Some New Yorkers seem to have a bottomless appetite for super-sweet buttercream cupcake frosting, something I could never understand. But that was before I tried French buttercream. The Gallic version is airier and more mousse-like than its sugary American counterpart, and Butter Lane has both available to sample, along with rarer flavors such as grapefruit ginger, blueberry, and pumpkin. Having never been an icing freak, Butter Lane’s raspberry buttercream was a pleasant suprise, with a hint of tart raspberry and plenty of crunchy seed bits swirled throughout. As for the cake, my chocolate cupcake was somewhat dry and tasteless, the vanilla was ok but nothing special, but the banana was moist, buttery, and actually tasted like banana. It came dolloped with vanilla cream cheese icing and was my favorite of the three ($2.50/each).
As for how Butter Lane stacks up to the competition, the various flavors rendered as icing are a nice touch, but I think picking a cupcake is kind of like picking a toothpaste: whatever. Butter Lane’s main distinction is that it’s located in the East Village, where nary a Magnolia Bakery or Crumbs can be found, it’s cute inside, with orange floral wallpaper a la Alice in Wonderland, and it’s tourist-free. They also sell Harney & Sons tea by the cup (my favorite). There’s no seating though, and if you are traveling more than a few blocks, it might be a good idea to call ahead since their hours are somewhat irregular. On a couple of Saturday afternoons I noticed the shop was shuttered with a “Sorry, out of cupcakes” sign posted in the window.
Butter Lane, 123 East 7th St. between First Avenue and Avenue A
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