Sugar Sweet Sunshine

photo: Emily Capo

Hot off the presses, the 2008 New York City Gourmet Shopping & Entertaining Survey answers perennial questions like “where can I find the best cupcakes in New York?” (If you guessed a certain little bakery on Bleecker Street, you need to keep reading.) So without further ado, the top five cupcake purveyors in town:

1. Sugar Sweet Sunshine

126 Rivington St.; 212-995-1960

Specializing in “superior cupcakes” rated tops in the genre – no mean feat in “cupcake-crazed” NYC – this “cute” Lower East Side bakery/cafe “warms you” with a “comfy” “place to sit” while sampling its trademark “little pieces of heaven” and “numerous other” “addictive” desserts like “moist cakes”, cookies and bars; with a “laid-back” vibe that’s as “unpretentious” as the goods are “completely fresh”, it definitely hits the “sweet spot.”

2. Amy’s Bread

672 Ninth Ave.; 212-977-2670

75 Ninth Ave.; 212-462-4338

250 Bleecker St.; 212-675-7802

Carbophiles “sing the praises” of the “heavenly” “artisan” goods at Amy Scherber’s bakery trio, now considered a NYC “classic”; reknowned for its “fantastic” handmade breads (including signatures like the semolina-raisin-fennel), it also traffics in sweets from “out-of-this-world” sticky buns to “awesome cupcakes”, as well as “delicious sandwiches” and other “good lunchables” – perfect for “eating at one of the few tables” if you can snag one.

3. Baked BKLYN*

359 Van Brunt St.; 718-222-0345

“Delicious” “twists on old American favorites” produced by this Red Hook “hipster” bakery – “homey, delicate”, “amazing” cakes and cupcakes, muffins, scones, the “best” brownies – lead many to moon “wish it were in Manhattan”; its “funky” modern digs make a “nice place to sit with your coffee and something sweet” (and there are also panini and a few other prepared items at lunchtime) – meaning it’s perfect for “fortifying yourself” pre-“Fairway.”

3. Billy’s Bakery*

184 Ninth Ave.; 212-647-9956

“Bless Billy!” enthuse admirers of this Chelsea bakery known for its “moist, buttery” cupcakes topped with “to-die for” icing, as well as for “tasty” full-size cakes, pies and other “homespun” “American-style” sweets, all “beautifully displayed” in “hip” “retro”-’40s digs; the “friendly” counter folk only “add to the sugar high”, and while “lines out the door” are not uncommon, at least they’re “not as long” as at that higher-profile cupcakery to the south.

3. Make My Cake*

121 St. Nicholas Ave.; 212-932-0833

2380 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.; 212-234-2344

“Just like grandma’s” is the word on the Southern specialties from these Harlem bakeries, home to the “out-of-this-world” likes of red velvet cake, sweet potato cheesecake, “light, fluffy cupcakes” and a butter-cream number that’ll “melt in your mouth”; whether for birthdays, weddings or catering, a visit is sure to make your day; N.B. the St. Nicholas Avenue original is a sit-down cafe while the adjunct farther Uptown is retail only.