Butter Lane: Putting the Butter Back in Buttercream

It's Spring Dinner Party part 3, and today we're talking dessert. Luckily, I wasn't in charge of dessert this time, since I was busy cooking up other things, like hearty beef brisket. And after my mom explained her desire to test out Butter Lane Bakery, Kimmi and I decided it was a no-brainer...Dessert from Butter Lane it would be! A sweet little bakery in the East Village, Butter Lane prides itself on being the cupcake for adults. It solidifies its adult status as a Butter Lane cupcake is made with pure ingredients, like real butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla bean and real cocoa and the end result is nothing short of heavenly. Oh, and yes, that is in fact popcorn on the caramel cupcake....say it with me...'mmmmm'.

With mouth-watering flavors like banana, espresso, caramel, classic vanilla bean, chocolate and more, you pretty much can't go wrong at Butter Lane. The cake is airy and a bit crumbly (nothing like the decandently fudgy Irish Car Bomb cupcakes), the frosting is smooth and buttery. So buttery in fact, that they really put the butter back in buttercream. When faced with a super sugary laden Magnolia Bakery cupcake, it feels as though I'm just eating straight sugar. But not the Butter Lane frosting. In perhaps a real tribute to its name, the frosting is actually refreshingly buttery (ever think you'd hear the words refreshing & butter together?) with a hint of sweetness...and it's silky smooth to boot. No individual sugar granules here, and I'm not complaining. I mean, really, see those little vanilla bean specs? Yum!
And the sweet packaging is really just the icing on the cake, so to speak. It's reminiscent of my recent penchant for basic craft paper wrapping with twine to tie it all together (the exact way that I wrapped birthday gifts for this very evening). With a simple black stamp of Butter Lane gracing the packaging, it doesn't get more rustic, organic, and classic than this.

So that's Butter Lane. And while Magnolia got me through my NYU years, I guess Butter Lane really is for grown ups. What do you think? Have you tried Butter Lane? Do you like a super sugary buttercream, or more of a silky smooth kind?

Psst...can't get enough cupcake love? Check out Baked by Melissa, Key Lime in the Coconut Cupcakes, Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, Soutine, and Baba Booey's Peanutastic Cupcakes...