Hostess with the Mostest

Knowing that I am a huge cupcake fan, Little Sister's friend M. recently wrote to me about her cupcake adventures in New York City.

I won’t deny that I have a sweet tooth. Nevertheless, it’s usually someone else who suggests splitting dessert (with me eating more than my half!) To me, the typical choices on dessert menus seem uninspired – and uninspiring. Crème brulée, molten chocolate cake, flan, sorbets made of seasonal fruits, something clever involving Nutella…all are too easy to come by at fine restaurants and TGI Friday's alike. Yes, they’re delicious and sinful, but even the more inventive desserts seem to be treading old ground. I believe dessert should be fun!

This is why I’m mystified by the cupcake rage. The childhood dessert revival is the epitome of treading old ground – but without the fun. When I was a kid, I used to frost my own cupcakes, decorate them with multicolored sprinkles and make smiley faces with red hots. They tasted awful, but they had character. Now, urbanites in million dollar apartments are embracing their childhood by waiting in line for cupcakes that are impersonal and overly precious. I waited in line once to try a Magnolia cupcake, the hottest mini-treat in town; I was left unimpressed and slightly nauseous, and vowed never again.

But on a visit to Long Island City, my friend K. suggested lunch at Sage American Kitchen, a neighborhood catering company. She wanted me to try their homemade Hostess cupcake, the Fauxstess. For a second time, I gave in to the novelty cupcake hype, but this time, I was genuinely excited.

The Hostess was not a childhood staple for me. With the exception of the occasional Nilla Wafer or windmill cookie, my mom avoided packaged foods and Hostess cupcakes were strictly verboten, which made them even more appealing. Now that I’m all grown up, financially independent and live several states away, I can’t bring myself to buy them. Twenty-five year old girls living in New York are supposed to like trendy Magnolia cupcakes, not the Hostess variety.

I decide that there will be two tests for this Fauxstess cupcake:
1) Can the icing peel off in one continuous motion, completely separating from the rest of the cake?
2) Does the filling inside hover somewhere between whipped cream and frosting, neither overtaking nor being overtaken by the chocolate cake?

One look at the Fauxstess ($2) reveals a relatively small cupcake that’s curvier than the original. The other elements are all there: chocolate cake, dark frosting, mysterious filling and iconic white squiggle. I put it to the first test and try to peel off the icing. It fails. Drat! I always got a kick out of doing that; it’s a sick pleasure, like putting glue on my hand and peeling it off after it dries, then trying to convince my mom that I had a flesh-eating virus.

But on to the second, more important test: the filling. The inside is still weirdly wonderful and enhanced by the moist chocolate cake, far superior to the dry original. Sage American Kitchen knows what it’s doing; this version is fudgy and delicious, a definite taste improvement.

With the same lovable qualities of the packaged classic, the Fauxstess is a good compromise between going to the bodega for a trans-fatfull Hostess and waiting in line at Magnolia. And for someone who had a Hostess-free childhood, this cupcake actually seems exotic. I’ll take one of these over a crème brulée any day.

Tip: If you have more cash to spend and don’t have time to make it to Queens, you can visit St. Bart’s Café (catered by Sage). For $9, you can get the Hostess dessert, a platter of cupcakes and ice cream.

Sage American Kitchen, Queens, NY, 26-21 Jackson Avenue, 718-361-0707
Sage American Kitchen's St. Bart’s Café, New York, 109 East 50th Street, 212-888-2664
Magnolia Bakery, New York, 401 Bleecker Street, 212-462-2572

Comments

[Mom]

My mouth is watering for one of those Hostess cupcakes right now, even though it's only 7AM! Maybe Little Sister could mail me one???

[Little Sister]

I feel i have to stick up for the other cupcakes. Although it is true that they are a simple treat, Magnolia and Billy's Bakery in Chelsea manage to make yummy little cakes with colorful frosting that isn't too sugary, which i feel is the downfall of most cupcakes.

Billy's Bakery, 184 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011, (212)647-9956