Cupcake Wars, the Sequel

I've compiled my list of cupcake bakeries I have left to visit here in Buffalo and as of last week, I still have SIX places to go. I'm impressed, Buffalo, I didn't know you had that many cupcakeries.

I decided to take advantage of my last couple of days of my three week long vacation from work, and headed out to the nearby suburb of Hamburg.

The Village of Hamburg actually is home to two cupcake shops, both of which are within less than a half mile from each other. Here's my second edition of cupcake wars:

Mary Claire's is part cafe, bakery and boutique; basically a shop catering the desires of every woman. My friend Jenn and I stopped here for lunch and split one of their cupcakes, which are actually from Muscoreil's Fine Desserts in the suburb of North Tonawanda.

located at: 243 Buffalo Street, Hamburg, New York

Each cupcake is of a ginomous size. We chose to split a strawberry cupcake topped with lemon buttercream. My first bite was a little dry while Jenn took a bite that was fluffy and moist. So then I decided to take a bite from her side of the cupcake and discovered that it was definitely a better bite with a more moist cake. Aside from the uneven baking, the frosting was not too sweet and a lovely complement to the mild (albeit somewhat artificial) strawberry flavor. It was like strawberry lemonade, in cupcake form, which was perfect for the lovely summer day. Each cupcake is $3.50 and even though I didn't finish the cupcake, it was just too big a feat for Jenn and me after a tasty lunch.

Our post-lunch stop was at the nearby SugarBuzz Cupcake & Bakeshop. Their cupcakes were definitely more reasonably-sized and so Jenn and I each got our own. I decided on a cannoli cupcake while Jenn opted for their Mounds of Joy cupcake. Each cupcake is $2.95.

located at: 6175 South Park Ave, Hamburg, New York

I couldn't believe that I was faced with yet another cupcake that fell victim to uneven baking: one half had great texture and the other side was pretty dry. My cupcake was pretty messy from the cannoli cream and frosting, which also aided in extra sweetness (a little too sweet for me). The flavors were pretty good but after taking another bite of my Mary Claire's cupcake after gobbling up the SugarBuzz one, I realized I preferred the strawberry cupcake much more. And maybe the cannoli shell on the cupcake wasn't a great idea since it was a little stale (possibly from the summer humidity) and made it kind of a chore to chew alongside the rest of the cupcake.

So in the end of this cupcake wars, the winner, by only a slight lead, is Mary Claire's.