Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery

I have a mixed relationship with the gluten. And an even more tumultuous history with the gluten-free trend that has happened in recent years. Yes, I realize for some people it’s not a trend, but for many more people it is. I, like a lot of people, turned to the paleo and gluten-free life to feel better about my body, perform better in my sport, and make smarter food choices. Expecting to have more energy and completely curb my sugar cravings was something I looked forward to. So when that didn’t happen, I wasn’t just annoyed, I was pissed. Mostly I was cranky for the lack of grains in my life. And I was hungry. Always hungry. All of these “amazing” effects of giving up bread just weren’t happening to me. And I felt sad and depressed. My body needs the grains.

But everybody is different and the gluten-free lifestyle works for some. Especially those that will DIE if the they eat bread. And it is for those people that I’m glad Tu-Lus exists. I dabbled in GF baking but there really is nothing I can do with coconut flour to make even edible. So thank God for this East Village bakery.

Guys, these are solid cupcakes. They are more dense than you are used to (that would be the lack of Gluten) but have a great flavor. Holding this small cupcake in my hand I can tell there is something different to it. And biting into it, it’s strange, but in a totally good way! When you aren’t gluten-free biting into a GF cupcake is kind of an adventure. You’re not really sure if it’s going to be delicious or you will be eating a dry crumbly rock. Well, this one is the first one. Definitely. There is solid flavor in the moist, fluffy cupcake. This is definitely a vanilla cupcake. I know this because I can actually taste vanilla. It has a slight consistency of a muffin or cornbread, but not of the corn flavor. The frosting has the perfect chocolate flavor, I only wish there was more and it was richer. The flavors are great together, although there definitely should have been more frosting to create the perfect cake:frosting ratio. But overall, I’m really loving my  in the gluten-free cupcake tasting adventure.

It is very hard to make gluten-free baked goods taste delicious. Trust me. So I’m really loving these cupcakes. If you make gluten-free baked goods an essential part of your well-balanced diet, Tu-Lu’s is a must. I am a gluten-loving fiend so these are not my favorites. But definitely better than some less-than-stellar glutenous cupcakes I’ve assessed so far.

Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery
338 East 11th St
New York, NY

Presentation: 4/5
First Bite: 3.5/5
Cake: 3/5
Frosting: 4/5
Cake:Frosting Ratio: 3/5
Overall: 17.5/25