Quest for Rye's Best: Cupcakes

Cupcakes have been the trendy treat ever since Carrie Bradshaw gracefully nibbled on one from New York's celebrated Magnolia's Bakery. 

It seems that cupcakes have infiltrated every birthday party, wedding and dessert menu. But in the midst of this cupcake overload, how can we tell which ones take the cake?  From Rye to Port Chester, I left no cupcake unturned (or uneaten) on my quest for the best.

The Rye Country Store might seem like an unlikely place to start my search.  This 80-year old mom and pop shop has everything from cold cuts to gift baskets and, as it turns out, cupcakes.  I tried an Easter-inspired cupcake with purple frosting and gave a double take when I heard that it only cost $1.50! On top of that, the cupcake was enormous–a meal in and of itself.  The frosting–decorated with rainbow sprinkles–had a glaze-like consistency and coated the cake's top entirely.  The yellow cake tasted freshly baked and lemony.  This cupcake was all about getting back to basics. If June Cleaver had baked cupcakes, then you'd be sure to see this one on her kitchen table.

Rye's Patisserie Salzburg, in addition to selling flakey pastries and fruit tarts, also has a variety of cupcakes.  Choosing from an assortment (lemon, flourless chocolate, and vanilla to name a few), I decided upon the peanut butter & jelly cupcake, which was adorned with a yellow chick cookie in celebration of Easter.  The flourish of frosting was the ideal concoction of butter cream and peanut butter.  The cake was muffin-like and, though not overly sweet, seemed to mimic bread more than cake.  Hidden in the cake's center was a small dollop of raspberry jelly. At $3.50 this cupcake was pricey, but jam-packed (pun intended) with gourmet intrigue.

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary, The Kneaded Bread in Port Chester is well known by locals for its loaves and pies.  This bakery also serves a selection of cupcakes including such flavors as strawberry, mint, orange, and coconut.  Leaving behind Salzburg's kid-friendly PB & J, I tried the mocha chocolate cupcake.  Topped with an espresso bean, the creamy frosting tasted like a cup-of-joe. The moist cake had a subtle saltiness that nicely balanced the sweet chocolate.  For the agreeable price of $2, this petite cupcake would please coffee-fanatics and cupcake-lovers alike.

The Verdict: While all three cupcakes were delicious morsels of perfection, the Rye Country Store's home-style cupcake bedazzled its gourmet competitors.  

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