Erin McKenna’s Baby Cakes

The lemon cupcakes are amazing. The cakes are perfect for birthdays because of the taste — I wish the decorating was a bit more modern tho.

For someone looking for gluten-​free /​vegan baked goods in NYC, Erin McKenna’s Bakery is a great place to start.
Tucked away on the lower east side I was surprised by its out of the way location assuming it’d be on more of a thoroughfare.
Walking into the cute and tiny shop I asked for recommendations. Inquiring of my likes and dislikes the staff ended up pointing me toward their coconut and coffee crunch donuts. I selected both without hesitation.
There’s seating for one or two at the front window or at a small bench outside. I made use of both on the two trips I took here during my stay in the city. The donuts were light and flavorful. The toppings crunchy, fresh and not overly sweet. The cake dough was lighter than other GF donuts I’ve had in the past, which I liked. Not airy as in traditional flour donuts, but not dense like birthday cake either.
The only drawback for me is that on both occasions what I ate sat in my stomach like a rock for hours after.
Overall, for gluten-​free baking, Erin McKenna provides something sweet without asking those with sensitivities to compromise.

It was ok. This is definitely the spot to go if you don’t like your sweets all that sweet. Everything was a little on the bland side. I got a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, carrot cupcake with banana I think? (Couldn’t recognize the flavors once I left!) and a chocolate chip cookie that was crunchy as hell. Personally, if I’m going to get a cupcake or cookie, I want it to be worth it! I didn’t finish anything, It all went in the trash.

We are a gluten, dairy, egg, corn and soy free family because of our son. We love this place for donuts especially and we LOVE the pumpkin loaf and occasionally the éclair. Super sweet but fun!
Our big complaint is that it is very easy to find corn free baking powder. As they are a allergy friendly place and a bit pricey you would think they can splurge a few more cents a baked good and get the cornstarch free baking powder. It is common to be allergic/​sensitive to it if you are gluten intolerant.
For this reason we can only really go every few months. My son can have a trace amount of corn but if he has too much it is an issue. The sales person said that quite a few people bring this up.
Otherwise a really solid place.

This places is really stellar. I didn’t sit around for the environment, but it was funny seeing a herd of elderly women baking while Flo Rida blasted from the speakers. I got two treats made with agave, a banana tea cake and an agave brownie. As an avid baker, I always try to a bit more discerning when I taste something, but I gobbled down the agave brownie. Yeah, it’s small, but it tastes delicious and isn’t not overly sweet. The banana teacake was also really great albeit a little mushy. (but this is entirely vegan so it’s to be expected) If you have very specific food preferences/​needs, I highly recommend this place. It’s a really nice bakery (very little seating, do be warned), with a nice atmosphere. Also the workers are very amiable so many plusses for that.

The #1 vegan bake shop. I am waiting for the day they expand in New York… but this location is quaint and open late. The doughnuts are out of this world. Been coming here for years and years to come. It’s hard to find such good treats when you have food allergies but everything here tastes so good and is very fresh.

Babycakes!
Friendly staff. Flavors do run out by the end of the day.
Cupcake Tops — $ 2 — I tried chocolate, vanilla, and carrot. Tasted like they should. Carrot was my favorite. The top is favorite part of the cupcake! More bakeries need to do this!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie — $ 1.75 — Big cookie.
Cupcakes — $ 4.95 — I tried banana and vanilla. Banana was really good, like banana bread. Vanilla was pretty basic.
I loved their pastries and I did not even know they were vegan. I don’t know how they do it but everything tasted the same and the textures were spot on.

I’m very allergic to dairy, fairly allergic to dairy, and mildly allergic to soy. They avoid all of these things! I’m also a performing acrobat and dancer, so sweets just don’t make it into my life very often. I just finished a long/​challenging tour and looked up GF bakeries to reward myself. We have a winner! I ordered enough to feed a party and ate half of each item while drinking their coffee. The items below are my quick take, in order of my favorite (not order which I consumed).
Mint cookie — crazy good
Powdered blueberry donut — excellent
Biscuit with jam/​cream — excellent and not quite as sweet (very nice after all the sugar)
Carrot cupcake with vanilla (green) frosting — SO good! I’ve missed carrot cake very much
Cookie sandwich, vanilla frosting — excellent
Samoa donut — very good; love the coconut but can’t handle any more chocolate (this was the final item I tried)
Piña colada donut hole — very good, with an actual piece of pineapple in middle
Banana chocolate donut — really good, but I’m starting to reject chocolate flavor
Brownie bite — basic, nothing to write about

