Miss Grace Lemon Cakes

04/02/08

Great shop, OK cupcakes

by tarametblog at Citysearch

Founded in 1978, Mrs. Beasley's is popular for their fresh baked muffins, cookies, brownies and cakes sold via their mail order catalog, website and multiple retail stores througout Southern California.

Three years ago though the bakery started making "gourmet cupcakes" though. They sell for $3.00 each, minis only $1.25 and include flavors like apple pie, blueberry, cherry, chocolate ganache and lavish lemon. I was surprised by their amount of choices and colors, considering they are more popular for their cookies than cupcakes. The icing on each cupcake is piled high (less so on the minis), but according to their tag line "it's all in the frosting." Although I'm not big on too much icing each flavor's icing tasted differently instead of the same whipped cream taste on all. Thus, the icing on the cherry and strawberry cupcakes tasted like strawberry and cherry and were quite good. The vanilla cupcake bottoms though were a bit dry or more like a real cake, however their chocolate bottom cupcakes were moist and tasty especially their orange chocolate sherbet cupcakes (my favorite). Not the best cupcake shop in L.A. but I was pleasantly surprised by the pretty shop and tasty icing. It's especially perfect for gift basket giving.

Their Brentwood location is in the charming Brentwood Country Mart (like a tiny Grove/Farmer's Market) and has a nice patio to sit back and eat your snacks on.

• Pros: Great location, decor and porch, plus lots of cupcake flavors
• Cons: vanilla cupcake is dry