pinisi bakery

Pinisi Bakery has two locations, about three blocks away from one another. Cannelle and I had heard that their red velvet cupcakes were to die for, and it being Valentine's Day, we couldn't pass them up. I called ahead, worried that since it was V-Day they might be sold out, but I was assured that they had plenty of red velvets to go around. I went to the E. 4th St. location and found this cute storefront beckoning me in:

How cute! So many tasty looking cupcakes, and obviously plenty of red velvets.

The inside was just as charming - very simple, with some lovely displays:

I asked the clerk what flavors she had: chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, lilac, and chocolate or vanilla cake with rose water frosting. I knew I was going to be getting a few red velvets, and when I heard the chocolate cupcake with rose water frosting option, I decided we would have to try it. When I asked whether she liked the rose water cupcake, the clerk told me that it was tasty and very refreshing. (Check out the goods in the Valentine's Day post!)

First, we dug into the rose water frosted cupcake. The frosting had a little too much of a foamy texture for my liking, but it was creamy and definitely refreshing. You could totally taste the rose water essence, but it didn't overpower. We couldn't quite put our finger on the flavor of the cupcake - it wasn't quite chocolate, and the cupcake itself was actually a lavender color. After looking at the photos I took, I've determined that perhaps it was a chocolate/vanilla mix (see the top photo).

Now for the red velvet cupcake:

Do you see in the background how Cherry Cupcake's red velvet has been devoured while Cannelle hasn't even fully unwrapped it? This is something worth savoring, trust me!

Three words: Oh. My. God. This cupcake right here is the Holy Grail of red velvets, in my opinion. Cannelle says that she's still on Team Ciao for Now red velvet (I can't speak to it as I haven't yet had it), but I've been converted to the Church of Pinisi, and I don't think anything can convince me otherwise.

This cupcake has it all - a vibrant red color (the photo doesn't do it justice), cream cheese frosting, and extra red velvet crumbs on top (they also have a non-crumb option - but we all agreed that when there's an extra element, we should go for it). The cake is excellent: It has a fantastic cocoa flavor with a tiny tang of goodness, the cake is the perfect consistency (somehow both dense and light simultaneously - I can't explain it), and it was not dry in the least. The frosting...oh, the frosting! Say goodbye to the heavy buttercream cream cheese frosting (try saying that three times fast - I tried after a glass of wine and failed miserably), and say hello to Pinisi's light, cream cheesy, fluffy icing. Put the amazing cake and the perfect frosting together and you've got the best red velvet cupcake this girl has ever had.

So even if it's not Valentine's Day, be sure to swing by this less-touristy, more homey bakery and try their red velvet. You will not be disappointed!

xx
Miel

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Pinisi Bakery
Two locations: 128 E. 4th St. and 18-20 1st Ave.