It’s not so shocking that I walked into Crave Cupcakes last week intending to purchase two cupcakes and exited instead with three. What’s (pleasantly) surprising is that Cupcake #3 cost me nothing.
Earlier this year I wrote about unexpected freebies at restaurants. I should have included Crave on this list, for (according to the clerk) they give away leftover breakfast cupcakes starting in the late afternoon. So, now I had fuel for the following morning as well as my midnight snack.
I love cupcakes but had always raised an eyebrow at the idea of eating them before 9 a.m. Icing and cake do not seem to be the breakfast of champions. (Little chocolate donuts are okay, though.)
Crave’s gingerbread breakfast cupcake is (predictably) more like a dressed-up muffin. Molasses in the batter gives the cake a darker, richer flavor, and the ginger provides a terrific zip. And the substitution of powdered sugar for buttercream icing prevents sugar overload and reduces the chance of noontime food coma.
Although cereal and fruit are my standbys, I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Crave’s breakfast cupcake was a perfectly satisfying morning meal, albeit one that’s all the sweeter when it’s free.
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This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2011.