Favorite bakery in New York. If you know how great the ingredients Erin uses in her pastries, you should not complain about the price. Erin uses coconut oil, which is much more expensive than GMO filled Canola oil — other pastry shops are using.
You get what you pay for. Also, vegans, Glutenfree and all to all the people having allergies, it is the best place so far. I am sensitive to dairy –gives me Acne, and conventional cupcakes are full of dairy cream. Erin is heaven for people like me who want to enjoy sweet treats. I even bought her cookbook and the Thin mints turned out really well.
I wish there would be more bakeries like this one in New York.
Thank you Erin!

This place is a cute hole in the wall. I went to grab my friend a cupcake for their birthday. I get that these are vegan, but $ 5 for one cupcake seemed a little absurd. I ended up getting the one for my friend and then just going around the corner to Sugar Sweet Sunshine to get a box of six that cost me less than $ 10. My friend said the cupcake was good though! But all in all, I felt the quality for the price was lacking.

Amazing selection of pastries for gluten free eaters. Gluten free donuts are hard to come by as it is and these were delicious, the Samoa donut was my favorite. Would definitely come back!

Can’t say enough about Baby Cakes! Everything I’ve had from them is super flavorful and satisfying. The samoa doughnuts and regular chocolate chip cookies are my absolute favorites. I stop by at least once a week for a fix.
The décor is adorable, the staff is awesome and super friendly, and the food is great! I get my coffee from them every day before work, and it’s always my favorite stop.

Worth the extra cash. Best (and most consistent) gf baked goods I’ve had in this city. And it’s so nice not to have to worry: dairy free; gluten free; sugar free (agave syrup); kosher everything. Thank you! Very cozy, arty, girl-​esque atmosphere. Service could be a bit more professional, but most are super-​kind and smiley.

$ 5 something for 2 small chocolate chip cookies with a little frosting in between… no thanks. My gf and I were not impressed. We took a few bites and then mutually decided it was not worth the calories. Maybe I’m just ruined as I compare all cookies to the ones at Levain Bakery, but this was our honest experience. Sorry baby cakes.

If you are vegan and gluten-​free; it does not get any better than this! Friendly staff; but at times the cookies can be stale, depending on the baker. Must try: Samoa doughnut, red velvet cupcake, and the brownie mint cupcake.

A little pricey, but I guess a lot of work goes into making vegan baked goods. I saw this place featured on TV and decided to check it out, despite not being vegan.
It’s a small store, so most people buy things to-​go. There is a range of baked goods for sale, from cupcakes to muffins to donuts to pastries. The interior was cozy.
I ordered a salted caramel donut. It was different (had a crumbly texture), but pretty good in my opinion. Service was friendly too.
Not sure that I would call it a must-​try place, but definitely a useful option for people with dietary restrictions/​allergies.

This place is heavenly if you love gluten free and began products. Half of the products are just as tasty! I know a lot of people hear vegan and simply turn and walk the other way, but this is definitely something everyone should try! It’ll definitely change your perspective on gluten free and vegan.
Try the vanilla glazed donuts! They are DELISH.

I really enjoyed this place
However it’s super expensive to an unreasonable amount almost. I got a chocolate cupcake with mint frosting and then a banana chocolate chip loaf. It was 8.75 in total… I didn’t think that was okay. However the loaf was enjoyable. I really enjoyed it although I don’t usually like gluten free things. You really can’t tell. Same with the cupcake. It just tasted like a really moist cupcake rather than… Was mainstream market gluten free cupcakes taste like.
In the end I’m actually glad I tried this place it was super yummy and enjoyable! I would definitely go back but because of the price I don’t think I’ll go frequently.

$ 4.75 for a tiny cupcake is insane! The brownie mocha was fudgey and tasty, but it was a little too sweet and too «just ok» to be that expensive. Extra star for being a tasty gluten free bakery with options, though.

