Babycakes--am i missing something?
A question for the foodie/health-oriented: I was in Babycakes, that new bakery on Broome St. in the LES, that just got voted best cupcake. Am I missing something, or is it just god awful? I've heard that by vegan standards it is great, is this true? My chocolate chip cookie was a tiny scrappy leftover peeled off of a greasy pan. Also, isn't coconut oil, the ingedient they proudly profess to use as a healthier ingredient, actually especially high in saturated fat?
yema401
Apr 17, 2006 04:02PM
They use hydrogenated coconut oil to thicken the frosting in there cupcakes. You're better off sticking to lard...
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Whether lard is better for you than coconut oil is a matter of debate. I recommend doing a web search on coconut oil, and you'll see that there's a lot of discussion concerning its health benefits.
In terms of Babycakes, I guess that's a matter of debate as well. I happen to love the place. True, I'm allergic to wheat and had been deprived of cupcakes for almost 25 years prior to discovering Babycakes. However, I do have standards, and I cannot choke down those cardboard consistency wheat-free items so prevalent in health-food stores. Not everything at Babycakes impresses me, but that carrot cupcake with the vanilla frosting definitely does.
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I have to agree. With all the hoopla around here about the place I was expecting the cupcakes to be heavenly......they are very far from it.
I remember there was a huge thread on this place, full of people singing their praises. I'm starting to get the impression it was some kind of "underground" marketing campaign, to suck people in.
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I have no allergies to food , though I am very health-conscious and pay particular attention to what I eat. I am always looking for alternatives to over-sweetened, heavy desserts. When Babycakes first opened, I also sung it's praises as the new hot bakery in town.
Cat is out of the bag---they're awful. I can make MUCH better vegan brownies using arrowroot instead of eggs, honey instead of sugar, oil instead of butter--it's not hard at all.
That frosting is flat out gross.
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The only way we can figure Babycakes has such a following is via some massive, underground marketing campaign. It certainly isn't because the cupcake is of superior quality or taste. I understand that the cake has health benefits for those of us who no longer can tolerate certain ingredients (either for personal reasons, or health reasons [<2% of the US]). If you put the Babycake head-to-head against the other fine cupcakes in a 10 block radius (e.g., Sweet Sugar Sunshine) I think you will find serious taste and texture issues with the cake and the frosting alike. This may not be a fair comparison, but hey, they won best cupcake NOT gluten-free/vegan cake.
I worked for a time period in a manufacturer of no-sugar added and sugar-free deserts, primarily for diabetics (a sadly increasingly prevalent disease). The most common complaint was from customers who ate too much of the product. You aren't lactose intolerant if you eat a pint of ice cream and get sick, but you may have a binge-eating problem. Sugar-free or no refined sugar added does not equal a free doctor's note to eat all you like--especially if coconut oil is involved. I sure hope that isn't why they've won awards.
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I think their marketing campaign is not-so subtle...but maybe I'm just REALLY cynical by now.
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I think Babycakes has found a huge, neglected, niche market and that's the reason for their popularity. There really are a LOT of us wheat and gluten-allergic people, and we're so GRATEFUL to be able to walk into a bakery and eat everything in the place that we want to cry with joy. After decades of deprivation, you just want to be able to eat a freakin' cookie now and then, and when somebody concocts a good one, you'll shout their name from the rooftops. Where Babycakes would fall in a blind taste-test among the great wheat-based bakeries in the city is an interesting question, and it's highly likely they wouldn't come out on top. I'm guessing that the loyalty and gratitude of their wheat-free fans (like yours truly) accounted for their win.
This in no way disparages the product. I think that carrot cupcake is stupendous. Just my never-humble opinion.
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Here's the thing for the uninformed. You may not like the baked goods there, and that's totally a personal thing, but, as for the ingredients, coconut oil is NOT hydrogenated, it is saturated on its' own. Hydrogenation means artificially adding hydrogen to an oil to make it more stable in a food product, less likely to go rancid, and firmer. The amazing thing about coconut oil is that the kind she uses, unrefined, is actually VERY good for you, and has medium chain trigycerides (MCTs), that have been shown to increase metabolism......so, this oil has nothing in common with your standard saturated oils, not to mention the hydrogenated ones. Secondly, the sweetener she mostly uses is Agave, the catus syrup, which has such a low glycemic index that it's perfect for diabetics b/c it digests so slowly that your blood sugar will not spike, unlike with white sugar and other products. What she is not using are the sugar alcohols, which can cause major intestinal upset in sensitive people.
