Cupcakes come to Paris

I find it equal parts insane, idiotic and exciting that as soon as I move to Paris, looking forward to the miellefeuille cakes, pain au chocolate, artisinal chocolates and good old Nutella street crepes, I find myself seeking out a seven-month-old, cupcakes-only bakery as if I were in New York.

I arrived at Cupcakes & Co in the afternoon with the sun spilling through the window, onto the one in-store table. The bakery is tiny. The menu, however, is not.

Choosing between, say, five or six cupcake flavors is hard enough. But at Cupcakes & Co, there are over 20 varieties and they all sound heavenly. Coffee and hazelnut? Poppy seed with orange cream cheese frosting? Vanilla bourbon cake with glazed figs and pine nuts?? Mon dieu.

My gaze darted back and forth between the descriptions on the chalkboard and the pretty creations in the display case. As per usual, I was won over by a raspberry. I ordered the Scheherazade, an irresistible combination of pistachio cake, a raspberry center and cream cheese frosting.





The two sisters who started the bakery, Rebecca and Maggy, pride themselves on using natural and organic products. And, even though the concept came about from travels to the states, their recipes are French in origin. That is, they are delicious. Dare I say, this cupcake may be one of the best sweets I’ve had here.



I took it to the park so I could enjoy it beneath the cherry blossoms. The cake was moist, the jammy center was bright and fruity, and the frosting was thick and savory.



And it was all topped with crushed pistachios and a perfect raspberry.


It was a little piece of New York, with the elegant touch of Paris.

25 rue de la Forge Royale
11eme