UYE: East Bay Cupcake Crawl

Super huge props to Marc A. for organizing and to Ligaya and everyone else who helped coordinate. Maps were passed out and Unilocal stickers distributed to identify our sugar-​high crew.
I’m a gigantic cupcake lover and was looking forward to this for over a month when it was first posted. Unfortunately my morning ended up being rushed, I had not eaten anything, and I had to head out straight from the shower — thank god we had Unilocal bandannas!
I drove Tinna H. over with me and we were a tad late and started at La Farine. We had a chocolate and vanilla cupcake and they were pretty meh. I think La Farine makes amazing breads and pastries, but cake? Not so much.
Next stop was Sweet Adeline’s. They had been told we were coming but the cupcakes would not be ready until 1:00pm. We sat around and we’re able to snap a chocolate guinness, banana, and red velvet. I was surprised at how dense they were and was disappointed they were on the dry side. I might try them again another time but I won’t make a special trip.
Next we headed to Bakesale Betty’s where I was grateful to get some lunch — the chicken sandwich of course, and pumpkin pie. I think Betty’s chicken is just OK. All white meat just isn’t succulent enough and I’d prefer more spice. The baked goods are always amazing however — the pie was glorious, perfectly executed.
We stuck around for Cupkate’s but had to bail after that. For me the best was last — I enjoyed the s’mores and lemon raspberry, but was not a fan of the double vanilla or pumpkin spice. I’ve been stalking her on Twitter but don’t venture into Berkeley often — I’d like to go back and try more.
Overall a great event and one I’d love to do again. Next time I’ll even comb my hair.
peace, love, and good booze ~ chase

Had a cupcake smash! Literally, as delicious bites cupcakes were smashed into my face for consumption.
I brought a Unilocal-​newbie friend to give her a taste of the camraderie that is Unilocal and she had a great time, even though we couldn’t stay for the entire crawl. Sad that we missed out on Bakesale Betty’s :(
Thanks Marc A. for putting this together!

Thanks to Ligaya for saving the day since Scott L. forgot the thermos of coffee that he promised to bring. Cupcakes? I don’t remember eating any cupcakes but it was sure fun meeting a lot of new Unilocalers. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a day strolling around Oakland/​Berkeley. Marc told me a secret but I’m not good at keeping secrets. He told me that he has several other crawls in the works including an ice cream crawl, a burrito crawl and fudge and caramel crawl. Can’t wait!

I have attended several Unilocal Elite events with the Woman, but this was the first UYE that she didn’t have to club me over the head in order to say Yes, Woman, I will go. That is also unusual because my personality is like a rescue dog. I do not like crowds, not very social, but okay in small groups or one on one.
I eat gluten-​free so anything with barley, wheat or rye makes me quite ill. The idea of a cupcake crawl so early did not appeal to me very much and it rained the night before. Day of the event, the weather was perfect and it was nice to meet some of the other Unilocalers Woman is always making loud, happy noises about.
My favorite things were the chocolate and beer cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from Sweet Adeline Bakeshop. The Guiness seemed a strange pairing with the chocolate, but I actually enjoyed how moist and complex the flavors were and the unexpected way they came together.
Now I know why there is always a line halfway down the block from Bakesale Betty’s door. The friend chicken sandwich was flavorful, the breading was crisp and the slaw with jalapenos was my favorite. Woman made the angry sounds when I took half of her sandwich, but I knew she wasn’t going to eat the whole thing.
The ginger cookie was only $ 1.00 and I appreciated the bits of caramelized ginger, so the flavor really came through but it wasn’t overpowering. I’m not sure if it was technically a ginger snap, because it had a perfect crunchy shell but was still bendy and chewy.
Mmmmmm… Good.
The pack of Unilocalers contributed to the longer lines and waits in general, but this was still an excellent event, well organized and executed.

Michael L is a poopyhead.
Shows up at the 4^th stop of a 6-​stop event and whines that I didn’t bring coffee on a hot afternoon.
I hope they delete all of his reviews. what? there are only 4?

