Magnolia Bakery, New York

Bakers know it as a legendary place which inspired the likes of the London institutions Primrose and Hummingbird... I know that it sends my sister-in-law into fits of excitement every time its name is uttered... It's the one and only Magnolia Bakery. We visited the day that we went to the Rockefeller Centre, when we had just had breakfast at Bouchon Bakery, so we got cakeaway for later. 

In a city where everyone's in a rush, and apparently no-one sleeps, customer service and friendliness is sometimes lacking. Magnolia was one of the exceptions. I walked through the door to see shelves stacked with jars of sprinkles, odd pumpkins, pretty pastel books, and vast amounts of cakes. I thought they would be all about the cupcake (boo to cupcakes), but I was pleased to see a wide variety of different buns, cakes, biscuits and pies.

The staff were quite happy for me to stand taking pictures, and shared my excitement when I saw that familiar shape that is a bundt cake. After confessing my obsession with said cakes, I ordered a slice of their lemon vanilla bundt, and a small cinnamon bun for good measure. The cinnamon buns looked a bit like a Duffin from Bea's of Bloomsbury, so I had to sample one - research... 

After an exhausting day of walking many miles, eating lots of lovely food and drinking lots of craft beer, we headed back to the hotel and collapsed on the bed. After a bit of a power nap (an hour and a half...) I awoke to realise were were not in Hooters as planned, but had overslept and now had no energy whatsoever. Whilst I let my husband sleep, I remembered the bag of goodies at the foot of the bed!

The bundt had a nice sugar crust on the bottom, but was quite heavy in texture and didn't have much of a lemon flavour. Perhaps I'm a really harsh critic, but it wasn't what I was expecting at all. The cinnamon bun on the other hand was beautiful. A little denser than a Duffin, but very tasty nevertheless.

I'd definitely recommend a trip to this pretty little shop, but I think having tasted so many amazing cakes I did expect a little more. Next time I'd be tempted to try their biscuits and muffins, although I have to say that their cinnamon buns make an excellent post-trek treat. If you live in the UK, try Bea's of Bloomsbury instead...

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