My partner and I were walking around this side of town on our way to a very late lunch, and always wanted to go to Erin McKenna’s so when we (almost) accidentally bumped into this cutesy little café we thought why not gorge ourselves on vegan cupcakes instead? We had homemade lemonade (very acidic and lemony, but overall super refreshing!) and their famous double choc cupcakes (delicious and tasted just like a regular dairy cupcake!)
The coolsy girl behind the counter was kind enough to fill up a container of free goodies as it was nearing closing time (as I said earlier, headed for a VERY late lunch!) which was unexpected and incredibly kind, it’s great they’d rather give away goods than waste them, another plus for this place!
There isn’t much seating however there’s some cute bench seats out the front on the street, which can make it difficult if you’re in the mood to sit and relax with a cupcake café-​style, but I guess this place is more of a take-​and-​go institution.
Overall a lovely experience.

Best place for vegan baked goods. I also have two of her cookbooks which are unbeatable but to have it in person made by her shop — just divine.
The chocolate covered donut was my favorite but I also liked the Samoa, caramel covered and the apple churro.
They’re expensive but worth every penny. She knows how to bake vegan that every person alive would like. Rivals any non-​vegan baked goods.
Just as a warning: I only got the donuts and a churro. I cannot speak to the cookies or cupcakes bc I have places back in Richmond that do both of those things. Nowhere that does donuts.
Keep up the great work, Erin. We will always visit you when we come through town.

Yesterday was my nephew’s 12^th birthday. Since he was a baby he’s been allergic to everything – eggs, milk, peanuts, seafood, you name it. He’s been a trooper his whole life, but it’s always been hard to watch whenever we’d have parties for him and he can’t even eat his own cake. We looked all around for any kind of recipe or bakery that could accommodate his needs, but finding a bakery that doesn’t deal with milk, eggs, and cream is like trying to find a flower shop that doesn’t deal with roses, carnations, and lilies.
After a bit of Googling trying to figure out «allergy safe food», it struck me that there’s been a solution in our face the whole time: vegan food.
Veganism has gotten kind of a mixed rap over the years because, well let’s face it, there’s a vocal minority of adherents can get to the point of literal religious fanaticism, chastising meat eaters as veritable heretics. But something else I’ve found over the years is that, the vast majority of vegans are just regular folks who happen to care for animals and the natural world and who want to eat cleaner and healthier. Certainly not a bad thing for us carnivores to do. I’m not Jewish either, but I do enjoy eating Kosher from time to time for similar reasons.
And so I rode my Citi Bike down to Erin McKenna’s bakery. It’s a little tough to find, you need to walk on Broome Street and then you’ll see a sign that says «Babycakes Bakery».
It’s a small space and even when I went an hour before closing it was pretty busy. I admit, not being a vegan I wasn’t sure what to order, but the young lady behind the counter was super helpful and just picked out some assorted doughnuts and cupcakes when I asked. There were Madeleines on the counter too, so I decided to treat myself and get a couple.
While the Unilocal review gives it one dollar sign, my order was a bit pricier than that – the total came out to about $ 60 for 6 donuts and 6 cupcakes. But for me it was worth it just to see my nephew be able to eat real cake with the rest of the family for the first time.
As for the taste, the best thing I can say to someone who’s not used to vegan cooking is to set your expectations. Obviously without eggs or milk it’s going to be a bit denser and drier than your typical cupcake from Magnolia or Crumbs. But the flavor is definitely fantastic. I enjoyed my Madeleines immensely, and the first comment people had when they saw the cupcakes was, «they made these without milk or eggs?!»
This is one where I’ll definitely be back, at least once a year on my nephew’s birthday, and maybe more than that.

Samoa and salted caramel doughnuts… sounds amazing… tastes meh.
I like the mounds but they are a bit pricey for the portion.
The cupcake tops are always a winner. I like the chocolate mint ones best. Overall, on my 3 visits, I was pleased but not blown away. So much hype surrounding this place.

So in love with this place. Spent a good hour today just posted up in this bakery because it was warm and smelled AMAZING! Everything here is gluten-​free, vegan, soy-​free AND kosher and their selection is phenomenal. I tried the samoa donut which was amazing and got a couple of cupcakes to go and a chocolate donut for the man. Pro-​tip: They were offering 2 for 1, day-​old cupcakes. Not sure if this is something they do all the time, but hey, a day-​old cupcake is still a cupcake. I will most assuredly be back.

