There’s been a lot of running talk on these streets lately, and for good reason. I just finished my first half marathon and am still jazzed about it. (And thank you all for your kind words on my half marathon post!) In order to live by my favorite word, I need to balance this blog with a post dedicated to some food! While I was in California I went on a last minute trip to LA (GIGI I LOVE YOU I’M SORRY!) I had my heart set on trying some of the famous cupcakes made at Babycakes NYC. I have been DYINGGG for a good cupcake, and being vegan tends to limit the options.
This place is 100% vegan so I just haddd to try their goods. Driving around LA was sketch..I mean..SKETCH. There were transients everywhere and I was having a hard time imagining a cute cupcake shop in the parts I was driving through. Fortunately the location I made it to was less sketchy than the first. Once I arrived I was shocked by the prices..$4.75 for a cupcake the size of my pinky toe?! Then my hawk eyes found a two for one deal on day old cupcakes. Two cupcakes for $4.25…deal.
Red velvet and Vanilla banana
Visually I was not impressed. How hard is it to make the icing look nice? Foul number one. Texture was that of a muffin..UGH. All I wanted was a MOIST, fluffy cupcake! These cupcakes sucked, and were NOT worth the money. They flavor was mediocre, but my biggest complaint was the density of the cake. I could have made these at home for $0.25 each. Fail.
Thankfully I found a cheap vegan restaurant that saved the afternoon.
I shared a Pineapple “chicken” burger, and a Seitan wrap. Both of which were deeelicious, and the bill was a whopping $14.
That night I then feasted at the Spaghetti Factory to carb load for my half marathon. I got up the next day, ran 13.1 miles, went to the hotel to get cleaned up..and set out to find some more food. This is about to be my favorite part of this post. Prepare yourselves. After the run, I was walking like a wounded wildabeast. I was emotionally hurt from the cupcake experience the day before, and I was desperately needing something douched in chocolate.
In order to prevent cramping or muscle tightening, we went to walk around some shops to keep the movement in our legs going. It just so happened we went back to whole foods for some more PB. This is where I saw it, the most magical sight I have ever laid my eyes on. The most gorgeous vegan cupcake with a simple, but CLASSIC icing job.
The icing to cake ratio was perfect..simply perfect. The cake was MOIST, chewy and tasted just like a naughty grocery store cupcake! THANK YOU WHOLE FOODS! I have been gawking at these pictures for a week now, I just can’t stop thinking about this cupcake. I am lucky the closest WF is over an hour away, or I would purchase one daily. The moral of the story is, if you find a shitty cupcake don’t give up hope..just go to WF!
Q: What’s one experience you’ve had with recently with food that left you with disappointment on your face and pain in your heart? Sorry Babycakes, your muffin cakes aren’t for me.
Blissfulbritt 
29 thoughts on “Balance”
Alex @ therunwithin
um that face is classic. frame that please!
Brittany @ GOtheXtraMile
I would have been so pissed! When you order a cupcake… you should NOT get a muffin. Love the last pic haha:D
Choc Chip Uru
Haha that last pic shows it all 😉
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
hippierunner
Babycakes donuts are where it’s at! They’re so moist and yum (even the day-olds usually!). Sorry your experience was less than stellar. And I totally have to defend my town and say you were right by Skid Row…which is where basically ALL the homeless of Los Angeles live. and Downtown LA is only one little part of LA. So I guess that kinda gave ya a bad impression. There’s more to us than that, I promise!! 🙂
Glad you found some great food to fuel your awesome race!
blissfulbritt
I’ll be back to LA for sure, I figured I was just in a bad area! And if you swear by babycakes…then I have to give them another try!
Rach @ This Italian Family
I love that picture of you at the end SO much! Absolutely excellent! Glad the cupcake was amazing, friend! 🙂
Alexandra
That last picture? One word: AWESOMESAUCE. Have I ever told you how much I love you?!
Bummer about the babycakes, but hooray about that cool restaurant yall hit up! It looks like it was deliciousssssss 😀
HollieisFueledByLOLZ
AWE. Boo for muffins. Cupcakes are where it’s at. I would have been mad too.
Britta
Love the picture of you devouring that cupcake.. looks delicious. And I could go for one myself right now!! mmmm craving hard.
