If you've read this blog for any length of time (thanks!!) you'll know that Buttercup in Kensington (and now Westfield) is one of my all time favourite cupcake places. Unfortunately my love of Buttercup has now been thrown into doubt, following a visit on Wednesday.
It was a work colleagues birthday and she mentioned previously she's like to try a cookies and cream cupcake - so I thought I'd pop to Buttercup and get her one as Manny'd previously had a beautiful one from there and said it was one of the best he'd tasted. I took the morning off work and headed to Kensington. When I arrived I was disappointed to see that the display case was half full and those cupcakes that were there were kinda sad looking. I wish I'd taken a photo (and then just left) to share how sad it looked. I asked if they had any cookies and cream and was told they were "too difficult to frost early in the mornings", it was 11am and they'd been open since before 9am but anyways I was there and I didn't really have time to go anywhere else so I got 4 cupcakes - a Fantasy (vanilla) and a Chocolate Purist for my work colleagues and a vanilla (for me) and chocolate purist for Manny. As the two for work colleagues were gifts I asked for separate boxes and was charged 50p each for the privilege - even though at £2.50 a pop for half frosted cupcakes they're amongst the most expensive in London!!!
So to the half frosted - both vanilla cupcakes were half frosted - and STALE!!!! Again with the stale vanilla cupcakes. When I bake cupcakes we are still able to eat them 4 days later and they don't taste this stale - I really think that if this was my first ever foray into the world of cupcake I'd have just given up there and then - which may be a good thing for my waistline I have to say. The two chocolate ones I'm told were moist and fresh - maybe they sell quicker as they're more popular so aren't left on the shelf for so long? I really don't know. All I know was this cupcake made me feel nauseous to the point I couldn't eat it and is there a sadder feeling than throwing a cupcake in the bin? The frosting was hard also - obviously not fresh and quite tasteless - quite a difference from their usual vanilla cupcake which I've previously announced as one of my favourite cupcakes ever.
I was really disappointed on Wednesday - I'd wasted a half day at work - not to mention money on cupcakes that were inedible, I also felt awful that my friend may be tucking into a stale cupcake for her birthday (thankfully her chocolate one was ok - my friend with the fantasy one was not so lucky). Next time I'll go to Hummingbird who've yet to let me down.
Also - please note: having someone try to shove a big box of cupcakes into a bag that he couldn't fit the single cupcake box into is not good for your business.
I have been there only once and didn't like the cupcakes we got (two between me and hubby). It seemed basically crubly muffin with frosting. We decided not to go back again, for £2.50 we can have really nice ones from other cupcakeries. Now I wonder if we just got some leftover from the previous day (it was a Sunday morning)
ReplyDeleteAgreed - have only ever had their cupcakes from Westfield, but they've often been very stale.
ReplyDeleteAlso hate that I can't take them home in a box unless I buy 4. I resent paying £7.50 for 3 cupcakes, only to have them shoved into a paper bag all squashed together.
I keep going back because I hope they've changed, and I'm a sucker for any cupcakes, but they're consistently mediocre and overpriced. Very bad value for mone.
I was hoping it was a one off but seems not to be the case, which is a shame as they used to be great cupcakes!! I think perhaps they are re-using cupcakes from previous days - mine was definitely NOT fresh!
ReplyDeleteI never got the whole Westfield we don't do boxes business - its a cupcake I don't want it quished in a bag!! Ridiculous I agree!
That's terrible that it's not iced properly. Very sloppy. I had one from Westfield once and it got squished in the bag but it was one of my early purchases and I know better now!
ReplyDeleteI've just foudn your blog and read your review of Buttercup, and my experience a couple months ago was almost identical to yours. I can't for the life of me figure out how Buttercup bakeshop managed to open up a shop in Westfield AND Blue Water!! My review from Qype is below: Ok - I'm Canadian and know my cupcakes very well, and have tasted cupckes from some of the top Bakeries in both the US and Canada. I was expecting the cupcakes at Buttercup to be like the ones back home and was very dissapointed. The cupcakes at Buttercup were dry and crumbly - not at all moist and fluffy like they should be. The frosting was ok, but there was too much of it. I honestly think the cupcakes were not baked fresh the day I purchased them because they were so dry. One other thing was that the bakery is located in the oddest locationin Kensington - not really near anything else, and rather hard to find. Also, I wanted a box to take my cupcakes away in, and they wanted to charge me 50p for a box. Instead I opted not to pay for one, so they put the cupcakes on a paper napkin and then into a little carrier bag - not really impressed. Would not go back again.
ReplyDeleteHi anon -thanks for your comment. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience at Buttercup as well. The thing is they used to be one of the best cupcake cafes in London - the first cupcake I had from there was moist, fresh and as for the frosting..YUM! However over time I can tell their quality has just gone down hill - I should've known when I saw them selling a frosted cupcake from the fridge that she'd said was yesterdays to someone at Westfield really - I've learned my lesson now and wont be visiting again.
ReplyDeleteAs for charging for a box when they're one of the most expensive cupcakes in London (I think Peggy's cupcakes are the most expensive I've had for normal cupcakes) is just ridiculous.