Cupcake Caramel by Sweets Bakeshop

I go to MN at least 2x/​month and stop every time. Love the cupcakes!

Closed.
Sad face.
I’ve been dieting, so I feel like this might be all my fault. Also, Cupcake has started making the best ever macarons, so I may have been a less than loyal. (Cupcake is really nearby and has cupcakes too… obviously) I always felt like the people giving bad reviews to this place must have some personal vendetta, but it would really suck to lost a wedding deposit or be in a pickle at the last minute before a kid’s party. Sorry.
I will choose to remember them not as slow and weird service and silly renamed items, but as the front runners in the salted caramel business. You can’t win em all though.

Awful! I placed an order online, received a confirmation only to find out when I went to pick up my 4 dozen macaroons & cupcakes for a dinner party they were on vacation! Totally egregious! As a small business owner myself, this is beyond bad. There was no communication on their voice mail or website mentioning their vacation. bad bad bad.

There are few things in the world right now that are trendier than the cupcake. Over the past couple years, bakery after bakery has popped up looking to provide the world with their new, exciting version of a basic dessert. Unfortunately, because the cupcake is so popular right now, people seem to see them through rose colored glasses, believing that any cupcake is a good cupcake. This is not true, readers. Case in point, the success of Cupcake in Minneapolis.
I have been to Cupcake several times, hoping that the next time will be better, and each time I wonder why I gave them another shot. No longer will I put myself through the agony of a dry, overpriced cupcake. From this point forward I will buy my cupcakes elsewhere. Recently, Sara and I found an exceptional cupcake at Sweets Bakeshop.
Sweets opened in November of 2009 on Marshall and Cleveland in Saint Paul. Shortly after, they were able to expand and open a Southwest Minneapolis location. I find that often the more a bakery tries to do, the less they succeed. Unlike other bakeries, Sweets Bakeshop sticks to what they know and what they do well: cupcakes and french macarons.
As we like to do when trying a new place, my wife and I got an assortment of goodies. There were lots of choices at Sweets. They make 9 varieties of cupcakes every day, as well as 3 seasonal flavors that change monthly. The same is true of the macarons, 9 everyday flavors and 3 seasonal.
For $ 17 we chose 6 mini cupcakes and 6 macarons, and after sampling all 12 I can tell you it was well worth the money. My favorite cupcake was the Turtle (chocolate cake, caramel and pecan filling, chocolate buttercream dipped in pecans). Wicked good! I love the classic Turtle flavor combination, and the crunch of the pecans with the moist cake and creamy frosting was perfect. Saint Pauley Girl really enjoyed the Pucker Up (lemon cake filled with berries, topped with lemon butter cream). Best lemon flavor I have had in cake form in a long, long time.
The french macarons were a really nice compliment to the cupcakes. These treats are slightly crispy cookies sandwiched together with a flavored ganache in the middle. I really liked the Be Mine (aka Caramel Latte) and the Mint Basil, and can see myself choosing these over the cupcakes in the future. The macarons were not as over the top sweet as the cupcakes, but they have very rich flavors which I really enjoyed.
The baked goods were great, the staff was very friendly (we were helped by one of the owners, George) and the prices were reasonable, so it’s difficult to say anything negative about Sweets BakeShop. My one tiny complaint was that the chocolate cupcakes were a bit difficult to peel, sticking to the paper, and I found myself eating the cake off the paper.
There it is friends — don’t be fooled by trends and assume that any cupcake is a good cupcake. Sweets focuses on putting out a quality product rather than just trying to cash in on a trend. When this trend dies (and it will), Sweets Bakeshop will still be standing when the dust settles.

Parisian Macarons:
–Soft and chewy like they’re supposed to be, though not as moist and smooth as the ones from Cocoa & Fig
–LOVE the salted caramel, pistachio, strawberry flavors; vanilla was okay and the white chocolate cream ganache cream inside was a nice touch; meh on the lemon/​chocolate
–LOVE their jar of «Sad macs», or botched versions of the cookies they sell at $ 1 a piece; most of the time the sad macarons taste just as chewy as their prettier counterparts
Cupcakes:
–SHO adorable
–I usually don’t do cupcakes because I don’t see what the big deal is and they all taste the same (like typical cake mix from the grocery store) to me; cupcakes from Sweets Bakeshop are an exception, much better than Cocoa & Fig in this category
Service:
–Nicest counter guy ever, although I’m not a big fan of the new haircut
I bought a box of 20 macarons one afternoon, 3 were left the next day. Moral of the story: macarons = amazing, I = am fat as hell.

