Monday has become my default “relaxation” day.  By “relaxation” I mean go to the gym, do laundry, and run any necessary errands: normal things someone does when they live somewhere, as opposed to just visiting.  However, I do not want to leave you readers with a lack of interesting reading.  Therefore, on these lull days, I will try to eat something of interest while running my errands/going to the gym/being a person etc.  This food item will probably be sugar-based, naturally.

Today I decided to visit Two Little Red Hens, an Upper East Side bakery which is much loved by SeriousEats (my food bible, in case you hadn’t realized).  The bakery is on 2nd avenue between 85th and 86th Street, right next to what looks like a German-style beer hall.  People were sitting outside, drinking beer from giant steins (they’re called steins, right Nora?)  A bit of googling got me the name of the restaurant, Heidelberg.  Might have to pay it a visit, if only for the experience.

Anyhow, after work I ran home and changed into my gym clothes and walked to Two Little Red Hens.  On 79th and Park I saw a cat, and I liked it.

Everytime I walk around in this neighborhood I see something new.  Love it.

Two Little Red Hens is a small, homey, Americana-filled bakeshop with a pleasing array of adorable cakes, cookies, and cupcakes.  They didn’t have any tarts I wanted, and I certainly wasn’t going to eat a whole cake by myself.  However, they did have mini-cupcakes.  I have a certain fondness/obsession for miniature food: automatic portion control, easy to share, and it usually means you can try more than one thing.  So rather than get one large cupcake or one large slice of cake or pie, I decided to get three mini cupcakes: a marbled cupcake with chocolate ganache frosting, a red velvet cake cupcake, and a standard yellow cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. They were also giving out samples of the cheesecake, which was, dare I say, frosting on the cake.

The marble cake was extremely moist and whatever chocolate they use is strong–also, loved the frosting.  The red velvet cake was moist but not too sweet and the cream cheese frosting was really perfect.  The vanilla buttercream cupcake was the perfect, standard little cupcake: moist and sweet and covered in frosting.  I actually prefer my cheesecake a little sweeter than what the bakery prepared, but the cake was extremely light and delicate, so I give them points for the cake consistancy.  I’d absolutely return for the red velvet and vanilla cupcakes, but I don’t think I could finish off a whole chocolate cupcake all by my lonesome.

The cupcakes, all in all, were fantastic–not too wacky, not cloyingly sweet like other bakeries tend to be, just perfect little morsels of moist baked goodness.  I’ll have to return to try some of the bakery’s other comfort foods: pies, especially, and maybe a slice of cake one day?  Or a cookie?  I go to the gym so I may eat the cookies!

Now, back to laundry, and the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes ever: the arc where Picard becomes a Borg and the Federation faces mass destruction.  So.  Good.