Dozen Cupcakes
On January first, I was surprised to check my email and find in it this message from James Gray, owner of Dozen Cupcakes in Squirrel Hill:
Jesse,
I read your blog on Coco’s. I’m so glad that you enjoyed their cupcakes and that they did so well on their opening! Dennis and Shea are very deserving people.
I also wanted to apologize for our delay in opening (yes, I am the owner of Dozen Cupcakes.) I am also sorry that we missed your sis’s birthday. We are officially open now and saw some staggering numbers this past weekend for our opening, too.
I’d certainly like to extend an offer to you and your sister to visit us and give us a try. On me of course! When you do come in, please introduce yourself to me.
Happy New Year,
James
Long story short, my wife, my sister, and I took him up on his generous offer just a few days later, and we were very pleased with what we found.
Dozen Cupcakes is housed in a smaller space than CoCo’s, but I think that made it both more intimate and more noticeable that there was a large demand for their wares. We got there right before one of the nearby high schools let out for the day, and I’m glad we arrived when we did because had we been just a bit later, we wouldn’t have had a chance to talk to James. As we ordered our cupcakes, a rush of students came through the door. James pitched in at the counter and everybody got their cupcakes within a reasonable wait even though the line stretched to the door at its longest.
There’s a weekly menu in effect at Dozen Cupcakes, whereby in addition to vanilla/vanilla and chocolate/chocolate, each day there are four different options. We were there on a Friday, so our options included Kid Cone (a vanilla/vanilla baked inside an ice cream cone), Cosmopolitan (vodka-soaked cranberries are included in the cupcake batter and it’s garnished with a slice of lime), Key Lime (lime icing garnished with graham cracker crumbs on a white cupcake), and the Elvis (named after one of Elvis’s more infamous sandwiches, it’s a banana cupcake filled with chocolate buttercream and iced with peanut butter buttercream). Photos and descriptions of all of Dozen’s options are available on their website, as is their weekly menu. The menu is also posted at the door of the shop but, disappointingly, there’s not a take-home version by the cash register.
Based on our tasting, though, the lack of a take-home menu is about the only critique I can offer. The icing had the oomph to it that I had desired from CoCo’s Cupcakes—rich, thick, sweet, and flavorful—and the variety of flavors was enjoyable. While all were tasty, the Elvis was especially good (”life-changing,” says James, and he’s barely exaggerating). The promise of variety tempts me to plan future outings for each day of the week, until I’ve had a chance to try all 20 varieties. I’m especially looking forward to the Mint Meltaway (served Thursdays), which is a chocolate cupcake turned upside down, filled with peppermint buttercream, and topped with chocolate ganache—the photo looks amazing! Vegans should check out the shop on Wednesdays, when Dozen serves a vegan Chai Latte cupcake. Nobody should go on Mondays, because Dozen is closed. Any other day of the week, though, you’re guaranteed to find an ever-changing variety of sweet and tasty cupcakes.
Dozen Cupcakes
1707 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill
(412) 420-5135
www.dozencupcakes.com
Update 1/12/07
I returned to Dozen yesterday (this time as a paying customer) so I could sample the Mint Meltaways, and they were as good as I had hoped. The dark chocolate cake is moist and rich. There’s enough peppermint icing to make itself known without dominating, and the chocolate ganache is divine.
I tried a couple of other flavors, too: Chocolate Mocha and Chocolate Peanut Butter. In each case, chocolate refers to the flavor of the cake. It’s a different chocolate than appears under the Meltaway: lighter and somewhat drier, but still tasty. The peanut butter frosting (featured in the Elvis) proves its mettle by being the highlight of its cupcake; the mocha frosting was also very good.
I asked James about his vegan cupcakes. He uses no shortening in anything. The Chai Latte frosting is built upon a soy butter foundation. He also has a Chocolate Cherry cupcake that hasn’t yet been entered into the menu, but is to become part of the weekly rotation (call Dozen for details). He says its frosting is built on a foundation of cherry juice concentrate and that he taste-tested it on the cupcake-eating public at large without mentioning its vegan nature, and it got rave reviews, even from people who wouldn’t have ordered it had they known it was vegan.
Another new flavor made its debut yesterday, too: the Meteorite, a sibling to the Cocoa Puff-garnished Asteroid cupcake, this one is a white cupcake frosted with vanilla frosting and garnished with Trix cereal. I didn’t sample it (I’ve got an aversion to sugary, artificially-colored cereals), but James said that it’s his current favorite—he ate an entire cupcake when he was testing the flavor, despite the fact that he’s constantly surrounded by cupcakes. Sounds like an endorsement to me.
January 9th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Hooray. The chi-chi digs put me off, but it’s right near by and I love cake. Your review convinces me it’s worth a shot. Maybe soon.
January 9th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I found your blog among the nominees for the food blog awards. Congratulations and best wishes for a very good 2007.
January 11th, 2007 at 8:06 am
I think cupcakes could single-handedly solve many problems, including world hunger. I bet they could even take care of Communism. The question is, which is more powerful, vanilla on vanilla or chocolate on chocolate?
January 12th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
That Elvis cupcake sounds awesome. Glad I stumbled on your blog - I’ll keep checking in…….