I’ve been eating Babycakes donuts awhile now. They’re my must have when I’m in New York City or in Los Angeles. For whatever reason, I find this NYC location with the best tasting treats. I picked up a bunch and shared them with my family. They LOVED them all. Though I’m the only one with the food sensitivities, I believe anyone will enjoy these over the traditional if they tried them. I mean if it’s good, it’s good, eat it! Don’t be shy, try them all! Definitely, grab some donuts. There are plenty of flavors to satisfy.
Randie Lin
Travel and Eat Vegan and Gluten-​Free @
My Food Freedom

The best vegan éclair I’ve ever had. Hands down. If I lived here I would be so fat I wouldn’t be able to get through the door. I’d have to sit like a lump in the street and panhandle for change to buy more of their deliciousness.

Happy that each item is vegan and gluten free. Brownie cupcake with mint frosting was a delicious creation though the cake was a little dry. $ 5 for a small cupcake is disappointing because it could be made cheaper.
I will be more impressed by a vegan bakery when their prices are comparable to standard American diet goods.
It is what it is. Very cute atmosphere. We rested on some benches outside and enjoyed our snack. Happy to come across this place. 3 stars because of price vs portion and slight dryness of cake. At $ 5 a pop, my treat should be nothing less than perfect.

What an absolutely cute vegan bakery!
I came here with my best friend, we picked our favorite sweets to share and we were in heaven. The cupcakes DO NOT taste vegan. They are decadent and rich in flavor. The owners are so friendly and willing to explain everything involved in the baking /​making process! It is truly a hole in the wall but you get a feeling of sweet happiness once you enter and you just want to try everything!

I came in here this afternoon after wanting to try it for years. Bakery? Vegan? Gluten free? Meaning I can potentially eat everything if I wanted to? Score.
Everything is also soy free, non-​GMO, and sweetened with either agave or cane sugar (as opposed to that super processed white stuff).
It is a very cozy place (read: small), but there are seats along the counter (but not many), and standing space along the wall. I would not want to be in this place if there were more than 10 people in there because I imagine it would be very uncomfortable. The walls are decorated with clippings and cute stuff. There is a giant menu on the wall saying what they have, and but the better way to pick what you want is to look through the clear glass and see what they have (prices are marked, too!). I saw cupcakes with interesting flavors (carrot vanilla!), cookies, cookie sandwiches, brownies, doughnuts (SAMOA!!!), biscuits, and probably a bunch of other baked goods I don’t remember.
Since I’m not a fan of cupcakes at all (gasppp!), I was deciding between a cookie or a biscuit. My friend told me to try a biscuit, so I picked the broccoli cheddar biscuit which was $ 4. That is pretty pricey for something that is smaller than the size of my fist, BUT given it IS gluten free and vegan AND non-​gmo, plus all of the benefits listed all the way up top, so I’m sure someway somehow that has its justifications of being pricey. That being said, my biscuit was very very salty. I had to chug water after eating half of it. But, Babycakes, you have done very well in the flavor and texture department. It was crumbly but not too dry.
I want to give you another chance — so next time, I’ll be having a cookie!

I’ve been dairy and egg free for 5 months now because my son (who I’m breastfeeding) was found to have allergies to both. I finally had an opportunity to be in NYC and my brother’s girlfriend took be Babycakes because I told her, «I can eat everything in there.»
I wasn’t disappointed upon entering rather I was overwhelmed and paralyzed by the choices I had in front of me. For someone who hasn’t been able to set foot in a bakery for baked goods in months … It’s an amazing, freeing feeling.
I got doughnuts and cupcakes. Doughnut flavored were chocolate dipped, Samoa and chocolate cookie crunch. Cupcakes procured: carrot w cinnamon, chocolate chocolate, banana split w chocolate cake.
The doughnut is good but a heavier donut w texture similar to coffee cake, flavor too. Not bad but I prefer a fluffy donut like Dunkin Donut. The icing us excellent. Then the cupcake, I had the chocolate chocolate and it’s amazing. It’s exactly what I needed and craved.
We may get some cupcakes for my son’s first birthday in the fall since he can’t have egg or dairy.

