Printer-friendly versionLet me set the stage: You and your best friend, significant other, study buddy or whatever other kind of "special friend" you may have are hungry. It is past 11, which means campusfood.com has practically shut down. You used to have only two real choices: brave the cold and walk through West Philadelphia in the dark to Fresh Grocer (open all 24 sketchy hours of the day) or order Insomnia Cookies. Now, you have a new option: cupmakes.com.
For all of those old SAT analogy lovers, Cupmakes is to cupcakes as Insomnia is to cookies. On this site, you can custom-make your own cupcakes - which really are 2.5 times the standard size, as they advertise - and have them delivered straight to your door. You choose your base (Moist Chocolate or French Vanilla), your icing (French Vanilla, Fabulous Fudge, Cinnamon Maple Syrup or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup) and your selection from a variety of toppings, ranging from sprinkles to caramel to coconut to M&M's and more. There is even a birthday option -- candles and a bow, anyone? - for a mere 15 cents. Sounds perfect for almost anyone: the stoners with the munchies, the drunken binge eaters or even those simply procrastinating and in the mood for cake (and who isn't always in the mood for cake?).
I have to admit that I am the token "fat kid in a skinny body," but even I find fault in what I thought was a flawless invention that would solve my problems forever. The issue lies in the fact that this Web site requires you to order a minimum of six identical cupcakes. Granted, it's a good deal; without frills, six cupcakes costs $12, and that includes delivery and tip. But being boxed into purchasing six identical goodies is more problematic than you might think. Try convincing your chocolate-obsessed girlfriend to agree to order a set of all vanilla cupcakes. And then there's the whole peanut butter debacle: do you get peanut butter frosting? Do you get crushed Reese's on the top? Do you get both plus drizzled caramel and crushed butterfingers? How much is too much? How could you possibly get two people (or more) to agree on these crucial cupcake matters? If you and your "friend" aren't what I like to call "cupcake compatible," this site could make or break your night. Or worse
Delicious
Digg
Facebook
Technorati
Grab the RSS feed
I hate to say this, but Cupmakes aren't that good. It's much more worth your while to buy them from the store and buy some candy to pour on top of them. Or, better yet, you can make them yourself (which really only takes about 45 minutes, the amount of time you'll be waiting for Cupmakes to arrive) and get to lick the batter off the spoon and eat the extra icing! Cupmakes are way overpriced and not that great. The cake is okay (but they didn't arrive warm like they supposedly would), but the icing isn't very sugary -- or buttery -- but more Crisco-tasting and bland. I ordered six with 4 other friends and the total was $20 (including tip), an average of $3.00 per cupcake and after all of that, we only finished two because we didn't like them and were disappointed. Maybe they will get a lot of business when everyone is first testing the product, but I doubt they will get a lot of repeat customers. I don't want to be a hater, but I love making cupcakes, and it is so much better to do it yourself that get Cupcakes. You could make, honestly, 60 cupcakes for the same price if you bought your own ingredients.
I have to agree with Cupcake-Lover. I thought that Cupmakes was pretty terrible. I ordered the Bananas Foster cupcakes with two friends. First of all, the total for 3 cupcakes came to $12.35- over $4 dollars per cupcake! Maybe I would consider this acceptable if the cupcakes were actually good, but they had LUMPS in them- I think it must have been lumps of flour that didn't get mixed into the batter properly, but it was really unappetizing. The frosting was lard-y and messy and gooey, and the carmel drizzled on top certainly didn't help. It made me nauseous... I don't recommend them. Go to fresh grocer and pick some up from the bakery if you'e that desperate.
i must say that i'm surprised at the comments. i've ordered cupmakes weekly and must say that theyre def better than insomnia for a late night snack. only problem is delivery can be an issue it's kinda 50/50 getting it on time. but when you factor in the size, taste, quality and everything else it beats insomnia hands down. therez just lots of haters??
I too am kinda shocked about the Cupmakes hate. I've been to gourmet cupcake places in New York and LA, where the cupcakes are itty bitty (or as you would say, standard sized) and those suckers cost 4 bucks a cupcake!
With Cupmakes, you get a HUGE cupcake with a variety of toppings.
It was love at first taste when I bit into their chocolate cupcake with cake batter icing. MMMMMMMMMM...
And honestly, if it is 10 PM and you get a craving for sweets, are you seriously going to bake them yourselves? Let someone else do the baking (and messy dishes!!) for you.
I like cupmakes. If you put the choc on a martini glass with van gelato and a shot of espresso...Now Thats SEXY!!! :)
Post new comment