Swirls Cupcakery

Once again I found myself in a Cupcakery. There sure are alot of them in the Buffalo area. Someone said to me recently that there was a «cupcake war» here, and I think they were right.
This is in East Aurora, right in the center of town, a few blocks from Elm Street Bakery (which was my next destination for bread).
I walked into a nice and cool store front. The space is very nice. They also make sandwiches and things. They seem to be turning into a café type place. I’m not sure, but it was nice. The bakery is behind a wall, so you can see a little through windows, but not the whole thing.
There is a 4 by 4 card at the register that actually comments on:
«Our cupcakes are made fresh with only fresh ingredients. They may not be as large as others, but they are all fresh. Please don’t refrigerate them as that dries out cupcakes.» there may have been more, but that was the gist of it.
I was really surprised by this, implies others are not fresh (which in the case of Wegmans may be true, but not for the other Cupcakerys around), and to say they are smaller as a result, I don’t get the link.
Anyway, the selections looked lovely. Really lovely. But as with the others in town, you can never try a flavor. I don’t really get that. You are asking us to pay ±3 for a cupcake, but when we want to «try before we buy» we cannot. (to be fair, Blackbird Sweets often does have «minis’» you can taste.)
I bought 4 of them. They were well packaged, so that was nice. I forget the flavors except for the gluten free (I think) vegan (I’m sure) mint one. That one was very: minty tasting” icing wise, and frankly I don’t know what ingredient was used that was «real» in it. I would not be commenting on that if not for the card at the register.
If I were passing through again I’d stop, and frankly try a sandwich perhaps as they sounded terrific. I’d pick up a cupcake, but no flavor stands out to me on this one yet.

I had a vegan gluten free cupcake here and was not impressed. I am not gluten free but I am vegan and it was the. It’s appealing flavor. Compared the Firefly around the corner, the cupcakes are smaller for the same price and simply not as good.
I might be tempted to give them a pass because I only tried a gluten free cupcake but I have had EXCELLENT vegan gluten free cupcakes elsewhere.

The first trip here was in the winter and we grabbed a salted caramel and a gingerbread cupcake. Digging into the salted caramel we declared «this is the best cupcake I’ve ever tasted.» Then, as we bit into the gingerbread we said «ok, now THIS is the best cupcake I’ve ever had.»
Today I was in the area and stopped in to sample their newest experimental flavor Chocolate Stout Maple Bacon. True stout flavor in the cake, subtly maple-​y, frosting and topped with some crumbles of real bacon. I approve, though the salted caramel is still my go-​to here.
The cake is always moist and flavorful, and they have the creamiest frosting of any place I’ve been. Dolci, Delish, Zillycakes, and the Buffalo Cupcakery are all within a mile of me, but if I want a cupcake and I have the time, I’ll drive the 30 minutes to East Aurora.
Cupcakes are on the smaller side, not like the absurdly oversized «Fairy Cakes» at Delish. They are pricey though. Today two cupcakes set me back about $ 5.50. Also, their coffee could use work, they just have a Keurig that they brew for you if you order a cup. Grab a cupcake from Swirls and coffee from Taste next door if you require better coffee.

I tried Swirls cupcakes this past winter when the business was fairly new. I was blown away by the Salted Caramel cupcake. It was so delicious and the other flavors are not to be missed like Lemon Raspberry. A little pricey? Yes but I certainly feel like they are worth it. I went out of my way purposely to go to Swirls on my way from PA to my home near Darien Lake. I was disappointed to
find they were closed on Sundays so I tried another local cupcakery. They were ok but not as good as Swirls. I’m happy to see they have beverages now too. I’m planning on returning very very soon. My mother and grandmother who live in PA make the trip to go to Swirls! I tell everyone I know about them! I give major props to the owner who started right out of high school. He’s doing a fantastic job! If you are making the trip to East Aurora to do some shopping, make sure you stop in.

A cute little cupcakery hidden off Main Street in East Aurora. They’ve got great taste in flavors (banana-​chocolate? Salted caramel? Yes, please!). We tried a few, and the salted caramel won out, with both bold and caramel flavors. No wonder it came highly recommended by the owners.
Speaking of which, the service was even sweeter than the cupcakes. The owners seemed incredibly enthusiastic, and eager to share their passion for their products, which also include Lake Effect ice cream and cheese cake. This may have to do with the fact that there are other great places to get cupcakes nearby, even in this tiny town, and these folks know they’ve got to work extra hard to bring folks into their hidden space to give their wares a shot.
There’s still a little room for improvement here. When we asked about their vegan and gluten-​free option of the day (a chocolate-​strawberry cupcake), they said they’re still experimenting with different flours, and that at the end of the day, they prefer the real deal, butter ‘n’ all. Fair enough — when I’m overwhelmed by choices, I’m always glad to hear an honest opinion — but I’d prefer you use your staff as guinea pigs, not me or my fellow paying customers. Three bucks is too much to spend on a prototype. (Unless you plan to offer them up as samples and solicit feedback, which is always a great move!) And if you’re going to make the choice to offer vegan or gluten-​free options, don’t just do it to say that you’re doing it, or because it’s what everyone else is doing. Do it because it’s a challenge and an opportunity to show off your baking chops, and convert underserved customers into loyal regulars. Otherwise, why bother?

I follow this cupcakery on FB and twitter and they have tempted me for so long with their delectable photos I made the drive out to EA just to try them.
We found the shop right along the main street in EA. It’s very small, more like a room than a shop. It’s a little drab in there too, a bit of seating but very little décor around.
They had a few varieties of cupcakes when we came in (red velvet, loganberry, sponge candy, vanilla chocolate, salted caramel & maybe a couple others) but we just ate breakfast and decided to just get one. We got the salted caramel cupcake to go.
Later in the evening at home we sampled this delight. The cupcakes are pretty small (and a little pricey) but they look adorable. The cake was dense but not incredibly moist, but had a nice flavor. The icing was rich without being too overpowering but it almost tasted gritty. And I love salty and sweet combinations so very much but I think overall the cupcake was a miss. The only component that allowed the cupcake to live up to ‘salted’ was a sprinkling of sea salt on the top. The salt crystals were quite large and tasted far too salty in comparison to the super sweet cake and frosting.
I doubt I’d make the drive all the way back to East Aurora just for the cupcakes but if I was in the area I might pop in to sample another flavor.

Cupcakes are great, gluten-​free and vegan options are available, and taste just as good as the traditional.
The selection was not impressive, there were just 4 flavors the time I went, but each cupcake was very flavorful. Not too much frosting, just enough to be «right».
Cute little seating area if you want to enjoy your treats there, but the to-​go boxes are awesome and keep your cupcakes protected on the drive home.
Kinda pricey, but I expect that in a place that is so specific.

If I spend almost $ 3 on a cupcake… it better be excellent. These were not. They were dry and flavorless. I have made better at home with a cake mix and a can of frosting. If you are looking for a great home made dessert there are much better options nearby. Do not waste you time or money. I agree with the other poster… I don’t see what the hype is about.