Chelsea Now photos by Jefferson Siegel

A tray of fresh cupcakes at Billy’s Bakery on Ninth Ave.

Cupcake craze shows Chelsea’s confection affection

By Charlotte Cowles

With the surge of hip boutiques and eateries accompanying the wave of recent gentrification in Chelsea, it’s no wonder that the neighborhood has become a go-to spot for one of the city’s most delicious throwback delicacies—the cupcake.

The cupcake trend got hot in the early part of this decade for a variety of reasons: our individual-focused society, a wartime desire to return to nostalgic foods, and a “Sex and the City”-fueled girly-girl culture being the most popular theories put forth by cupcake connoisseurs.

Chelsea is home to several notable cupcake bakeries, the most famous being Billy’s Bakery on Ninth Ave. near 21st St., which opened its doors in 2003 just as the cupcake craze began. Other major Chelsea bakeries to elbow their way into the cupcake market include the Cupcake Café, Ruthy’s Bakery and Café, and Eleni’s. The recent closure of Burgers and Cupcakes, a 23rd St. landmark with a giant cupcake perched atop its entrance awning, signaled a potential end of the cupcake heyday in Chelsea.

Cupcake bakeries all have one thing in common, according to purveyors: They’re a reminder of childhood, and come strongly dosed with nostalgia for birthday parties, bake sales and after-school snacks.

The fairy-tale feel of Billy’s Bakery, opened by former managers at the wildly popular Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker St., is meticulously cultivated with pastel colors and old-fashioned kitchenware, such as 1950s-style cookie jars and a vintage oven. The staff appears rosy-cheeked from baking, funky music plays in the background, and sprinkle-topped confections are lovingly presented in glass cases where they can be easily plucked and served up in wax paper.

“It was a time for that nostalgic peak to hit,” said Damien Domenack, customer service manager at Billy’s Bakery, of the cupcake trend. Smiling and sweet-faced, Domenack explained his theory that after Giuliani “cleaned up” New York, between 2001 and 2004, more young people saw the city as an attractive location for college and grad school. These newcomers brought with them a penchant for homesickness.

“We get a lot of FIT students. A lot of School of Fine Arts students, too,” he said. “Kids who want American home-baked goods.”

But working adults also take part in the nostalgia that drives the cupcake industry. Domenack said that there’s usually a “happy hour” rush: “After the office, they just want that mom-made after school snack—that little reward.”

Tucker Hutchinson, 22, moved to the Upper East Side when he finished college last year upstate, and treks to Billy’s for its down-home feel. “I love Billy’s because it’s got so much heart,” he said. “The people are funky and friendly.”

Billy’s sticks to traditional cupcake flavors—combinations of vanilla and chocolate, topped with multicolored vanilla icing and sprinkles. Occasionally, the store make cupcake versions of its most popular cakes, such as red velvet, banana and carrot, said Alyson Vainner, Billy’s head chef. However, she added, “We have found that when we branch out into too many other flavors, they don’t sell as fast, and we aren’t able to keep them as fresh.”

Domenack agrees that the days of the cupcake trend are numbered. “I feel like they were trendy,” he said. Because of their emphasis on the basics—the simple perfection of classic baked goods—he believes that Billy’s will transcend any downturn in the cupcake market. “We don’t go into the trends,” said Domenack, who cited the fact that they haven’t tried to expand or otherwise capitalize on the cupcake explosion (unlike Magnolia’s, which opened a second store Uptown in January). “We run a very mom-and-pop business. For us, I think it’s become more than a trend. There’s always a need for the classic cupcake.”

Other Chelsea cupcakeries make variety their top priority. Eleni’s, a chain bakery with a location in Chelsea Market, sets itself apart with decadence and decoration.

“We treat cupcakes … as an edible canvas,” said Ellie Peppard, Eleni’s public relations director. “We are always developing new flavor combinations.”

Eleni’s flavor series “5th Avenue Cupcakes” features four types of chocolate-centric masterpieces, and the kitchen is currently experimenting with summer flavors, including lemon and raspberry. Eleni’s has also delved into politics for the upcoming election, with the faces of Obama, McCain and Clinton photo-printed onto the frosting with red, white and blue star-shaped sprinkles.

Although they are best known for their custom-decorated cookies, cupcakes outsell any of Eleni’s other baked goods in its Chelsea location. “Our cupcakes are more popular now than ever before,” said Peppard, who is confident that the cupcake trend is far from over. Eleni’s has been in Chelsea Market since 1997, but it was only in the last two years that it saw an explosion in cupcake demand. “The cupcake niche will always be substantial, whether in the Chelsea Market, or anywhere throughout the city. Cupcakes have taken the place of sending flowers on a birthday or congratulating someone on an engagement.”

Ann Warren, head chef at the Cupcake Café on 18th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves., has watched the birth and maturation of the cupcake trend since her business opened 20 years ago. Like Billy’s, she sticks to basic chocolate and vanilla cupcake flavors, but hers stand out from the pack with a distinctive flourish: a delicate flower decoration crafted from frosting sits atop each cupcake, giving it an elegant and distinctive look.

“If there is going to be a drop-off in cupcake business, I have not seen it,” Warren said, her hands soft and stained with food coloring from fashioning tiny buttercream flowers. She admits, however, to being somewhat fed up with cupcakes. “I’d be very happy if I never saw another wedding cake made of cupcakes again,” she said of the popular order. “I mean, a wedding cake…that’s a lot to ask of a cupcake.”

The Cupcake Café chimes with children’s voices as large, mechanical dancing cupcakes twirl above the counter. But it’s every bit as much a playground for grown-ups as it is for kids. “We get mostly adults,” Warren said. “I suppose it’s today’s youth-oriented culture. People get nostalgic.”

Warren prides herself on a simpler, less-sweet cupcake than at other bakeries. “We aim for something that is more delicate,” she said.

“I don’t know about the future of the cupcake,” she added, shrugging. But she speculates that people won’t stop eating them. “It’s small and finite, and you think—it’s mine, I don’t have to share it with you. It feels like a celebration.”