The Post-Cupcake World

The Times of London believes it has seen that world, and it is filled with "whoopies" -- sponge-cake cookies filled with buttercream. The newspaper declares that whoopies have "taken Britain's chic-est bakeries by storm."

The Times writes:

... the Americans somehow have a way with cake that is so much more indulgent than our pristine British afternoon teas of dainty Victorian sponges and lemon drizzles.

... The name may be worth a giggle, but it's misleading. A classic American whoopie pie is not a pie at all, but is often described as a cross between a cookie and a cake sandwich -- some cakies call them "Oreo sandwiches," since they have a drier bite than regular sponge.

A Tasty Detour to NYC's Lower East Side

Visitors to New York City are rewarded when they venture off the beaten path. In the East Village, right on the edge of so-called Alphabet City, we found both relative quiet and culinary bliss.

Our first stop on Friday was a place called Porchetta. It's located at 110 East 7th Street. What, you might ask, is the allure of a tiny storefront eatery with interior room for only four stools and plain wooden counters? It's all about the food: succulent, fall-right-off-the-bone roast pork with crispy skin and those wonderful "burnt ends." (You can even order a side of burnt ends.)

I ordered the porchetta plate, which was accompanied by sauteed kale and canellini beans. Delicious. Before it is roasted, the pork at Porchetta is seasoned with that marvelous Italian mixture of salt, parsley, sage, rosemary and perhaps one or two other herbs.

Dessert was found across the street and only a few doors down at 123 East 7th Street is Butter Lane. It's an appropriate name for a cupcake store. This is no chain outlet. Butter Lane relies on solid ingredients, many of them locally sourced, to produce excellent cupcakes. A banana cupcake with buttercream frosting was excellent.

What'll They Do Next With Bacon?

I'm beginning to wonder. Don't get me wrong. I am pretty fond of bacon, but I am nonetheless amused by the fact that there are some human beings who seem to devote a lot of their time to developing new recipes or dishes into which bacon can be added.

Here is an example, courtesy of the website Delish. This site offers examples of 12 quirky foods that have bacon as an ingredient. One of them is a bacon lollipop. Check out item #4: the owners of a bake shop in Boulder, Colo., so loved the taste of the Vosges bacon-chocolate bar that they developed the bacon-maple-chocolate cupcake.

I like each of those flavors, but I'm slightly skeptical as to whether they would make for a marvelous harmony or not. (I like mustard and butterscotch, but I'd never combine the two flavors.) But even I have to admit, it looks tasty.

By the way, Vosges has more than one chocolate treat containing bacon.

A New Cupcake Outlet ...

. . . is coming to Washington, D.C. As today's Post reports, the N.Y.-based Crumbs chain will start opening outlets this May in the D.C. area:

The 26-store chain plans to open the first of at least five D.C. area stores at the intersection of 11th and F streets in downtown Washington, featuring a cupcake selection that Crumbs co-founder Jason Bauer said will easily outdraw the local sugary establishments.

"When we come into the market, people are going to realize what a real cupcake is all about," boasted Bauer, 40, who opened the first Crumbs on New York City's Upper West Side with his wife, Mia, in 2003.

The D.C. region is already pushing out thousands of cupcakes a day, courtesy of stores such as Something Sweet, Baked and Wired, Red Velvet and Georgetown Cupcake, whose two sister owners will be featured on a reality TV program this summer.

I think Georgetown Cupcake is the best of those current outlets, although I can't speak for Baked and Wired because I haven't eaten one of their cupcakes yet.

I loved the response that Something Sweet's owner gave in response to Bauer's swagger of a statement:

Something Sweet owner Bo Blair said the Crumbs crowd is taking itself too seriously. "This ain't brain surgery," Blair said. "It's making cupcakes."