Better than … ??
Almost. Well, No. But, darn good cupcakes for sure. I tried the Triple chocolate, the Salted Chocolate Caramel, and of course, the Better than dot dot dot. Delicious.
The Better than dot dot dot is perfect. A great ratio of chocolate cake fluffiness to sweet/​buttercream and the toffee chips on top are just marvelous — really gives it that kick.
The Salted Chocoalte Carmel is a safe bet. You wanna know why? Because it’s simple. Chocolate cake, caramel buttercream (buttercream is what makes or breaks the cupcake) and a tad bit of sea salt. That’s it. Ta-​da! Delicioso!
Last but not least, my favorite: The Triple Chocolate. OMG is this thing tasty. What makes this tiny cupcake so special? Again, like the Salted Caramel, it’s simplicity. Chocolate/​cocoa mix, chocolate buttercream/​chocolate sweetcream and love. I really think the staff here puts all of their love in to making this one. Who said you cant have favorites right?
Lastly, they sell French macarons, I haven’t had them because my sweet-​tooth calls for chocolate everytime I enter this tiny 18^th century Hollywood-​esque looking building but I will try them soon and review once more. For now, thank you Sweets for all the wonderful smiles, cupcakes, and the calories!
Now, If you’ll excuse me, I have to go run 5 miles and pump out 100 crunches.

I feel like I’m kicking somebody’s sweet little kitten by writing this review, so be forewarned.
First off, this might be a case of mistaken identity. I was under the impression that this place 1. Served great cupcakes, and 2. Had a place to sit. Unfortunately, neither of these assumptions proved true; it’s strictly grab and go for the most hideous bakery item ever. Luckily, the guy serving me my cupcake was a really nice guy, but that doesn’t excuse the poor excuse for a cupcake I gagged down, narrowly avoiding reflexive throwing up.
This place serves possibly the grossest cupcakes I’ve ever had (which is saying something, since I’ve eaten many a terrible cupcake). If you like mediocre, dry cake and frosting comparable to an oversized wad of unsalted butter, this might be up your alley, but it really wasn’t up mine. Be aware.
They also offer French-​style macaroons; these may or may not be tasty, but I didn’t have them and won’t be back…

I hate to give one star and rarely do but after my last experience at Sweets, I will never go there again. Prior to reading Jennifer’s review about the sale on Macarons, I was going to only lower my review to two stars but this «sale» was right around the time we had the worst customer service here AGAIN…
The only nice person working here is a young man. The other girls working here are the snottiest, uppity, girls you can imagine. I hate to say this because i went to St. Thomas, but I am wondering if they seek employees at nearby St. Thomas and find the snottiest, valley girls possible, and ask them to come work at Sweets. Go down the street people and get some nice Mac students would ya?
Anyhoo…As if the snotty service isn’t bad enough, normally the six pack is $ 10 and you can pick and choose between cupcakes and macarons which still is outrageously expensive but worth it and a nice treat or gift. We mixed mini cupcakes and macarons and for some reason, this was not allowed anymore so we had to pay per piece. When we asked since when? The snotty girl had nothing to say about that, she couldn’t even answer… She must be one of those St Thomas girls who are just looking for their MRS degree, not only snotty but not the sharpest knife in the drawer either. She should have just let it go. Who cares if you have three macarons and three cupcakes instead of all of one or the other? Apparently, they were selling an entire dozen for $ 4 just the day before… These Macarons are NOT worth $ 2 each and neither are the cupcakes.
Go find your sweets elsewhere and you most definitely will find sweeter service ANYWHERE else but here.

I went yesterday to take advantage of a «sale» on their macarons (as posted on their Facebook page). They were offering a dozen for $ 7. Once I was in their shop, however, I learned they were selling a dozen macarons for just $ 4!
Woo Hoo!
I selected one dozen, consisting of 3 flavors: lemon, chocolate and salted caramel.
Later on, I surprised a friend (and myself) with a lemon macaron before we went riding on our bicycles.
Oh, myyyy.
Zingy lemon and creamy filling. How I love a strong and tart lemon flavor.
Next time, my order’s gonna be just lemon ones. My friend wholeheartedly concurs.

