Sweet Mandy B's Fall Cupcakes

The best bakery in the city is Sweet Mandy B's in Lincoln Park. It's true. There are a lot of great bakeries in this city; I don't deny that. But the very best for cupcakes, cakes... and most other things is Sweet Mandy B's.

The storefront is adorable. They've expanded the space within the past year so that there's a cute little cafe attached to the original store. Everything about this place makes me happy -- except how crowded it gets sometimes. (Don't worry -- it's not a constant. By and large my experiences at Sweet Mandy B's have been good -- the service is efficient and the lines move quickly.)

If I'm not baking something for a friend's birthday myself, I head to Sweet Mandy B's and pick up some of their signature cupcakes, featured on the left. Their frosting is delicious, but what makes Sweet Mandy B's so amazing is their cake. It is awesome. I know a lot of people hate the word moist, but it's the only way to describe the cake at Sweet Mandy B's. It's pretty unbelievable. On top of the taste, the cupcakes themselves are (undeniably) cute as a button.

While I do love their signature cupcakes for any occasion, I get REALLY excited when they come out with their fall flavors. One of my favorite things about living in Chicago is the ability to experience all four seasons (however fleeting my two favorite seasons -- fall and spring -- may be) and I seize every opportunity to celebrate each one by changing up everything from my clothes and perfume to the food I cook and consume. So when Sweet Mandy B's comes out with their fall cupcakes, I get pretty ecstatic since flavors like pumpkin and apple tend to be some of my all-time favorites. And of course, Sweet Mandy doesn't disappoint. Featured at left are their pumpkin cupcakes, caramel apple cupcakes and carrot cake cupcakes. (The carrot cake cupcakes are available year-round, but I feel that they're also pretty fall-appropriate.)

My favorites are the pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They have just the right amount of pumpkin and don't have so much "spice" going on that it overpowers everything else. They are perfect. And they're topped with super-cute special fall-shaped sprinkles. The caramel apple cupcakes are pretty tasty, too, and they feature a layer of something similar to an apple compote between the apple spice cake and the sweet caramel-topped buttercream frosting. These cupcakes definitely taste like fall. Lastly, the classic carrot cake is just that: a moist carrot cake cupcake topped with an unparalleled cream cheese frosting. Stop by Sweet Mandy B's at 1208 W. Webster today and get yours.

Happy fall!