I wanted to hate Nadia Cakes for several reasons:
- The cupcake craze is stupid.
- It’s really close to my house and I don’t need the calories.
- I’m biased against people who win TV cooking competitions.
How many years ago were we all getting worked up over the decadent cupcakes at Franklin Street Bakery, with that chocolate ganache? And wasn’t it 2008 when Sheela Namakkal set the community on fire with her Miel y Leche cupcakes? I remember driving to a stationery store in Minneapolis to get her incredible flavors.
So believe me, five years later, I’m shocked that anyone still cares about cupcakes. They’re not that exciting to me, generally. Most places make a very ordinary cake topped with an overly sugary explosion of too much flavor.
This is a long prelude to tell you the news that pains me: you city people might want to make the 18-or-so mile drive to Maple Grove to visit Nadia Cakes. It’s excellent.
Abby Jimenez won Cupcake Wars on The Food Network this year, taking home $10,000. She decided she wanted to move from California, toured the country with her family, and chose to move to Champlin and open another shop in Maple Grove.
My neighbors have been raving, and they are correct.
Nadia Cakes won the competition with a cheesecake cupcake (below, left) that is divine: graham cracker crust, a sour cream glaze, a fresh vanilla bean whipped cream topping with a little dollop of triple berry compote sitting on top. It’s perfect.
The peanut butter cup cupcake (below, right) also is a can’t-miss treat. The peanut butter flavor is perfectly balanced—not too sweet, not too nutty. And the cake is perfect: dense and rich and moist and delicious.
I loved the brownie cupcake, too. The cake is a brownie—it’s soft and chewy, but still holds its shape.
Nadia Cakes has 130 different flavors that rotate through the gorgeous case in Maple Grove. They cost about $3 each, and I’m so sorry to tell you that they are fantastic.
Nadia Cakes
11650 Fountains Dr. #207, Maple Grove
nadiacakes.com
