How Much Ass Do These Cupcakes Kick?

Like frozen-yogurt chains in the ’80s and bagel shops in the ’90s, cupcake bakeries are sweeping the nation. And, as with many trends, Boston is a little late to the game. But, in September, we finally got our own cupcake joint, Kickass Cupcakes in Davis Square. Bostonist went to Kickass to see if the cupcakes really lived up to their purveyor’s name.

First we tried vanilla. Ours was a sweet, precious number with baby-pink buttercream frosting studded with sugar hearts. We found the cake itself a little dry, but the light, airy, and ample frosting made it go down easy. And quickly—the cupcake disappeared in four bites. Next we tried the mojito cupcake: rum-flavored cake with lime frosting sprinkled with crystal sugar and shredded mint. We were told that this is one of the most popular cupcakes, but for us, these two trends didn’t make a right. We thought the cupcake was cloyingly sweet; more margarita mix than mojito. But we thought that the super chocolate cupcake was a winner—dense, moist, not-too-sweet cake topped with a dollop of chocolate ganache and curls of chocolate.

But overall, did the cupcakes kick ass? Not quite—and we thought that the $2.75 per (rather petite) cupcake price tag was a little steep, even if they do use much higher-end ingredients than, say, Shaw’s. But the menu on the wall indicated that deep-fried cupcakes will be available soon… and Bostonist will be back to give those cupcakes the chance to knock us on our ass. And, of course, we’ll still be baking our own—Bostonist recommends Amy Sedaris’ recipe. Photo by Lisa Scanlon