That being said, I have tried many vegan products, and unless you are used to the crap that's out there, you cannot and will not appreciate what she has made. My husband, who is NOT into this stuff, is in love with her chocolate crmb cake, chocolate cookies, and chocolate molten bites. I actually love the frosting, but, again, I know what's out there........!
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Thank you Devi for clearing up all the misinformation regarding coconut oil.
Coconut oil was demonized during the time when nutrition "experts" were telling us the margarine was a much healthier alternative to butter.
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I could not agree more with your assessment. I could have saved you the trouble had you read my previous post.
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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Are you sure Babycakes uses hydrogenated coconut oil? I dont think they do. To what Cara1 said, there is a lot of positive info about non-hydrogenated coconut oil on the web.
One note about babycakes; they make low(er) glycemic versions of sweets (as they write on the wall inside). There is a big difference in low glycemic baking vs. sugar free. Sugar free is pretty easy to pull off, as you can use honey and white flour (both very high glycemic). Lots of bakeries offer a "sugar-free" sweet but its usually just as unhealthy as the full sugar version. Babycakes cupcakes uses low glycemic ingredients in its cupcakes and they still taste great. I really appreciate the care and thought put into their sweets.
Their banana bread and carrot cake are my favorites.
The coffee needs some work though.
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I just don't understand what you people expect out of a sugar free, vegan cup-cake! Let's face it, taking away sugar and butter from baked goods just plain turns them into a different food. I think it is great that this place offers an alternative for people with dietary restrictions, but why would anyone else in their right mind go there, and then be somehow disappointed in the comparison to a real cupcake?
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You'd have a point if NY Magazine hadn't voted it "Best Cupcake." And they go to some length claiming that they're better than proper/regular cupcakes. Nor do they mention brownies, bananas, or cute girls. They do however mention "frosting shots" (BLECH - pardon me while I lunge for the Compazine.)
The mag has always been basically worthless in the food criticism department, but this is just a sick joke...
Link: http://nymag.com/bestofny/food/2006/c...
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I've said it before and I'll say it again -- go there not for the cupcakes, but for the mini brownies and banana-chocolate chip cake. And the atmosphere, with fun touches like their old cash register and the friendly girls who work behind the counter.
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The same kind of comments have been posted about Magnolia, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, etc. Let's face it - when it comes to cupcakes (and many other foods), different strokes for different folks.
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The next time you go into Babycakes, I would ask these girls, point blank, if they add HYDROGENATED coconut oil, or rather,coconut oil that is partially firm at room temperature, to thicken the frosting in the cupcakes. I'm an experienced baker of almost 20 years--I know the tricks.
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I am allergic to gluten and other things so I went to baby cakes to try their stuff. I had their spelt cupcake with soy-free frosting and was in heaven. it was so good. I am a health practitioner and cook and I love to eat and I have to tell you it was really tasty. I cant vouch for the cookies they had fava bean in it which I am allergic to, so I didnt try it.
as for the coconut oil, that info about the sat. fat. is from the 1950's they used hydrogenated coconut oil in those tests and as you probably know hydrogenated oil is one of the worst things for your body. Cold pressed, virgin coconut oil is extermely heatlhy for you (you can do a google search on it and get all the health details on it.) It is one of the easiest oils for your liver to digest, it can help people loose weight, I use it for cooking because it dosent break down or go rancid even over high heat. Hope that was helpful :)
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I thought the place was super cute, and fantastic for a wheat free (almost gluten free) foodie like me. I am not sure what cupcakes you tasted, but i thought they were delicious!
I even made my meat-eating, gluten-eating, sugar-eating boyfriend get one, and he loved it too!!
I am going back to NYC tomorrow in fact (I am from Toronto) and I will be stopping in to pick up some delicious babycakes :)
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Well, i did go back to babycakes, and unfortunately I was a bit disappointed this time.
Their chocolate wheat free cupcake was very very dense, and not very sweet (last time it was light as air, and sooo sooo chocolatey)
However, I did have one of their cinnamon sugar raisin buscuits (wheat free) and it was delicious.
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Just had one last night. So dry and unappetizing. Yuck. I guess I'm "missing" something too.
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