If you're a cake decorator and have school age children, you've probably made more than your share of bake sale cupcakes. But have you heard about the cupcake sales at the Magnolia Bakery? This privately owned bakery is ringing up $40 K per week from their cupcake sales alone. Now that's some bake sale! If you ever visit Greenwich Village's legendary Bleecker Street, you'll likely find yourself drawn to the irresistible aromas emanating from Magnolia Bakery. The shop's ovens work nonstop to feed countless droves of customers. And they're not there only for the cupcakes! Other favorites at Magnolia Bakery include old-fashioned desserts such as their signature banana pudding (a trifle style concoction of vanilla cookies, chunks of banana and vanilla pudding), key lime pie with gingersnap crust, nectarine cobbler, bread pudding and a delightful Southern style confection called Hummingbird Cake: a yellow cake with banana, pineapple, pecans and a cream-cheese filling. Magnolia Bakery was opened in 1996 by Allysa Torey and Jennifer Appel in the heart of Greenwich Village. Magnolia brings a sweet Southern feel to Manhattan with cool key lime walls and background jazz, white hammered tin ceilings and retro kitchen utensils. While the bakery specializes in 1950's style desserts and decor, complete with Ozzie and Harriet artifacts, the cupcakes came as an afterthought. The first batch of cupcakes was created from a last minute thought to use some leftover cake batter rather than toss it, so the story goes. The cupcakes were iced in cheery, spring colors, and then set in the windowsill - where the cupcake craze began. With all sorts of cupcake shops opening from New York to California, the Magnolia Bakery is widely believed to be the one that most influenced the trend. And sweet Magnolia, situated on of the most beautiful blocks in Manhattan's West Village, is still one of the most trendy cupcake stops in NYC. While the Magnolia Bakery has quickly become popular with those hungry for sweet carbs and more socializing after a night on the town, it no longer caters to early birds. The staff needs this time to bake and decorate the thousands of cupcakes that are purchased daily. Approximately 20,000 are sold each week. Hollywood helped cement the landmark status of Magnolia Bakery when episodes of both Saturday Night Live and Sex in the City were filmed there. The Magnolia Bakery is now a regular stop for the Sex in the City tour buses that deliver fans eager to sample the same type of cupcakes that they watched Sarah Jessica Parker and her co-star Cynthia Nixon enjoy, one after another. These stylish cupcakes have even made Vogue. And the Magnolia Bakery has become so popular with locals out on the town, that the late night weekend crowds line up for blocks away. This is credited to the comforting atmosphere and comfort food, as well as to the popularity brought by Parker and Nixon's cupcake scene. In 2000, the Magnolia Bakery's original owners, who have since parted ways, saw their book, Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Old-Fashioned Recipes from New York's Sweetest Bakery, published. This guide to Magnolia's secret recipes became a best seller. Just a final note, if you visit Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker Street, near West 11th Street in Greenwich Village) , don't fill up on cupcakes. Save some room for their signature Peanut Butter Heath Bar Blondie! One layer is sort of a peanut butter cookie and peanut brittle hybrid, and this is followed by a rich, buttery cake layer, and then its topped with a crunchy caramel toffee concoction. Don't eat peanuts? Try one of the desserts listed above.
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