While Thais are still queuing for hours to buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts – and expats are scratching their heads wondering why – I decided to see if I could find a decent cupcake; a fancy, frilly, frou-frou cupcake, like those that are all the rage in the US right now. I’ve seen signs that this trend has come to Thailand, but since this food fad lacks a big name, I doubt anybody will be lining up for cupcakes in Bangkok. The Krispy Kreme phenomenon has as much to do with being "trendy" as it does with sugar cravings.
The cupcake display at Sparkles
Sparkles on Sukhumvit 53, close to the Thonglor BTS station, is the one name that has made some splash, with a spot on CNNGo’s best dessert list. I ended up having a long conversation with the US-raised Thai lady that owns the little "cupcakery". She started Sparkles out of frustration with the low quality of cakes available in Bangkok – ‘chocolate’ cakes with no chocolate taste, margarine used instead of butter, too much refined white sugar, and many more sins. She is quite passionate about using the best ingredients, like organic eggs and vanilla from Madagascar.
I must admit I found the shop a little disconcerting at first. As you can see from the picture above, only one sample of each flavor is put on display, on its own plate, under glass. It all seemed to be a bit over-the-top, but since only the best fresh ingredients are used, the owner prefers to keep her stock chilled upstairs.
All of the cupcakes looked very appetizing, as did the cookies (but that’s a whole other post). I decided on Sparkles’ version of Red Velvet, called "Ruby" and a chocolate-orange combination. The cake of the Ruby was like a very light fluffy corn muffin. Together with the frosting it was quite good, not too sweet, a little tart. The chocolate-orange cupcake was a dark chocolate cake topped with a chocolate cream liberally (very liberally) laced with Grand Marnier. The cupcakes at Sparkles were 70 Baht each.
Cupcake Carousel is a whole different story. They have a few suburban locations as well as a counter in the food hall at Siam Paragon. They’re ‘pretty’ in a way, but these are definitely your grandma’s cupcakes. Plain cakes with sugary artificially colored and flavored frostings. At 80 to 95 Baht each, they’re a bit of a rip-off. You can get a much better cupcake for less next door at Pandora in Siam Center.
Cupcakes from Café de Tu
Posh local eatery Café de Tu has also jumped on the cupcake bandwagon. They have branches in Siam Paragon, Emporium and elsewhere. Their sweets look the part, if a little forced. I tried the "Cookies & Cream" and "Strawberry Sherbet". The Cookies & Cream was acceptable, but the Strawberry Sherbet, with its obviously dyed color and artificial flavor, was too sweet and without even a hint of real strawberries. Since they are also in the 80 to 95 Baht price range, I’ll be giving them a miss.
Red Velvet cupcake from Pandora
Lastly, Pandora is the big surprise of the group. They have a large shop in Siam Center as well as a small counter in the food hall at Emporium. The array of scrumptious looking cupcakes on display in the case makes it a truly daunting task to choose which ones to try. I felt I had to try the Red Velvet, and decided on the Cookies & Cream to go with it. The Red Velvet is a tasty cake with a sour cream frosting. It was very different, in a very good sort of way. The Cookies & Cream was also excellent. The chocolate cake was extremely rich; easily the chocolaty-est cake I’ve tasted in Bangkok, topped by a rich whipped cream frosting. At only 75 Baht each, I’ll definitely be visiting Pandora again. And, yes, if you buy two or more cupcakes, they come in a box sealed with a Pandora sticker.
It’s interesting that the best cupcakes were actually the cheaper ones. Proof that you don’t always get what you pay for. I’ll probably be trying out more of Sparkles and Pandora’s products, although both of these are so good they could easily be addictive.
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