Magnolias, Pistachios, and Bananas, Oh My!

Starting off my reviews of New York is the fabulous Magnolia Bakery!

As you can see, the one I ran into was near Radio City Music Hall.

I had originally hoped to go here as I had heard about their fantastic cupcakes and banana pudding. Fortunately, I just happened upon the Rockefeller location by chance and stopped in when it was nearly empty around 10:30 am. Although they only had about 5 different selections of cupcakes at the time, that didn't bother me because I knew they were being made fresh. Quality over quantity right?

I had to order a pistachio because I am obsessed with anything green and nutty tasting! Ok, well maybe I just really like pistachio flavored things. Anyway, after asking the wonderfully polite lady manning the cupcakes about some of the other flavors, she graciously gave me a pistachio cupcake and a small container of banana pudding. Let me just start by saying the small was not small at all, however that did not deter me from finishing off the container later that night.

Almost gone! = saddest moment of my life! :(

It was fantastic! Best banana pudding I have ever tasted, hands down. No artificial, boxy-jello-pudding container-like taste. The bananas and cookie pieces were just heaven. Where do I start with the cupcake? The frosting wasn't grainy at all, but more like a pillowy, fluffy, airy, blob of goodness atop of a pistachio flavored cupcake. Yes... pistachio flavored cake. That's why I chose this one so I could taste the actual cake. BEST CUPCAKE EVER!! Like, seriously. The nuts on top + the airy frosting + the moist, nutty cupcake = Perfection.

Insider tip: Get a container of pudding to-go and throughout the day while you're exploring the city you have a snack you can whip out and eat on a park bench or something. My pudding lasted a whole day of walking and when I got it home to put it in the fridge it was still fine, like, it hadn't melted or anything like that.

The bakery itself was very fast moving and efficient for so little space and so many people. Although it was nearly deserted when I first walked in, when I had ordered and paid there was barely enough room to walk around. Don't get discouraged! The cupcakes and pudding are definitely worth waiting!

I ate my cupcake at a little counter with barely enough space for my plate, but I didn't care. It was amazing! The atmosphere is really inviting too.

After a long day of walking, it was nice to sit down with my leftover container of banana pudding and write some postcards. Honestly, I was surprised I made it through an entire day without finishing the container. Can you say... ultimate self-control?

Anyway, the moral of this posting is if you are ever in New York, GO TO MAGNOLIA BAKERY!! I also found the location in Grand Central Station underground in the dining concourse. There are various other locations to check out as well.

What is your favorite cupcake?

Stephanie, WWT