The cupcakes here are always elegant and decadent. The flavors offered are always unique and the presentation is stellar. The store is always clean and people friendly and I am honored that they have choosen my neighborhood as its home.
Fifth star withheld due to value. The cupcakes are a bit pricy and I have experienced come crusty ones from time to time. That being said, even the crusty ones are better than most that are freshly baked.

Oh what a decadent place for desserts. It’s a very cute small space that they use very effectively. The best part are all the cupcake varieties they sell in bite-​sized pieces. They’re one of the few places that charge less when you buy more.
It’s like dessert heaven when I am here! I’ve had about 7 – 10 different varieties of cupcakes and all have been delicious. The cake part is always moist enough and the frosting is usually never way too sweet. With Izzy’s right next door, you’re bound to be leaving this area with a ridiculous sugar high!

This is a great little bakery in St. Paul. They offer vegan cupcakes on Sundays and I was really impressed with the vanilla one they had ($ 3). It was really moist and fluffy and the frosting was oh-​so-​subtle and not sugary in the least. I think it’s the best vegan cupcake in the Twin Cities.
If Sweets had vegan cupcakes daily, along with some other vegan baked goods, as well as maybe some tea, it would be the perfect bakery. As it stands, it makes a great vegan product; they just need to expand their line and offer vegan stuff more often.

I stopped by Sweets yesterday before getting my hair done next door. I’d been craving a good macaron for a while and new Sweets was the place to go. Unfortunately, they only had a few Salted Caramel left when I got there and no other flavors, but that was actually fine since I’d heard that was the best flavor anyway.
When I got home and finally tried the tasty confection it was out of this world delicious! I hadn’t had a good macaron since I was in Paris last winter. This macaron had gooey and slightly salty caramel filling sandwiched between two slightly butter and light cookies. It was like a little bite of heaven and the aftertaste was almost as good as the cookie itself. After trying the salted caramel I’m not sure I’d want to try any other flavors.

A couple of co-​workers and I decided to do a cupcake crawl, visiting Sweets Bakeshop, Cupcake and Sweet Retreat. Of the 3 places, Sweets Bakeshop was definitely my favorite.
The shop has such a cute boutique feel to it. The cupcakes were moist and the buttercream rich. Since it’s mostly butter (hence buttercream and not icing/frosting)…we had to eat them quickly to avoid their melting, but I’m not complaining. With that said, I will say if you’re buying these for someone, be sure to store them somewhere cool (a hot car in the summer is a bad choice) so the buttercream can hold it’s shape/​form.
In addition to the yummy flavor, I liked their assortment of cupcakes. There were classics like Chocolate with chocolate buttercream and specialty flavors like Vanilla with lavender buttercream. They also had macarons, but I wasn’t a fan (though my co-​workers loved them).
On a side note… their packaging is BLAH. Considering that they have a boutique feel, and sophisticated looking cupcakes… they should consider upgrading their packaging to reflect that.

Yuuummmmm!
We stopped in for cupcakes after the Blue Door Pub (yes, I do have a bottomless stomach!). We were so excited to hear that they were having a 2-​for-​1 happy hour! I got the cupcake of the day, which was cinnamon cake with butternut squash frosting. The flavor was light, with just a little savory zing from the combination of the cake and frosting flavors. For my next day cupcake, I got the tiramisu. Again, very delicate flavors. I liked the espresso filling. Their cake is a little denser than some of the other shops in town and the frosting is a little lighter and fluffier. It is a great combination!

The shop is absolutely adorable, I was really impressed visually.
As for the cupcakes — got them on a Groupon or LivingSocial — can’t remember — and they were so good! I loved the frosting and the flavors were a great variety.
We do enjoy the cupcake shop close to our house, but we will make an effort to stop by Sweets more often!