Cupcakes are one of my weaknesses and I had to go on this crawl.
I brought one of my friends along and we had fun going around checking out the different bakeries around the Oakland and Berkeley area. I did go on a 4 mile run before going to this and hopefully walked off all the calories I gained between the bakeries.
We only visited 3 (Market Hall, La Farine, and Adeline) out of 6 bakeries because we had to meet up with my friend’s mother-​in-​law and friend for lunch. At each stop, the cupcakes got tastier and better. Too bad I missed out on Bakesale Betty. One day I will conquer you!
This was a great idea and big thanks to Mark and Ligaya for organizing this event and for the Unilocal bandanas and stickers. Cupcakes are the breakfast of champions!

When it comes to cupcake tastings, I’ve had previous experiences [Cupcake Camp!]. I know better than to order multiple cupcakes from the same place and try to eat them all by myself. It’s a sugar rush, and you end up too stuffed to try more.
The plan of attack?
Gather the friends, grab a knife, and share multiples!
Cupcakes we tried:
La Farine [we were running a little late]: Chocolate and Vanilla
Sweet Adeline: Guinness Chocolate, Red Velvet, Banana
Cupkates: Smores, Lemon Raspberry, Pumpkin Spice, Double Vanilla
A savory break at Bakesale Betty was the perfect way to balance it all out. A nicely spiced fried chicken sandwich among friends. :) I justified stuffing my face with cupcakes first thing in the morning with an intense Pilates workout beforehand. Way to make a workout count, right? Also since I’d indulged during the crawl, the food at the birthday party that I subsequently attended was untouched.
Photos from my phone:

Marc deserves some serious kudos for putting this event together. Supplying most everyone with a map of our cupcake pit stops, tipping of the participating shops to our arrival so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed with 30+ people ordering, and keeping us on a decent schedule, Marc was the unofficial Ligaya for the day ;)
This event was both pleasure (cupcakes, fried chicken sandwich, and pastries if you could find some extra empty stomach lining) and pain (3.9 miles of walking). The walking did me good as this was a 3000 calorie endeavor.
Since we paid for our cupcakes, I’ll write my reviews separately for each establishment.
I thought the cupcakes got better with each stop, and it was really nice to have the time to walk and chit chat with the ever expanding number of Unilocalers.
For East Bay Unilocal stuff, I made a group on flickr if you care to share your photos —
And here is a link to my photos —
Thanks, as always, for all of you that let me take photos during the event.

I’m STILL eating my leftover desserts from the cupcake crawl! O_​O And they’re still tasty! mmmmmm
Thank you Marc A. for organizing this lovely event! I was in the south bay this morning and it was drizzling when I left at 10:20am. O_​O We got a little lost getting to the Rockridge BART station, but luckily we headed towards our first cupcake destination, Market Hall, and found street parking (but didn’t read the «PAY HERE» sign, oops)! It was such a beautifully sunny day for a cupcake crawl!!! :D Most of the items below (except for the two cupcakes and sweet potato bread) were just consumed by me alone! O_​O uhhh, yeah. asdahkwuhdakuhd hahahaha
Market Hall
— Lemon Bar: It was HUGE goodness ($ 2.50) *****
— Ginger Cookie: :(**
La Farine
— Carrot Cake Cupcake: yum, cute carrot décor on the top! ($ 2.95) ****
— Triple Ginger Cookie: super hard, thin, and not very gingery ($ 1.25) =\ *
— Almond Tea Cake: it tasted like a giant madeline O_​O mehh ($ 1.75) **
Sweet Adeline
— Ginger Cookie: YUM! This is what I’m talking about! thick, ginger, chewy goodness ($ 1.25) *****
— Lemon Snap Cookie: I’ve never heard of them before. It was a cookie and it was delish!!! ($ 1.25) *****
— Almond Tea Cakes: So cute, small, and cake goodness! Perfect portion for this cupcake crawl and only $.75! yay! :) ($.75) *****
— Banana Cupcake: I liked the cake part, but the frosting part was a little too thick and overwhelming ***
— Sweet Potato Bread: (eats the bread) This is sweet potato? The name sounded better than it tasted **
— Gingerbread: Didn’t taste at all like gingerbread… more like soy sauce? O_​O ($ 1.75) *
Bakesale Betty
— Pumpkin Pie: YUM! With the whipped cream it hit the Y-​spot! *****
As you can see it’s more ginger cookie than cupcakes… haha After Sweet Adeline, I couldn’t consume anymore sugared goods. haha I wish I brought a toothbrush though!
It was great meeting all the fantastic Unilocalers today!!! Hellos to: Marc A., Ligaya T., Rhoda G., Ann L., Matt G., Rachel R., Tran, Anna D., Michael L., Luis, Kenny L., Scott L., and the awesome cupcake crawlers! Can’t wait to get another sugar high! ^^ Ok, I must go and brush my teeth now!

