Cupcakes galore

Madison residents now have a handy way to indulge in America's national cupcake obsession at HEY CUPCAKE!

Cupcakes continue their unstoppable march across the American palate. Luckily Madison residents now have a handy way to indulge in this national obsession: HEY CUPCAKE! (973-377-4422), which opened in May to near-instant success. “We get a big rush after school, we get the crowds from the nearby colleges, we get people from local offices,” says owner Bridget Crowley of her bustling shop.

The chocolate-brown and strawberry-pink store offers at least 10 fresh-baked varieties every day. Crowley loves to dream up new flavors with her kids (recent standouts were Raspberry Beret-raspberry icing over chocolate cake—and a chocolate ganache-covered cupcake patterned after the Hostess kind). Prices range from $1.25 for mini-cupcakes (“We sell a lot of those, especially to moms,” says Crowley) to $2.50; oversize brownies and cinnamon buns cost a bit more. Among the seasonal flavors this fall, look for Apple Pie cupcakes (featuring apple pie filling, a sprinkling of cinnamon and a drizzle of caramel).

It’s almost enough to make home bakers hesitate before whipping up their own varieties—but Crowley insists you needn’t be intimidated: “Kids will love anything home-baked, especially if they helped make it!” She offers one sure-to-please tip: “Try putting colorful sprinkles in vanilla cake batter, and then sprinkle them liberally on vanilla frosting. We call that our Birthday Cake cupcake, and I can’t believe how many we sell!”