Il Fornaio Bakery

Before I moved from Astoria I had to take an inventory of cupcakes shops. Or just places that sold cupcakes. And I found that there are so many more than I’d anticipated. Like Leli’s, Il Fornaio has a variety of Greek and Italian pastries and a small section of cupcakes. I’m partial to places that feature a small array of classic cupcakes — hello, vanilla and chocolate — so I gravitated towards this one. Even though the flavors might be classic these are anything but. I mean, look at that!

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This piping job is awesomesauce. The buttercream looks fluffy. But upon first bite I was let down. The cake is dry but the frosting is incredible. So there’s that. But first you taste the dryness of the cake and then follow it up with a shot of awesome frosting. Like a frosting chaser. Um, OK. Works for me. So the cake was very dry and didn’t have much of a vanilla flavor. It tasted more like corn bread. The frosting is creamy and fluffy, doesn’t appear grainy, but it was slightly heavy on the sugar, so more butter would have been perfect. The cake:frosting ratio was on point — not on fleek, because that word is stupid and I’m an adult — the amount was perfect and even though the cake was dry, I had an enjoyable experience as I dove into this cupcake. I kind of want to return and try the chocolate, and I just want more of that frosting. Doesn’t anybody understand he importance of frosting shots?

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