Scratch Cupcakery

The cupcakes were pretty good. I go the red velvet. LOVED that the frosting was not TOO sweet. The red velvet cake part was just okay. It was moist but too dense for me… but I would go again :)

Love the cute shop! Picked up a dozen of different flavor cupcakes today. Love the vegan ones! The cupcakes were a hit, they were nice and moist and delicious. Love the location. Will definitely go back again!

We have ate cupcakes from here twice. My family wasn’t impressed. Our first experience there were no chairs or tables to sit down. The cupcakes are dry and bland. They don’t have much to choose from as in flavors. We prefer the other cupcake place in Iowa City and North Liberty much better!

I really don’t get why these cupcakes are so popular?
I’ve had several flavours and while the cake itself is a good texture and is moist, I think the flavours are average at best. I am a pastry chef myself and during a recent visit to this cupcake shop I asked one of the girls working if any of the cupcakes had Swiss Buttercream on them, even though I was pretty certain what the answer was going to be… I asked anyways. The girl looked at me as if I was speaking a different language, I clearly had my answer. The cupcakes, at least 95% of them, are just the same chocolate or white cake with the same simple buttercream icing, but with different toppings, the frosting flavors may vary slightly as well. I don’t feel that it flavours the cupcake enough to transform it into a new flavour experience. I feel like cupcake shops in Iowa focus on 100 flavours to give people variety. But if you did 15 different flavours VERY well, with different cakes, frostings, fillings, etc you would be farther ahead. I guess I’m just looking for something different, they all seem to be cut from the same mold… in Iowa at least.

First time stopping at the actual shop, but have had the cupcakes on a few occasions. Delicious as always! Planning to stop each time I’m in town.

I have met many a cupcake and these are by far my favorite! Consistently great cake base and so many inventive, delicious frosting options! They have a few flavors that are there almost every day but the rest cycle through on different days. (My sister is currently visiting and she’s so obsessed with this place that we check the daily menu to see what we «need» that day.) I can’t pick a favorite but some of the stand outs for me are Chocolate Chip Banana, Wedding Day, Pieces, and S’mores. You really can’t go wrong with any of them, though.
This cute shop is located in the IRL shopping area, which is quickly becoming my favorite foodie spot in the city. (It’s also home to 30Hop and Waterstreet Coffee Bar.)

The best cupcakes in Iowa!
They come up with the most inventive cupcake flavors and their cakes are light and delicious.
The atmosphere in this place is perfect for enjoying an afternoon treat. Pick your favorite flavor or try a new one and then sit down at the window bar with a cup of hot coffee and you’re in heaven.
Seriously, Scratch can’t be beat!

I may be biased since I grew up in CF where Scratch originated but these are my absolute FAVORITE cupcakes! I love the amount of sweetness, moistness of the cake and perfect ratio of cake to frosting for me. Too many that I love to pick a favorite but some of my loves are: Lemon Love, Banana Cream, Maple Bacon, Molten Caramel, Wedding Day, Brownie Batter… and the list just goes on. Sorry Molly’s cupcakes but Scratch is SOO much better!

Dear Diet,
I cheated on you. I’m sorry, truly I am. I know I made a commitment to you and vowed to stick it out through the hard times but man, I’m weak. I ran into an old flame while on a work trip and we pick-​up up where we’d left off. I can’t say I’m proud of myself but at the same time I don’t regret it. Perhaps there is room for both of you in my life? There’s that whole zip code rule, right? If it is a different zip code it isn’t cheating? When I’m back home it’s just you and me baby but when I’m in Iowa City I get a little lovin’ from Scratch Cupcakery. Whatdaya say? Well, gotta go– there’s a $ 2 piece of heaven waiting for me.
Rachel

Man, Iowa City has a rockin’ cupcake scene! So although I can’t tell you which is my favorite, I can tell you which ones are amazingly delicious…
… all of them.
Scratch has a great location for one. It’s side by side with one of the area’s best coffee shops, which makes for a wicked awesome combination if you’re getting your goods to go. Scratch offers drip coffee in airpots and it’s definitely not great, so I wish the two shops would work together so you could get a cup of Kickapoo coffee from the neighboring café without leaving the cupcake shop (and visa versa, since I feel like I’m breaking some kind of rule by eating a Scratch cupcake while working from the neighboring coffee bar).
They also have a unique setup; the flavors are all fancily lined up on a display counter, which reminds me of an old school ice cream shop, but also makes it a little trickier to look over all the flavors and cupcakes during busy times. There’s always a nice assortment of flavors, the buttercream frosting is delicious, and the cake base always hits the spot.