The plan:
1) Leave Union City @ 10:15.
2) Arrive in Oakland @ 10:45.
3) Meet @ Rockridge BART @ 11:00.
4) Eat until we could eat no more.
«Wait, crap… where exactly do we meet at BART? Oh wait, I think I see people. Hey, that guy has a map that says ‘cupcake crawl’. Let’s follow him!»
A quick huddle for a brief meet and greet, followed by a collateral march across the street to Market Hall Bakery. And so, this marks the beginning of the East Bay Cupcake Crawl (my first, and surely not last, UYE!)
With 6 stops in the suggested itinerary, my cousin Lydia W. and I decided to split orders at every stop. Any other way would have left us terribly sedated from a massive sugar coma. Besides, sharing is caring!
My list of sinfully good treats for the day (either whole or just small bites from others):
1) Red Velvet cupcake @ Market Hall Bakery
2) Raspberry Royale cake @ La Farine (a favorite of the day)
3) Vanilla Cupcake w/​Blue Buttercream Frosting @ La Farine
4) Pecan Praline cookie @ Sweet Adeline
5) Snickerdoodle cookie @ Sweet Adeline
6) Chocolate-​Guinness cupcake @ Sweet Adeline (interesting flavor!)
7) Pumpkin Pomegranate cupcake @ Sweet Adeline
8) Fried Chicken Sandwich @ Bakesale Betty’s (oh em gee goodness!)
9) Chocolate Chip Cookie @ Bakesale Betty’s
10) Lemon Ice @ Bakesale Betty’s
11) Smores cupcake @ Cupkates (best of the best!)
12) Red Velvet cupcake @ Cupkates (midnight snack tonight)
That adds up to be an obvious trip to the gym tonight… if only I can get my fat arse out of bed right now!
I was ready to tap out after Bakesale Betty’s, but the highly anticipated trek to Cupkates persuaded me to just tough it up for one last bite. And wow, I’m so glad I didn’t give up. Kate did not disappoint! The ooey gooey richness of the chocolate-​marshmallow-​graham cracker delight was THE perfect way to end a day of gluttony. (Reviews of individual bakeries written separately).
How am I ever going to finish all those leftovers?!?
I had a blast meeting new folks, making new friends, and sharing bites with fellow Unilocalers! A big thanks to Marc for organizing such a well-​planned and fantastic event on what turned out to be a rather gorgeous day.

What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than with a gaggle of Unilocalers Unilocalers gallivanting around Oakland and Berkeley stuffing our faces with cupcakes! We were like the critical mass of cupcakery, sucking people into our sugary vortex, inspiring our fellow citizens to eat down the righteous path. Marc A, thanks for organizing such a well thought out, yummy route!
Evals, below:
La Farine — carrot cake, dense and moist with optimally tart cream cheese frosting but served too cold
Sweet Adeline — red velvet with extra chocolate topping and pomegrante seeds on top. smooth cake, light cocoa, yummy, rather light frosting
Cupkates — TBD. I promised to not have one until after dinner. We’ll see how good my discipline is.
Bittersweet Café — dark chocolate with vanilla frosting. nicely textured, richer, less sweet cake than most, but topping was unremarkable
Did I mention that those were my first «meal» of the day? Breakfast of champions! That’s in addition to the tomato focaccia, goat cheese and leek tart, morning buns and oh, Bakesale Betty’s fried chicken sandwich that I somehow consumed in the span of four hours. The sugar high’s worn off, and I’m due for a nap. How are y’all feeling?
It was awesome to see folks from all over the Bay come together to honor this special treat. In between our third stop and lunch, a truck driver asked if we were part of a peace rally. That’s right, buddy. Make cupcakes, not war! And he actually joined us later on the trail. Now that’s community!

