Cupcakes or Muffins? Why Not Do Both?

Jun 26, 2018

Cupcakes or Muffins? Why Not Do Both?

Whether you are throwing a small party, want something to pair with your coffee, have kids who deserve a tasty treat, or (like me) you have insatiable sweet tooth that demands to be fed, cupcakes and muffins are the perfect indulgence.

Japan loves a these delicious delicacies in that they manage to combine sugary sweetness with the ultimate in kawaii design in the most fashionable of stores.

So, if you, like me, have decided ‘to hell with the beach bod’ for another summer, I implore you to check out these delicious purveyors of sweet, sweet goodness in our fair city of Nagoya.

London Cupcakes

I used to work directly across the road from the Kakuozan branch of London Cupcakes, and not once did I have the requisite willpower to walk past on my way home without popping in.

The original branch in Kanazawa was opened by Brit Kristy in time for the 2012 Olympics (hence the London connection), and London Cupcakes pride themselves on mixing traditional British home baking with original light, fluffy, buttercream. Their cupcakes are all baked fresh in the shop every day and they constantly change their menu to incorporate seasonal flavors and events.

• Where: Kanazawa City, Sainen 4-2-6 (map); Chikusa-ku, Nagoya
  Himeikedori 3-25-2 (map)
• Website: londoncupcakes.jp

To Go Kuramumichi

While London Cupcakes plays on the cutesy side of things, To Go keeps it rustic and authentic with their cupcakes and muffins. A sister store to the funky as heck Mitts Coffee Stand, there is very much an adherence to nature in their ingredients, with locally sourced, in season fruits, which is unsurprising as store owner Abe-san was brought up in the countryside.

Despite the name, there are a few stools and a bar at which you can munch on your cake and sip one of their fantastic drip coffees.

And for those of you with extreme sweet teeth, you can even try one of their cream and fruit sandwiches. Although, I have to say, that’s one step too far for me.

• Where: Higashi-ku, Tsutsui, 3 Chome-18-21 Mezorie road 1F (map)
• Website: instagram.com/to_go_nagoya

By Mark Guthrie

Photo: via http://www.londoncupcakes.jp/en/gallery/ -Modified

Photo: via instagram.com/to_go_nagoya  -Modified