The word adorable has come up in more than a few reviews, and for good reason: that is the perfect word to describe everything about Sweets. The store, the employees, the cupcakes, the macarons, everything.
I had never had a French macaron before, so I only got one, the salted caramel. I wish I had bought about 20 of them, they were so good. I will definitely be buying more.
But my main reason for the trip was the cupcakes. I picked up a very vanilla, a black and white, and a triple chocolate. Their buttercream is very very smooth and delicious. I would like it to be a bit sweeter than it is, but it’s still wonderful. The cake is more dense than your average cupcake but it tastes great. I loved all the flavors, but surprisingly I liked the chocolate cakes the best. I am usually vanilla on vanilla 100% (followed closely by red velvet) but the chocolate cake won me over here.
They have 5 cupcakes that they have every day, and then they rotate the other flavors. They have a list in the store or you can see the schedule online. I will definitely be going back on Tuesday to try the Southern Belle (their red velvet). Heck, I’ll probably be back tomorrow for another black and white and some more macarons.

Drawn in by the cute cupcakes in the window… won over by the French Macaroons!
Black/​White and Caramel Macchiato cupcakes were good. As another Unilocaler remarked, it’s the frostings that make these treats stand out. The cake part of the cupcake is dense, yet moist. I like that they have certain favorites on a regular basis and rotate other interesting creations.
I will likely be coming back for the macaroons however. OK, at $ 1 each, three bites, I don’t care… these are worth it. The lavender macaroons were pretty, but didn’t taste much of the lavender essence. Salted Caramel, yes a little odd that they are tinted green, but they are outstanding.
While you’re there pick up their «menu» that describes their cupcakes and macaroons. I applaude their creativity!

Ah, another great Unilocal find… After an afternoon of feasting on savory dishes at a cultural show, I was craving for something sweet and French… macarons, that is. Used my trusty Unilocal app to locate this gem on the decidedly residential Marshall Ave (at least, the part I drove through). Was über excited to see such interesting flavors of macarons and cupcakes, and the people who own the place are so nice and patient with explaining what each cupcake had. I tried one of each macaron flavor, plus Nut Roll and Irish Dream mini-​cupcakes. The macarons were absolutely lovely. The chile has some kick to it, but not hot in an unpleasant way; the lavender was delicate, and the mocha definitely had an espresso taste. Love love love them all.
The cupcakes were so moist and delicious, and the fillings were ingenious. A Guinness buttercream filling?! C’mon. Too bad it was only for a limited time. Too good that I got a try it.
Verdict: Definitely a place I’d take my sweets-​addicted sister to when she visits. Or anyone else for that matter, just to give me more reasons to go back and try all of the awesome delectable awesomeness that they have.

Cupcake shops are a huge industry and are also a dime a dozen in the San Francisco Bay area. They’re all over priced and average in taste.
When I stumbled across Sweets in St. Paul, I was honestly expecting more of the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how moist their cupcakes are.
The owner is a very cute Hmong woman, a former furniture designer by trade. She clearly has a keen sense for design as the cupcakes and the décor of the shop are delightful. The shop opened up in November and business is booming. Hooray for Sweets!
They have regular sized cupcakes for $ 3 a piece or $ 33 a dozen, minis for $ 17 a dozen, and delicious French macaroons for $ 1 each. It is still a little pricey for a cupcake, but the taste more than makes up for the cost.
Check it out and make sure to ask for a sample taste.

Even though I went to pastry school, I’ll admit I don’t always have time to do everything from scratch. Or even bake anything at all. It’s a shameful situation. My own birthday, and I was scrambling to buy something sweet for my friends to eat at my birthday gathering. I tried to go to Izzy’s for ice cream cake, but I saw this cute little bakery and wandered in.
The customer service here was fantastic. The lady even gave me a free cupcake for my birthday.
They do a rotation of flavors of cupcakes, so I got quite a few of their flavors, but not all of their offerings. This is what my dozen contained, in order of my preference:
–Kettlecorn. This was amazing, creative and refreshingly balanced. The cake portion is almost like a corn muffin, and the frosting blends with it for the perfect sweet/​savory combo.
–Breakfast. Vanilla cake with an core of frosting and bacon, topped with maple frosting and a tiny piece of bacon. Yes, bacon. It was really good, but odd. Kind of like pancakes and bacon?
I only had a taste of the following:
–Lavender. Vanilla cake, with lavender buttercream. Subtle flavors, but interesting.
–Chocolate-​I. Pretty much a normal chocolate cupcake.
–Banana, Tiramisu & Peanut Butter Cup. Didn’t try them, but good reviews from friends.
Overall, not as good as Salty Tart cupcakes, but better than Cupcake cupcakes. You can also taste the use of butter, not shortening, which is fantastic IMO. And the place is cute as hell, which always makes things better.