Sweet Somethings
zach dyer interviews the owners of magnolia bakery
PrintValentine’s Day is a time of young love, old love, budding romance, and cupcakes. Magnolia Bakery opened in 1996 and New York’s baked goods scene has never looked the same since. Offering a delicious range of treats, cupcakes in particular, the bakery has found great success in its Greenwich Village location—so much that in the past two years, Magnolia has opened three other locations to general acclaim. More recently, the bakery has gained stardom as a result of being featured in major movies such as The Devil Wears Prada, Prime, and Sex and the City. Magnolia Bakery has even been cited as the source of the popularization of cupcakes. The bakery has reached such popularity that it limits its customers to purchasing only a dozen cupcakes at once. Zach Dyer interviews Steve and Tyra Abrams, the owners of Magnolia Bakery, on issues of frosting, Valentine’s Day, and the love of baking.
Is love truly the main ingredient in Magnolia cupcakes, or is it just sugar-induced euphoria?
Yes! We put a large helping of care and love into every batch of Magnolia cupcakes, but leave enough room for the flour, butter, and sugar.
While many believe that Valentine’s Day is a beautifully romantic holiday, Magnolia must approach it differently. Is it all about business on V-Day?
Well, not exactly. To be successful in the cupcake business, you have to really love the business of baking. At Magnolia, Valentine’s Day is all about setting the mood with great vintage decorations and creating a whole new batch of products that our customers will fall in love with. Magnolia is a family-owned business, so we see the bakery as much more of a lifestyle than a business.
How many different cupcakes do you offer? Do you ever switch up the cupcakes you serve?
We offer over eight types of cupcakes that are on a regular rotation of being available in stores, including chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, hummingbird, German chocolate, pumpkin, coconut, and devil’s food. In addition, we’ll add seasonal varieties throughout the year such as our carrot cupcake and Snow Cap cupcake.
Are there any special Valentine’s Day cupcakes?
We actually have an inspiring array of special treats this year for Valentine’s Day, one of the newest being a completely awesome red velvet cheesecake. Other offerings include beautifully decorated cupcakes (of course), Love Note cupcakes (devil’s food cake covered in chocolate ganache with a love note inscribed on top), fresh Strawberry Icebox cake, and charming Valentine’s Day cakes with an edible vintage Valentine’s Day card on top.
I’ve been told that on Valentine’s Day, cupcakes are really the way to go—flowers and chocolate are overrated. Do you think this rings true?
If your sweetheart loves cupcakes, then they are definitely the way to go for Valentine’s Day! Flowers are always a classic, but cupcakes can be a fun and creative way to say “Happy Valentine’s Day” to your significant other or just a friend. It’s hard not to smile when you open that Magnolia box and see that pretty swirl of icing.
Due to the economic situation, many local businesses are struggling in the city. Does the recession seem to be hitting the cupcake world as well? Is there a cry for a frosting bailout?
During tough times, people tend to seek out items of comfort. When you walk into Magnolia, the aroma is delicious, like your grandma’s kitchen. The thing about Magnolia Bakery is that our desserts are a delicious and inexpensive way to treat yourself! It’s a little indulgence that people can still afford.
In some circles, the cupcake is regarded as a sweeter, sexier version of the muffin. Does this seem at all accurate? Do you find that much like muffins, people prefer to eat just the tops of cupcakes?
Muffins could be considered sweet and sexy in their own right but a cupcake is a lovely, sugary, decadent treat. In terms of what people eat, there seems to be a huge variety—some people actually prefer just the cake with no frosting and others eat the frosting.
What is it about Magnolia cupcakes that draws people back to them? Is it just the caloric content?
Magnolia cupcakes bring people back to when they were little with the smell of fresh baked goods. When you want a Magnolia cupcake, the only thing that will satisfy you is a Magnolia cupcake.
Say you were stranded on a cupcake island and you could only bring three frostings, what would they be?
Our creamy, whipped vanilla frosting that we use on our red velvet cupcake is amazing! Chocolate is a must! The cream cheese frosting we use on our hummingbird cupcakes is delish, as is maple cream cheese frosting, which tops our pumpkin cupcakes. Oops, that’s four.
12 February 2009
vol. 6, issue 3
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