Cupcake of Shame

So I have a confession.

A few weeks ago I found my favorite cupcake.

Amazingly soft, incredibly moist, perfect cake-to-frosting ratio, by far the best cake I've had in my years of sampling...this seems like it would be a great thing, right? Almost.  I'm ashamed to admit that I bought this cake on a whim from none other than... Au Bon Pain.  That's right. A chain whose entry into the cupcake market signaled once and for all that cupcakes have jumped the shark in the opinion of mainstream America.  Okay, so maybe that was Starbucks, but still, in the foodie world, saying your favorite cupcake came from an industrial chain is like saying you had the most amazing burger and it came from that little shop down the street, "You know the one? MCDONALD'S?" Yeah.

So, you can see why I'm torn.  And why, obviously, I had to go back : ) I mean, what if the Red Velvet cake I sampled happened to be a fluke? A one-time anomaly perpetrated on a cranky mind by a hungry tummy? Inquiring minds want to know!  So when I was nearby the ABP tonight I did that thing where you tell yourself you're not going in but, deep down, you know darn well you're about to walk right through that door.  And, I mean, I had to break a $20 bill to do laundry, right? Totally necessary.

So here I sit. Completely sated from a French Vanilla cupcake with Cream Cheese frosting and mini Vanilla Chips. Another home run.  The picture above is courtesy of Nation's Restaurant News because I had so little faith in the cupcakes that I didn't even bother to take a photo before devouring them--oh me of little faith.  So now you all know the truth, but when people ask me for my cupcakery recommendations, I'm still going to suggest Red Velvet in DC, Bakeshop in VA and Bakery Gingham or Pink Moon back home in Columbus--sorry ABP, but I've got a reputation to protect : )

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