As I sit in my room at the neighboring hotel stuffing cupcakes in my mouth, I write this review. $ 2 gets you a huge, unique cupcake. I had the white chocolate raspberry and the crème de menthe. Both tasted just as they were described, cake was light and spongy, and the icing was balanced.
Reading below, people are pretty fussy about their cakes. I mean, how could you write a 2 star review about a $ 2 cupcake like this? I don’t get it. Anyway, indulge and see for yourself!

I heard good things about this place but was thoroughly disappointed. The frosting was flavorless and too sweet, cupcakes were kind of dry and did not impress.

If I could, I would give Scratch 4.5 stars. The only downside is that the frosting is very thick and a bit too much for my preference. The cake part of the cupcake is delicious though! I tried several and even brought some back to Chicago for my friends and everyone loved them. $ 2 for a gourmet cupcake is a pretty good price.
The store itself is really cute and the staff have always been friendly. Will definitely be back!

Staying at the Homewood suites I went by and grabbed a banana cupcake from here, It was delicious and just the right price.

Wonderful cupcakes — really, cakes in miniature. The seasonal flavors are wonderful. I prefer Scratch’s fancy cakes to Molly’s filled varieties, but prefer Molly’s basic flavors to Scratch’s basics (if that makes sense). Not much room to sit down inside, and wish they had better coffee. Worth a trip, for sure.

The staff was really helpful and always super friendly.
Holy crap, you got to get there early in the day though or what you want will be gone in a couple of hours! Their cupcakes are great. Has a great selection and they change it up everyday and every month, even randomly have «special» cupcakes for holidays and such sometimes. The cupcakes are just so moist and fresh, have a great flavor to them.
At first, I liked Molly’s more, but after going to Scratch more and more I just love them and won’t even go to Molly’s anymore, because they don’t even compare to Scratch!!!
They have these yummy cupcake shakes too. Kind of expensive, but if you are willing to pay the money they’re delish!

I hate to say this… these did not impress.
I LOVED the cute little shop. The staff was super cute and nice.
Alas, the cupcakes were the epic fail.
SAMOA
I love these expensive little girl scout cookies… I was PUMPED to see a cake after them. The name was the only glimmer of a samoa. Tasted NOTHING like the cookie. I could cry. The cake was dry. The frosting was more whipped cream like that I personally dont like and overall just a lack of flavor.
THE DOUGH
There was no cookie dough at all in this cake. It tasted kind of like a chocolate chip cupcake… again, overall lack of flavor, moistness, and richness I expected from a specialty cupcake place. The frosting tasted like the cheap whipped cream frosting on the cheap cakes at the grocery store. WHHhhhhaaaaaaaaa.
I also purchased the day olds prior to knowing that I didnt really care for these… gave them to my husband. He was not impressed with them either. I honestly think that I have had boxed cupcakes that tasted better than these.

If you are looking for light and airy cupcakes, you will NOT find those here. These cupcakes are very heavy. So dense and thick. Banana — hardly any banana flavoring and if didn’t know what it was, would not have known it was banana. Turtle — hardly. Mainly chocolate cake w/​chocolate frosting with 3 caramel balls on top and 5 tiny pieces of pecans. The frosting was to be caramel according to the sign. There was NO caramel taste to the frosting Peanut butter — eh. All you taste is the chocolate cupcake. Frosting was hardly peanut butter flavored. Cookies and cream– this was the better of the four.

What a great addition to the area! My thoughtful daughter-​in-​law brought some from Cedar Falls and we were all hooked. So happy they opened a Scratch here. I’ve given them for birthdays, thank you gifts, and just for fun. Everyone loves them, the price is great, and they will deliver locally for a small fee. The choices insure there is something for everyone’s taste. I’m a red velvet fan but can highly recommend the chocoholic and wedding day favors, too. Perfect for kids and adults. Nice staff make it a fun experience. Thanks, Scratch, for joining our community.

For $ 2 you can get the best cupcake I’ve ever had. Tried 4 flavors…4 best cupcakes ever. The Sully is by far the best but occasionally sells out! Staff is awesome, my girl wanted a certain cupcakes with sprinkles added. And they did. I wish we lived closer. We’re hitting the DSM location on our way back from Colo!