Molly’s Cupcakes has recently joined the row of restaurants and shops on downtown Ann Arbor’s East Liberty Street. The bakery and cafe brings unique sweet treats including mini pies, cookies, Rice Krispie treats, layered cake cups and a variety of coffees and teas. Their cupcakes, in particular, are the start of the shop with a variety of uniquely delicious flavors including Samoa and Blueberry Cheesecake. Many of their cupcakes are center filled with icing or another yummy core flavor, breaking up the dense cake.
Molly’s Cupcakes has 18 total locations in Illinois, New York, Iowa, Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan. One of their values as a company is doing their part to help local schools by donating cupcakes and gift cards to school functions and fundraisers.
Although many of their cupcake flavors rotate and include a few seasonal options, here are some opinions on just a few of their sweet treat flavors.
Birthday cake
This brought me back to elementary school and the giddy feeling when you spend a birthday with your friends. The flavor is aptly named for its confetti cake base and sprinkles, perfect for a self-gifted treat or to serve at a birthday party. Individuals of all ages will enjoy the sweetness of this cupcake, and may be delighted by the batter center core.
Peanut butter Nutella
The mixture of peanut and hazelnut created a deliciously decadent cupcake experience. Although for me this tasted more of nutella overall due to the nutella-flavored icing and center, the peanut butter cake was a great cut into the sweetness. This is definitely made for fellow nutella lovers.
Chocolate sea salt caramel
If I had to recommend one cupcake to a chocolate lover, this would be the one. This is one of the only cupcakes that I saw with a chocolate cake base and included a chocolate shell on top. Although the buttercream is not chocolate flavored, the drizzle of both chocolate sauce and caramel really bring this flavor together. I would not personally describe this as having a sea salt-y cut into the sweetness as the other flavors were more prevalent for me.
Cookie monster
Sometimes it is hard to choose between a cookie and cupcake. Molly’s luckily has both separately, and together. The topper of the mini chocolate chip cookie and frosting is absolutely adorable and tasty. The cookie adds good texture and body to the cake, without being too sweet. The cake and the frosting also features chocolate chips for a cookie taste in a fluffier package. This core is doughy, a must-try addition for anyone who is always scraping the dough off the sides of a mixing bowl.
RELATED: Experience Flavorful Dishes at Red Lotus Plant Based Kitchen in Ann Arbor
Peach cobbler
As a pie lover, this was a dream. The peach cobbler cupcake is great for those who are looking for an alternative to chocolate without giving up that decadent cake feeling. The cupcake is topped with a slice of peach and filled with a peach-cinnamon combination, creating that cobbler feel. With the vanilla creme topping, it creates the same feeling as eating a pie with some vanilla ice cream on top, a perfect flavor combination.
Samoa
As a coconut lover, this was the cupcake I was immediately drawn to. It reminded me a lot of an almond joy due to the combination of the chocolate ganache cover on the cake and coconut filling. Of course, there are callbacks to the taste of a Samoa girl scout cookie, but I felt that the vanilla cake really upped the ante for these flavors.
Carrot cake
Carrot Cake is a classic, but it can easily be overpowering. This cake did not have any issues, bringing in a beautiful marriage of the sweet frosting and the slightly tangy carrot in every bite. For any carrot cake fans, this is a must-try. For any carrot cake antis, this might change your mind.
Blueberry cheesecake
I will admit, this cupcake was a surprise and ended up being my overall favorite. I love a great blueberry-flavored dessert but did not expect the cheesecake flavor to be as pronounced as it was. The addition of the blueberries and graham cracker on top gave the cupcake bite a perfect texture and flavor combination.
Boston cream
This cupcake has erased the need for Boston creme doughnuts. It tastes exactly how you might expect, combining the sweetness of both vanilla and chocolate flavors. This cake in particular felt incredibly dense so I might recommend drinking some milk alongside it, or splitting it perfectly in half with a friend if you are just looking for a smaller sweet bite.
More desserts
The flavors that were also available when I went but did not try included: cookies and cream, s’mores, raspberry cream, tiramisu, creme brulee, strawberry shortcake, ron bennington and chocolate decadence.
In addition to their designed flavors, Molly’s also allows customers to create their own combination of a cupcake base and icing flavor. There is even a sprinkle station in-store to allow for a fun activity with a customized cake.
For those who may be vegan or have specific allergens, this can allow for greater flexibility with cupcake choice. Molly’s also has a flourless cupcake option, perfect for those with a gluten allergy. I highly recommend trying out a cupcake flavor or ten from Molly’s. The fun options and variety make it perfect for individuals of all ages and taste palettes. Visit Molly’s in-person at 617 E Liberty St in Ann Arbor or learn more here.
