[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

This is not a cupcake—but an éclair ($3.75) in the shape of a cupcake. I was prepared to hate Molly's Cupcakes. The last thing this city needs, especially the West Village, is another cupcake "boutique." But then I saw this éclair. In the shape of a cupcake. And I totally melted.

It was good, really good, actually, in a decidedly non-French, totally-American sort of way, stuffed with a voluptuous, creamy vanilla pudding. The top is dipped in a silky dark chocolate frosting with streaks of white, and the choux pastry is always fresh, light, and never soggy. There's no one correct way to go about eating this. I just like to surrender and dig in with both hands. Believe me, a fork and knife won't keep you from making a mess.

The cupcakes here are pretty high up the cupcake scale as well, but we'll get into details on another post. Molly's Cupcakes' Bleecker Street location is right by a bunch of schools, and afternoon hours are packed with kids and nannies. I'm sure the free sprinkles bar—tons of options, even pink pig-shaped sprinkles—will keep them (and me!) coming back for more.

Molly's Cupcakes

228 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014 (map)
212-414-2253
mollyscupcakes.com

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.