They say that good things come in threes. As far as cupcakes in Salt Lake City are concerned, we’re already on to number two. Our city’s second-ever cupcake shop opened on Saturday (as we mentioned) and its cakes have been selling like, well, hotcakes.

We stopped by the cute little eatery this afternoon, and were greeted by cheery neopolitan-striped walls, pink chandeliers, feather heart wreaths, fashion silhouette-inspired prints, and friendly staff, but not too many cupcakes. At 1 p.m., we only had blueberry and cinnamon sugar flavors to choose from. Luckily, So Cupcake also keeps the mini variety on-hand (just $1.25), so we went for a handful of them in assorted flavors.

With fun names like Starry Starry Night Vanilla (blue frosting with round sprinkles on a spice-like vanilla) and Hanky Panky Red Velvet (red on red) and at $2.50 a pop, what we were most impressed by is So Cupcake’s cake texture—a tough detail to nail. It’s not dry nor too dense, and it’s soft. The frosting is good too, with traces of almond extract.

With lots of seating and things like espresso, cafe au lait, chai and hot chocolate also on the menu, So Cupcake proves its hospitality. It’s a perfect place to go with your girls … but you best get there early. Early bird catches the worm … err, cupcake. You can see a full list of flavors here. Remember to tell them who sent you!

{See For Yourself}

So Cupcake
3939 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City
(801) 557-0485
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
www.socupcake.com

Salt Lake officially has its first cupcake shop. Make that its first cupcake-centric shop, and it’s pretty cute, too. After peddling her miniature cupcakes to local restaurants for a year or two, Leslie of Mini’s Cupcakes decided to strike out on her own.

The new Mini’s Cupcakes is dainty and feminine and sweet: everything you want your cupcake shop to be. This place serves up lots of fancy shmancy cupcakes, but our favorites are those with basic flavors, like the semi-new Breakfast at Tiffany’s cupcake: Vanilla cupcake with Tiffany blue vanilla frosting, topped with edible gems. It’s as cute as it sounds. And tasty, too.

{See For Yourself}

Mini’s Cupcakes
800 S. 14 East, Salt Lake City (between State and Main Streets)
(801) 556-5158
www.mini-cupcakes.com

They say some things are too pretty to eat. When it comes to the Curious Cupcake, we only hope that isn’t true.

Usually, we like our cupcakes sans-frills, but these made-to-order cakelettes are decorated with such pitch-perfect styling that we’re more than willing to bend. We’ve never tasted them, but they’re said to be made from scratch—no mixes, here—with essentials like butter, real vanilla and fine chocolate.

Flavors include chocolate or vanilla cake with chocolate, vanilla or lemon butter cream frosting. (We like that they’re keeping things simple in this department.) They range from $20-$25 for a box of nine, and delivery is available in the Salt Lake area for an additional $5-$10. You can see more here. Thanks for the tip, Jordan!

{Curious Yet?}

Curious Cupcake
(801) 891-1765
www.curiouscupcake.com

When Leslie Fiet had a hankering for her favorite cupcake back in December 2006 and couldn’t get her hands on one of the sweet New York varieties, she took matters into her own hands and starting baking up a storm. After testing hundreds of recipes and about 1000 cupcakes, her own cupcake line emerged: Mini’s Cupcakes.

A while ago we told you that it was about time Salt Lake got some much-needed cosmopolitan cupcake love. Leslie walked in and saved the day: “My cuppies are not too sweet, very moist, and have an overall balance with the frosting-to-cake ratio,” she says.

Despite the fact that almost anything is ten times cuter once miniaturized, Leslie went mini because they have less calories, aren’t overwhelming, and you can test several without getting a stomach ache. “Just as important, I drive a Mini Cooper,” she says.

Some of Mini’s “original” flavors include dark chocolate with pink vanilla creme or organic peanut butter frosting; lemon cake with tart lemon cream frosting; and white cake with white vanilla creme frosting. Check out the list of specialty flavors here.

Mini’s Cupcakes are currently available at the Park City and Salt Lake Farmers’ Markets. They are also sold daily as dessert bites at several Salt Lake businesses like Finn’s and Big City Soup: You can see a list of local vendors here. Leslie also takes specialty orders for weddings and other events.

{Change Your Cup Size:}

Mini’s Cupcakes
Salt Lake City
(801) 556-5158
www.mini-cupcakes.com

{Doorprize!} Being the sweetheart and sweets-lover that she is, Leslie has kindly offered to serve up half-dozen cupcake boxes to four Your Heart Out readers. Wanna taste? Just leave one comment on this post by 10 p.m. on Monday, August 20.

When Maeve made these fancy-looking, winter-appropriate cups of cakey goodness for her husband’s December birthday, Ali declared the recipe too good to be left unshared. We love the snowy look and coconut-y taste of these little pretties. Yet another reason to love the Barefoot Contessa, and snatch up more of her cookbooks.

Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcakes:

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour (Maeve recommends baking flour for lighter, smoother texture)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:
1 lb. cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 lbs. confectioners sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Enjoy!