Nov. 10, 2021
By Emily Melleno
Editor
Located in Clifton Towne Square on 259 Allwood Road, House of Cupcakes is a bakery that has everything you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.
I first heard about House of Cupcakes because it won the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” and because my mom suggested I try it. Not only is House of Cupcakes located in Clifton, but there are stores located in Princeton (where it was founded), East Brunswick and even Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
When I first walked into House of Cupcakes, I got a view of the whole bakery along with all the different confections from which I could choose. I could tell that the owners, Ruthie and Ron Bzdewka, put a lot of effort into the interior of the store. Last month when I visited, themed treats and decorations added to my excitement for Halloween.
House of Cupcakes has a lot of open space, so customers can walk around and view all the different items being sold, and there are a few tables for them to sit and eat what they have purchased.
The interior of the shop is vibrant with a polka dot motif and a color scheme consisting of blue, green, orange, pink and purple that complements the very colorful cupcakes that are on sale. The sweet treats at House of Cupcakes are organized perfectly, with one section dedicated to cupcakes and the other dedicated to cookies and chocolate-covered pretzels.
After I took in how beautiful the interior of the store was, I was ready to order. It was hard to decide which flavors of cupcake I wanted because there were about 35 from which to choose.
Ultimately, I decided to get the banana cream pie, dulce de leche, margarita, Italian rainbow, mango and strawberry shortcake cupcakes. All of them had vanilla cake and had fillings that were related to their names. The banana cream pie cupcake was filled with a banana filling, the dulce de leche with a dulce de leche filling and the strawberry shortcake with a strawberry filling. The margarita was filled with lemon lime buttercream, and the mango and Italian rainbow were filled with jelly.
I loved every single one of these cupcakes because each was a twist on one of my favorite desserts. However, my favorite would have to be the Italian rainbow cupcake, which consists of three colors: green, pink and yellow. It was topped with chocolate icing and a rainbow cookie, also known as a Neapolitan cookie. I enjoyed this one so much because it made me recall my fond childhood memories. When I was growing up, rainbow cookies were always my favorite treat to get from the local pastry shops and bakeries.
All of the cupcakes I purchased were very moist even though I arrived there around 3 p.m. Generally, I am also not a fan of icing, but I ate the whole cupcake with the icing and all. I liked the icing a lot because it was not overly sweet. It was also very smooth with the right balance of cake and flavor.
I loved every single one of these cupcakes because each was a twist on one of my favorite desserts. However, my favorite would have to be the Italian rainbow cupcake, which consists of three colors: green, pink and yellow.
My friend, junior Carrie Arellano, accompanied me and got the oatmeal raisin cookie ($1.50). It was her first visit and she said she would definitely be returning. My sister Sofia got a Twix pretzel ($1.95), which was just a pretzel dipped in milk chocolate with a bit of Twix bar crushed up on the outside. I could tell she enjoyed it a lot because she ate it so fast that I didn’t even have time to take a picture of it.
Not only does House of Cupcakes sell treats for humans, but it also has treats for dogs. When I saw that House of Cupcakes sells mini cupcakes for dogs, I knew I had to get them. They can be purchased individually or in a pack of six for $10.50, which is what I bought because I have three dogs. The cupcakes are vanilla with vanilla frosting topped with a cute dog biscuit. I gave each of my dogs a cupcake that day and saved the second one to give them the next day. As soon as they saw the cupcakes, they all started jumping in excitement. Usually, they eat everything really quickly, but this time they ate slowly and savored the cupcakes.
Our entire order of six cupcakes ($8.75), six puppy cakes ($10.50), a pretzel ($1.95) and a cookie ($1.50) was well worth the price because the sweet treats are all unique and cannot be found at a normal bakery. The seasonal flavors and holiday-themed products bring a bit more fun and excitement to the shopping experience, as patrons will always find something new to enjoy.
So whether you are a cupcake connoisseur, cookie aficionado or pretzel enthusiast, give House of Cupcakes a try. After tasting these delicious desserts, you’ll surely want to make House of Cupcakes your home away from home.
House of Cupcakes is clean and spacious.
PHOTOS BY EMILY MELLENO
