Michigan Cupcakes

I didn’t get to go to as many bakeries as I wanted to {namely, all of them}, but I did stop by the two most popular cupcake haunts in Michigan — Just Baked and The Cupcake Station.

I wish I had saved Just Baked for after dinner because their cupcakes were pretty good-sized and it ruined my dinner a little bit {but, hey, that’s why they have leftover boxes, right?}. Because of the beastly size of these bad boys, I only tried one — the Chocolate Malt Cupcake, pictured {half-eaten} above. The cherry buttercream frosting was creamy and light with bits of cherries mixed in, and sitting on top of {and inside} a chocolate cupcake, topped off with a malted milk ball. I also loved their cute cartoonish wall art {pictured above, with Marcus gazing wistfully at the cupcake display case}. I wish I could have tried more, but dinner was calling!

We stopped at The Cupcake Station in Ann Arbor after eating dinner at Noodles & Company, a small chain restaurant that hasn’t made its way to the Northeast yet, but is “the Five Guys of noodles,” as Stan called it {insanely good, inexpensive, and healthier than your average fast food chain}. I’d have to say I liked Cupcake Station better for a few reasons. First, they offer smaller portions so that cupcake nerds such as myself can try a whole bunch without getting full. I sampled 7 flavors — Simply Red, Vanilla Latte, Cookies & Cream, Pineapple Delight, Party Time, Red Velvet, and a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting called Cupcake for the Cure {not pictured}, which raises money for breast cancer research. Second, all of their cupcakes were moist and not too sweet, and third, their Red Velvet is by far the best I’ve ever tasted. Plus, the Vanilla Latte tasted like Albus Dumbledore himself transformed a vanilla latte into a cupcake {he’d totally do it}.

So, if you’re in Michigan, make sure to check out these fab cupcake bakeries! You can find Just Baked in Ann Arbor, Livonia, Royal Oak, and at the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. The Cupcake Station is located in Ann Arbor and Birmingham.