No. 7: Peppermint Swirl

'Tis the season for holiday flavors at Crumbs and I wish I could try them all.  But, I settled on the Peppermint Swirl because I thought it was cute that it looked like a peppermint candy.

This fun cupcake is vanilla & red peppermint marble cake topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting, covered in sanding sugar.

I was impressed that the peppermint flavor was just the right amount to trick me into thinking I was having a peppermint candy without being overwhelming.  I actually enjoyed the vanilla and red marble cake.

While the sanding sugar definitely adds to the presentation, I prefer it without because it gives the frosting a gritty feel that I don't enjoy.  Reminds me of bad, sugary frosting that you find on supermarket cupcakes.

Definitely try for the holidays!

Size: Signature

Picked Up At: The Village

My Rating (out of 5): 4

No. 6: Chocolate Velvet

I was scanning the shelves to find new flavors and spotted the Chocolate Velvet.  The word "velvet" alone was enough to get me to try it.  It's all dark and I wasn't quite sure what I was getting.  But since I love red velvet cake, it couldn't be that bad, right?

When I peeled back the wrapper, I instantly had an "ah" moment and it all made sense.  Now, the classic cream cheese frosting is just as essential to a red velvet cake as the cake itself.  But this cupcake takes a twist and caters to the chocoholics who just can't go without their cocoa fix.

This is a red velvet cake topped with chocolate buttercream frosting & sprinkled with red velvet cake crumbs.  It's actually a nice combination and I liked it quite a bit.  Sure, the fact that it's red velvet helped, but  I didn't hate Crumbs for tinkering with the classic red velvet.

Size: Signature
Picked Up At: The Village
My Rating (out of 5): 4

No. 5: Sea Salted Caramel

I read somewhere that the salted caramel fad may be out, but I still love it.  So when I spotted this cupcake, I knew it would not disappoint.

The chocolate frosting is rich, delicious, and coated with caramel and generously sprinkled with salt.  The granules of salt remind me of the kind used on pretzels, allowing the salty side to balance out the sweet side of this awesome combo.  The cupcake is filled with the same frosting used on top and injected with additional caramel.

Super chocolaty desserts aren't my thing. But this had the right amount of chocolate for me and I hope this becomes a regular Crumbs flavor.

Size:  Signature
Picked Up At: Columbus Avenue
My Rating (out of 5): 5

No. 4: Peach Cobbler

Peaches are one of my favorite fruits, so this was a must try for me.  The peach and crumbly streusel topping on the frosting were great to give a cobbler effect.  But the best part was the vanilla cake and the peach compote filling.  The cake was so light and fluffy.  I loved the use of peaches for the filling instead of buttercream, and wish there was more.

Thanks Crumbs for representing summer!

Size:  Signature
Picked Up At: Columbus Avenue
My Rating (out of 5): 4

No. 3: Elvis

Back in February, I walked into The Village store to pick up a sampler pack for a birthday goodie bag for some friends.  And of course I couldn't walk out without a cupcake for me.  So there I stood scanning the shelves of flavors and picked out my choice when something on the bottom left corner of the case caught my eye.

Elvis, you say?  Why, of course I must try this because the name alone is cool.  I only hoped from the tan chips sprinkled on top that the flavors would remind me of one of my childhood snacks.

The peanut butter chips looked and tasted great with the vanilla & peanut butter frosting.  The banana flavored cake was good, but I would have liked more of the fresh banana taste in the cake and maybe as the filling.  Overall, a nice change of pace to the multitude of vanilla and chocolate cupcake variations.

Size:  Signature
Picked Up At: The Village
My Rating (out of 5): 4

No. 2: Chocolate Sundae

To give myself a little treat on a recent birthday, I chose the Chocolate Sundae (sorry Happy Birthday cupcake...maybe next year).  The Chocolate Sundae drew me in with its bright, colorful sprinkles, chocolate drizzle, and pillowy frosted top.  And best of all, a yummy cherry on top!

Besides its festive looks, the overall taste was good but just had basic chocolate and vanilla flavors.  The chocolate cake was yummy and filled with vanilla buttercream frosting then topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting.  I'm not a big frosting fan, so the filling and extra dollop of frosting on top to create the sundae look was more than I prefer.

Size:  Signature

Picked Up At:  Union Square

My Rating (out of 5):  3