I was so looking forward for this East Bay bakery-​visiting event. But with the sudden elements from earlier in the morning, the day and event might turned ugly. On the other hand with the rain going away and the sun coming in, the day turned out to be a picture perfect day for another Unilocal gathering.
The event is a 4-​mile circle tour of the finest bakeries in the East Bay (all with Unilocal-​stickers). Ligaya and Mark (organizers for the event) handed out bandanas to all of us. Majority of the Unilocalers walked to hopefully burned off some of the calories and make room for these tasty treats. Few Unilocalers did drive and rode a bike (including myself) as another alternative way to get around for the event as well.
Our first stop and meeting place was at the Market Hall Bakery on College Ave (Rockridge Area). I didn’t buy anything, but I did manage to get a small bite of another fellow-yelper’s Red Velvet Cupcake, which was a sweet start for this event. My total: $ 0.
Next, we went up north on College Ave to La Farine Bakery. I bought a Gruyère Cheese Roll for later and a Butter Cream cupcake with a small cup of coffee to absorb the sweetness. The cupcake was small, but very moist and the frosting was creamy. My total: $ 6.00.
Then, we made a left and went west on Alcatraz Ave. and ran into Sweet Adeline Bakeshop on Adeline Street. I actually like this corner bakery. I wish I knew about this place back then. I started off with two cookies: Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Chip cookie, and another cup of coffee. As I was enjoying my treats and chatting with other Unilocalers and suddenly, one of the workers from the bakery yelled, «Cupcakes just came out!»
I hurried back in there and joined Ann L., who was standing in the long line, and decided to buy two of the freshest cupcakes right out of the kitchen. Ann and I had the Pumpkin Cupcake with Pomegranate and Chocolate Frosting topping and the Raspberry topping with Chocolate frosting one. Because of the freshness, it was by far the best cupcakes we’ve had on the tour. My total from Adeline Bakeshop: $ 12.50.
Our Cupcakes:
Afterwards, we walked through the residential area and landed at Bakesale Betty. And since it was a Saturday, «of course there was a long line.» I met up with other Unilocalers while waiting in line and snucked Ann L and joined me instead of standing in the back of the line halfway down the block. I had the Fried Chicken Sandwich for $ 7.75 and the freshly-​squeezed lemonade for $ 2.50. Ann bought an Egg-​Salad sandwich to join me at the ironing-​board for lunch. All Unilocalers, who participated in the event including us, received a slice of Pumpkin Pie with a thick cream topping for a later treat. My total $ 11.00.
My slice of Pumpkin Pie:
Then, some of the Unilocalers ran into the truck of CupKates on Claremont Avenue. I didn’t go, but some of the Unilocalers, who went, gave me mixed reactions of the cupcakes from that visit
But I did rode my bike back to College Ave. and landed at Bittersweet Café, which was our final stop. I bought the Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate for $ 4.00 and a Wonder Bar for $ 3.00 as a later treat. The hot beverage had a subtle taste with the drink not being overly-​sweet with a smooth Peanut Butter taste. I actually enjoyed that hot drink as well. Ligaya also handed out more cupcakes. My total: $ 7.00.
My Hot Chocolate:
My Wonder Bar:
Indeed we had a long and tiring, but «sweet» day. And thanks to Ligaya and Mark on organizing another fun East Bay «Bakery-​Hoppin’» event.
Oh yeah, my kids loved the Pumpkin Pie from Bakesale Betty. I guess you’ll know where I’ll get my Pumpkin Pie from this holiday-​season.