Amalia
Well now I never have to go to babycakes! I can scratch that one off my life list. And seriously, that picture of you devouring the cupcake – a favourite. You’re awesome.
Louise Mackie
Ohhhhh that SUCKS when you spend the $$$ and get a FAIL. I like that you story had a happy (chocolate) ending though 🙂
GiGi Eats Celebrities
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!! I GET A SHOUT OUT IN YOUR POST – OMG I just peed my pants with excitement! Although, I am slightly POed too… CAUSE YOU WERE IN LA!! Gahh, lol… Oh well the shout out made up for it.
I think you need to make a VIDEO about how much you HATED those Babycakes cup cakes… POOP: If only we hung out, we could have TOTALLY made a video together (since that’s all I do these days apparently, LOL). It will happen in the NEAR future though 🙂 I am actually a little more upset now though…. You went to my SANCTUARY without me… Whole Foods. Just know, if you went with me, you would have gotten that cupcake FOR FREE ;P A little more incentive to come back and visit again soon perhaps? LOL!
Nicole Marie Story
I want to eat the pineapple chicken burger directly off of my computer screen!!!!!!!!!
Khushboo Thadani
Gah I HATE when a certain food doesn’t live up to expectations…especially when I’ve been looking forward to it! That WF cupcake looks so decadent…glad it hit the spot!! When I was in London last summer, I had the best carrot cake of my life and had been thinking about it all year. When I went back last month, I went to the same place and was so ready devour that bad boy but unfortunately, it was nowhere near as moist or delicious as I remember….it was a sad day to say the least!
thoughtsappear
I’m glad you found a cupcake to make up for the icky ones!
teabagginit
i used to cook at Millennium (vegan fine dining restaurant in SF) and bake at a vegan-friendly cafe in SF so I know the pain it is to try to make tasty vegan cupcakes. Still when you profess to make vegan cupcakes and charge $$$ for them – they should at least look nice … no, scratch that. they should taste good, too!
i’m glad whole foods came through in the end!
Rachel Elizabeth
Next time I’m in the city I’m so checking this place out! Glad you found a good one 😀 and love your face hahaha biting into a cupcake is hard work :p
Christina Does It All
haha! love the picture of you eating the cupcake. you make stuffing your face look cute 😛 glad you found the perfect vegan cupcake!
Tessa @ Amazing Asset
Umm this is awesome, you are awesome, as is the food 🙂 The last picture of you there is fantastic to say the least! Oh and off to email you now, I forgot yesterday, dohhh!
cottercrunch
oh man, all talk. I hear ya . I did that with pinkberry. I wasn’t a fan really. Just pass me the coconut bliss instead!
caloricandcrazy
Sorry about the cupcakes :(!
I love LA only cause of the copious amounts of vegan restaurants they have 😀
ko0ty
Congrats on your half marathon! I would love to do a Disney run because it sounds so fun.
As for cupcakes, I’ve come to realize that they are SO overrated. They are soo pretty and that’s what makes you want to eat them but most of them are dry and not worth the calories.
Sophie Juliette
Oh that sucks about the cupcakes, it’s always annoying when you’re massively disappointed by something you were looking forward to. That happened to me once at the restaurant with a delicious sounding but actually disgusting pasta dish! On the plus side that vegan restaurant sounds great and that chocolate cupcake – amazing 🙂
katalysthealth
haha ya LA can be a scary place at times, it all just depends on the area. Ive never tried Babycakes, but the Sprinkles cupcakes were ok. The cake itself was light and airy, but it just tasted like an everyday cupcake to me, nothing special. The frosting on the other hand? DIVINE.
Melissa @ Mouthwatering Morsel
omg those look good! and your pictures came out VERY pretty!! I agree with Alex … frame that picture. haha
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* Vegan Sparkles *
hahaha, OHHHH thank heavens for Whole Foods and Green Leaves saving the day! NOM!
itsthecookiemonster
wow you’ve gone vegan? cool stuff! i wish i could, but I think it’d be too hard for me to part with my butter 😛
sucks to hear that babycakes has crappy cupcakes. it’s just that ive heard so much good hype bout them that I can’t believe their quality sucks 😦
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