Cupcake Royale

Whoever invented the cupcake was a genius, providing eaters the opportunity to have a whole cake of their own without feeling like a pig. Seattle’s Cupcake Royale makes the situation even better by offering mini cupcakes as well as full-size ones, thus making a snack of two or three cakes a reasonable proposition. On the other hand, the bakery’s inventory almost inevitably leads to piggishness on the part of cake lovers. There are so many good ones that must be tried.

In addition to the regular varieties, which include carrot cake, double chocolates, lavender, and lemon drop cakes, and a wicked-good salted caramel-topped one that is especially fudgy, Cupcake Royale offers a cupcake of the month. In January as an ode to the fried banana and peanut butter sandwich that was a favorite of Elvis Presley (whose birthday is January 8), the spotlighted feature was a banana cupcake with chocolate peanut butter frosting, crowned with a crisp dried-banana chip. Springtime favorites include whiskey-maple-bacon and carrot-walnut.

If there is a complaint to be made, it is that the cakes sometimes can be too fresh, so warm and moist that if you are not extremely careful, one bite will detach the top from the stump, or the stump itself can disintegrate between thumb and fingers. Some complaint! All I’m saying is that these cupcakes are best eaten at a table or counter rather than from an automobile dashboard.

Note: Cupcake Royale has 5 locations in addition to the Madrona store on 34th Ave.:  1111 E. Pike St. | 2052 NW Market St. | 4556 California Ave. SW | 108 Pine St. |  1935 Queen Anne Ave. North