Where to Celebrate National Cupcake Day in Manchester

The best places for cupcakes in Manchester

We love a good cupcake in our office, and we’ll take any excuse to get out and treat ourselves! So here are some of our favourite places for a cheeky little cupcake in Manchester.

Hey Little Cupcake

Based in Spinningfields, Hey Little Cupcake is an independent bakery that offer a stunning range of tasty treats. They’re very flexible, offering home delivery as well as collections, so if you’re looking to order in advance for an event, then this is a great option. They also have some mouth-watering flavours on offer – pick us up a s’mores cupcake if you pop in, would you?

Alex’s Bakery

If you’re out and about in Deansgate, then this is definitely the bakery for you to stop off and have a coffee and a cupcake. Jammy Dodger flavoured cupcakes? That’s a big yes from us! They also offer an afternoon tea, so if you’re looking to sit down with some friends or family, this is a great place to spend your time in.

The best bakeries in Manchester

We know that while cupcakes are amazing, you might be more of a cookie person, or a brownie person. In which case, don’t you worry, we’ve got some tasty options that offer more than just cupcakes, but the entire bakery.

Black Cat Cakery

An independent one-woman offering handmade, rustic, vegan cakes, this is one we can’t wait to try again. Not only are the cakes absolutely beautiful, but they offer some flavours that you might struggle to find elsewhere. We have fallen in love with their almond cake with chocolate and pistachio icing – yes, it tasted even better than it sounds, and we know how impressive that is.

Wong Wong Bakery

Wong Wong is a small but stunning Chinese bakery with a lovely range of Chinese buns, cakes, and pastries. They cater for big events, such as birthdays, or anniversaries, but also have plenty if you just fancy a single slice of something sweet for yourself.

Bisous Bisous

Bisous Bisous is a traditional French bakery, working hard to preserve the art of French pastry in Manchester. While we’d love nothing more than to jet off to Paris to enjoy a freshly baked snack from a patisserie, heading into Didsbury to sample a passionfruit and white chocolate ganache is definitely a good alternative.

How can I make the perfect cupcakes at home?

If you like to bake at home, we’ve got a few really simple but very effective tips on how you can improve your baking and come out with the perfect cupcakes, every time.

Bring ingredients to room temperature

This one might seem a bit tedious, but trust us, it makes all the difference. Get your eggs and butter out of the fridge in advance and let them adjust to room temperature before you make your batter. When your butter is soft, it means you’ll avoid over-mixing, and it will help to keep your cakes light and fluffy.

Don’t free-hand it, use a scoop

When you’re putting your cupcake batter into the tin, using a scoop helps to keep the entire batch come out even. We’ve all seen a batch with a few massive cupcakes, and then a teeny one to the side that didn’t have quite enough mixture, so by using a scoop, you will avoid this and have your entire batch looking perfect.

No peeking!

It’s so tempting to have a quick look at your cupcakes are baking, especially if you’re prone to burning cakes a little. BUT try your very best to do your watching from the oven door, rather than opening it and letting the heat out. The sudden change in temperature is the most common reason for cakes sinking, so if you want perfect domed cupcakes – leave that door shut until your timer goes off!

All this talk of cupcakes and baking has got us absolutely starving, so we’re off to get ourselves a treat. If you visit any of our recommendations, or bake anything you’re proud of, let us know on our socials!