I love Baby Cakes !! I’ve never tasted such amazing vegan AND gluten-​free baked goods. Making great vegan baked goods is one thing, but to also be gluten-​free is feat, that Baby Cakes has mastered.
I love their baked doughnuts and doughnut holes– the Samoa doughnut is so good. They have a large variety of cupcakes as well. The standout for me is the salted caramel, with just enough frosting! The mini brownies are great for portion-​control and satisfy that sweet craving without overload. They also have cookies and quick breads (banana bread etc.)
Price-​wise, yes it is a little pricey. Almost $ 4 for a doughnut, but it is a «specialty» bakery that is doing a great service for those with dietary restrictions. Everything I’ve tried has been absolutely yummy, texture and flavor-​wise. I would not be able to tell it was gluten-​free if you did not tell me! I’ve had many «gummy-​texture» kind of gluten-​free pastries that were not that awesome.
I highly recommend Baby cakes (: Really cute small store. Just grab, go, and ENJOY!

I’ve been wanting to try Baby Cakes for as long as I can remember, and today was the day.
I tried the carrot cake cupcake top and it was mediocre. The frosting isn’t what I was expecting but that’s my fault. I was expecting it to be the same consistency of your usual frosting (i.e Magnolia Bakery frosting).
I took the frosting off and just ate the carrot cake, which wasn’t that great.
If I’m in the neighborhood, I’ll try their donuts next.

Yikes. I was raving to my friend about this place and when we both finally came the donuts I once raved about were very bland and dry… And I could tell from his face I sounded pretty crazy raving about these bland donuts. I felt embarrassed for sure because these are definitely not the donuts I fell in love with.
Please be consistent with them being moist!

Where do you go when you’re downtown and you just finished a huge meal where you completely stuffed yourself and you can’t eat another bite of food? You go for dessert. I mean, I go for dessert. You can go wherever you damn well please.
So I summoned my girlfriend, Yel P. aka Unilocalina, (I’ve got to come up with something better than that) and she told me that Erin McKenna’s Baby Cakes was my best option. «They’re open until 11» she said. So we took a walk.
There weren’t a lot of choices, but whatever I did see looked really yummy. Different flavors of banana breads, cupcakes, donuts and one type of scone and mini brownies. After standing around and drooling, I went with a lemon blueberry scone and a frosted pumpkin cupcake. I also got a lemon ginger tea. My total came to $ 10.08 and because I’m sometimes nice, I threw in a $ 2 tip.
The last time I had a scone was probably about 10 years ago. I remember a flaky crust and a dry center. One of those breakfast desserts that people eat by dipping each bite into their coffee. Not this scone. Until tonight, I had never understood the phrase «it melted in mouth.» Like, for serious though. (Make sure to read that last sentence again with one of those annoying Long Island white girl accents– I’m allowed to say that because 1. I’m white 2. I’m from Long Island).
Oh yea, the scone. I’m not typically a lemon person and I don’t even like cooked blueberries but something about the glaze on this sweet sweet dessert called out to me. It was buttery and gooey and soft and oh so perfect. I don’t know much about scones, but I know this is the scone for me.
Sadly, the cupcake was not as exciting as the scone. I forget what flavor the frosting was, but based on the look and taste, I will go with a flavor called «pink slime.» The frosting was the consistency of tooth paste and the cupcake was fairly dry and tasted almost medicinal. BUT, the scone was so good that I will pretend that the cupcake was a dud. A once in a blue accidental cupcake fail. It happens.
I plan on coming back here. No question about that.

Love, love, love. I even brought my students here and didn’t tell them it was vegan until after they had all taken bites of their cupcakes. :)
Pros:
+ delicious!
+ offers more than just cupcakes: donuts, cake loaves, coffee, and more
+ cupcakes contain perfect amount of frosting, and frosting is not too rich
+ coffee is served with a variety of milk options: coconut, almond, and… one more… can’t remember it. Rice, maybe?
+ brownies are the perfect size and were a huge hit with my students
Cons:
— limited seating, but it’s not usually an issue (people do not sit around for a long time, and most people take it to go)