milk Chocolate Cupcake

Cake:

The cake was near perfection. Featuring a slightly crisp, outer skin and a moist, dense middle, the texture of the cupcake was ideal. The sweetness matched the vanilla cupcake, but it was offset by the darkness of the chocolate, with just the right amount of bitter to prevent it from being cloying.

Frosting:

The milk chocolate frosting paired well with the cake. As with the vanilla, the texture was smooth and buttery, which was a nice contrast to the density of the cake. The milk chocolate flavor worked very well here; I liked the choice to use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate, as it accentuated the flavor of the cake without being too bitter or overwhelming.

Overall: 4.5/5

Still quite sweet, but the chocolate flavor was much more enjoyable.

Editor’s Note: While Magnolia Bakery locations are closed for the foreseeable future, baked goods can still be ordered online at Magnoliabakery.com.

Magnolia Bakery

A hugely successful chain bakery started in NYC in 1996, Magnolia now has locations spanning the US to Dubai. Located at Block 37, in the heart of the loop, Magnolia has become a sweet staple for tourists and Chicagoans alike. Although they do sell actual cake slices, I thought it would be best to compare cakes by sampling another vanilla cupcake and chocolate cupcake.

Vanilla Cupcake

Cake:

The cake was a bit on the dry side, with a lighter texture than the one from Sugar Bliss. Although the cake could have been more moist, I liked that the flavor—while still not intensely vanilla—was not overwhelmingly sweet.

Frosting:

This buttercream frosting was incredibly smooth, and in combination with the sprinkles, added a nice texture contrast to the cake itself. The vanilla flavor came through a bit more in the frosting, making up for where the cake was lacking. The frosting was quite sweet, but when paired with the less sweet cake, was not overwhelming.

Overall: 4/5

While still rich, the combined frosting and cake in this cupcake were not overpowering, and I found this vanilla cupcake more enjoyable than the one at Sugar Bliss.

Chocolate Cupcake

Cake:

The cake was definitely good—dense, not too dry—but lacked that delicious, crispy outer layer that the Sugar Bliss cupcake had. The flavor was also less chocolatey, making the sweetness come across as too cloying. I would have preferred more of a bitterness, like in the Sugar Bliss cupcake.

Frosting:

The chocolate buttercream frosting had the same nice, smooth texture as the vanilla buttercream did, but was lacking in the flavor department. The butter flavor came across more than the chocolate did, and I felt that it was missing the heaviness I usually enjoy in chocolate desserts. In combination with the sweetness of the cake, the buttery richness of the frosting was a bit overwhelming.

Overall: 3/5

It wasn’t a bad cupcake, but it unfortunately did not live up to the amazing experience I had with the Sugar Bliss chocolate cupcake.

Conclusion

Another tie! While I prefered Magnolia’s vanilla, I prefered Sugar Bliss’ chocolate. In terms of presentation, both shops excelled in creating cute, signature cupcakes, and I would definitely go back to both places to try more flavors.

See you for the next Cake Crusade!