January 12th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
[...] If you’re a cupcake fan (or even just cupcake-curious), check out my update to my review of Dozen Cupcakes. I went back yesterday so that I could sample more flavors and have a more complete review of their wares. Just scroll past what you’ve already read to the bottom of the post where the new section is clearly maked as an update. [...]
January 15th, 2007 at 11:27 am
you have made it as a food blogger if you’re being offered free cupcakes! on my next trip to pgh (mardi gras?) I’ll have to swing by and have some cupcakes!
January 17th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
hi-
i was so touched by your post about us… hope to see you again soon. Our vegan cupcakes have aquired a huge following and you must all come in and try them….
shea at coco’s
January 17th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
ooh, dozen is sickeningly sweet…. it tastes just like confectioners sugar and not real buttercream. go to Coco’s they are the real thing… dozen tastes like the icing at giant eagle.
January 17th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
While I fully acknowledge that Dozen’s icing is sweeter than CoCo’s, I must vehemently argue against your assertion that the frosting tastes like it came from Giant Eagle. The frosting at Giant Eagle is made of shortening and tastes like Crisco, whereas the frosting from Dozen is sweetened, flavored butter. There is a world of difference.
January 31st, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Its sad that, what may possibly be the most happy food in the world, has become a subject of debate. Dont debate it just enjoy it. if you like it you like it, if you dont you dont. Some people like sweeter cakes and some people dont. But cake was made for celebration not war. So just enjoy cupcakes for what they are….i’ve had Dozen’s cupcakes and they were delicious and made me smile. Thats the point right?
February 2nd, 2007 at 12:28 pm
I really liked the mocha and chocolate and the “Emily” - the mocha tasted homemade and homemade by a very good cook. Best cake in Sq Hill? Quite possibly.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:09 am
I am in love with Dozen’s cupcakes. I tried CoCo’s cupcakes today (only b/c they are open an hour later than Dozen), but there was really no comparison in my book. I think that pikapoo (above) is right, though. For those who like a buttery frosting, CoCo’s is probably the place to go; for those who prefer a sweet frosting, stick to Dozen.
I like to think that I’m a fairly decent baker, so I tried to make my own “gourmet” cupcakes after visiting Dozen the first time. After all, why spend $2.50 apiece if I can do this myself? Well…not to pat myself on the back or anything…I managed to make some pretty darn good cupcakes. They were light and fluffy, with a lovely sweet buttercream. BUT, from start to finish, it took me almost 3 hours to make and frost two dozen cupcakes…plus, they were only *almost* as good as Dozen’s.
Based on that experience, I’d say the price is well worth it!
So far, I’ve tried chocolate, vanilla, root beer float, red velvet, almond (vegan…though you’d never know it!), and emily. The red velvet is my personal favorite, though the emily is a close second. I can’t wait to try even more!
September 26th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Ewwww. I’ve never had a Coco’s cupcake, so I can’t compare it to a Dozen cupcake, but if you think Dozen’s buttercream tastes like the nine-syllable-ingredient-ridden drek they fashion from Crisco at Giant Eagle, well, you need to take your tastebuds in for a retread. Or come to terms with the fact that you don’t know much about food.
The two could hardly be less similar.
February 6th, 2008 at 10:39 am
“Gray notes that his shop, which he opened Dec. 29, 2006, would never have worked at that time in Chicago or New York, but in Pittsburgh, which he says is a little culturally behind those cities, it worked great.”
WTF!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
“culturally behind” really? Well I will not debate this in this blog forum alas because it is about cupcakes, why would anyone living in this city support such a ridiculous sentiment. I’m from NY have lived in Paris and San Francisco, I suppose you could say these cities have turned me into a bit of a foodie. The only thing that makes the cupcake trend there (NY/CA) more achievable is the fact that the population is millions more than Pittsburgh.
Now on to the cake. I have tried about 20 flavors at various locations throughout the area and I have to say, I personally prefer CoCo’s not specifically because of their cupcakes, although some I have tried are the best bites of heaven I’ve ever tasted, but what it really boils down to is the customer service.
The customer service at Dozens is ridiculously terrible. There is no way they don’t use shortening in their frosting because it tastes butter flavored not like actual butter. Have you ever tried Molly McButter? It’s not butter, but it tastes like it. Then there was the order my friend’s mother picked up for an event and the cupcakes had mold in them after 1 day! ugh so gross. Then there was the time I ordered custom and they told me they couldn’t do it, and then when I showed up for my order it didn’t exist. All I got was a smirk from the man behind the counter and a very upset group of guests awaiting my arrival for our 2nd monthly “cupcake debate” cocktail party. . .let’s just say Vanilla Pastry Studio won that night.
As for CoCo’s they have a richer cupcake, but I would suggest the vegan if you are looking for something sweet. The minis are perfect if you are having a cupcake debate, but if you catch the baker just after they come out of the oven, always go for that flavor first. Plus the women (and the cute guys in the summer) are always so pleasant, the way a cupcake shop should be.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Thanks for the detailed reasoning: always nice to see a because… instead of just a blanket statement and no explanation. If you want to address your complaints about Dozen to someone who could actually help you resolve any issues, talk to James Gray at the bakeshop in Lawrenceville… he’s easy to reach and I’m sure would be dismayed to hear about poor service, poor quality, poor impressions, etc.