Best Cupcakes In The Twin Cities

Cupcakes are everywhere  you look these days and it seems like the opportunities are endless.  I have spent a fair amount of time in my own kitchen trying to replicate the amazing-looking cupcakes I see nightly on the Food Network and in blogs from across the country.  But it's time for me to stop doing all the hard work!  Let's see what the pros in the Twin Cities are creating.

Even for as much as I like cupcakes, I've just got one set of taste buds and one stomach.  While I'm out running off all the research for this article -- have your say in the comments below!

Yum! Kitchen And Bakery

4000 Minnetonka Boulevard
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Directory | Website

Located near the intersection of Lake Street and France Avenue on the border of St. Louis Park and Minneapolis, yum! serves up the classic chocolate and vanilla cupcakes as well as a "black bottom" and a "yum!" cupcake.

Salty Tart

In The Minneapolis Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55467
Directory | Website

Located inside the Minneapolis Global Market, chef Michelle Gayer tempts crowds with seasonal, local and organic ingredients.

Cake Eater Bakery

2929 East 25th Street
Minneapolis, MN
Directory | Website

Located in south Minneapolis and serving Intelligentsia coffee, Sheela and Emily bake up more than 80 varieties of cupcakes.  Not all flavors are always available so follow them on Twitter for the latest flavors and specials!  Among the options: Elvis, which is banana with peanut butter and marshmallow buttercream -- topped with bacon, pina colada, orange cranberry, white chocolate lavender and cookies and cream.

Cup Cake

3338 University Avenue Southeast
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Directory | Website

With more than 60 flavors of cupcakes, Cupcake is sure to have something for your taste buds.  Located on University Avenue near Highway 280, it's a perfect stop on the way to the University of Minnesota.  The bakery features regular cupcakes, baby cupcakes and even a "party line."  Flavors include the trademark cupcake, which is a vanilla cupcake filled with chocolate mousse topped with vanilla frosting and orange sprinkles, a Paris Hilton, a Betty Crocker, a mad cow, a Claire Huxtable and a June Cleaver.

Franklin Street Bakery

1020 E Franklin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Directory | Website

Located on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, the bakery features cupcakes in flavors including lemon vanilla bean, mocha ganache, strawberry vanilla, turtle and white chocolate ganache.

Sweets Bakeshop

2042 Marshall Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55104
Website

On the adventuresome side with your cupcake flavors?  Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul is the place to check out.  The bakery features several kinds of chocolate and vanilla and some unique flavors as well, including thyme honey walnut, smores, mojito and a gluten-free mocha.

Cocoa and Fig

Gaviidae Common
Skyway Level, Saks Wing
651 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Directory | Website

Located inside Gaviidae Common, on the second floor, Cocoa & Fig features both regular-size and "baby-sized" cupcakes in flavors including vanilla bean, valrhona chocolate, lemon coconut, almond caramel, banana cake and black velvet, which they say is their version of a red velvet cupcake.