Cupcakes Squared Inc

 

3

2

Lizzie D.

La Mesa, CA

I am a big sweet eater so I was excited to visit this new cupcake place.  I got there around 5:30pm and there weren't that many cupcakes left.  I tried Red Velvet, Mocha, and Peanut Butter Cream.   Red Velvet cake was tasty and moist, but the frosting was a bit like whipped cream.  Mocha cake was a bit dry but the frosting was nice, thick, and sugary.  Peanut Butter Cream was just blah.  I really don't want to compare this place to Sprinkles, but I can't help but compare.  This place tries too hard to be like Sprinkles.  And as far as I'm concerned Sprinkles is delish.  I'm not sure I will visit this place again since it's a bit of a drive for me from La Mesa, and Grove Pastry shop is nearby and I have never had a bad cupcake from them.

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4

14

Lindsey P.

San Diego, CA

We bought a dozen, I'd say maybe 30 minutes ago, and there are only 2 left.    I was going to give it 4 stars, but decided to go with 5 to compensate for the fact that clearly crazy people have been reviewing it  so far (2 stars?  Surely you jest!)

Highlights:

Chocolate with vanilla buttercream frosting
Red velvet with cream cheese butter cream frosting
Pistachio with a pomegranate frosting (to die for)
Vanilla with vanilla frosting
Vanilla with passionfruit buttercream frosting

People complained in other reviews that they don't have enough of a selection, that they run out.  This should actually be expected because they say on their website they make small batches throughout the day.  If you show up when they're about to close, it might be slim pickin's.  Duh.  Also their buttercream frosting is spot on as far as consistency and taste are concerned.  Not the least bit like whipped cream as somebody claimed.

Bottom line: super tasty (note tasty is NOT spelled with an "e" as Fergie would have us all believe).  I will be going here again and again.

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Elite '08

72

248

Lyn P.

San Diego, CA

I made a detour to Pt. Loma just for cupcakes. When I arrived, the place was hopping. There were some ladies enjoying their cupcakes outside and about 3 more in the shop. I took a look at the selection for the day and quickly made up mind and was helped promptly after that. I chose the "Red" Velvet, the Maple Pecan, the Carrot Cake and a Pistachio Pomegranate. They were wrapped up in a nice box and I was on my way.  

I got home and tried the Pistachio Pomegrante first. There's just a hint of both the flavors - the frosting was a buttercream with crushed pistachios on top. The "red" velvet wasn't red - they do not use any food coloring. The cake is supposed to be a "a mild cocoa and vanilla" - and the flavor of cocoa was not distinct. The cream cheese frosting was light (which I expected from reading previous reviews) but tasted good. The carrot cake one was perfect - moist with shredded carrots, walnuts and raisins. The frosting seemed a bit thicker than the cream cheese on the "red" velvet one. The maple pecan has a strong flavor of maple in both the cupcake and the frosting.

Overall - it's a very cute concept and they are really trying, but I think they are falling short because most people want to have a rich cupcake - dense and sweet with equally decadent frosting. Their cupcakes are lighter and less sweet than one would expect so hardcore sweet tooths aren't going to be pleased. Also, I am a big petit four fan and I'm just wondering why they didn't go all the way and just make petit fours.

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3

1

nate m.

La Mesa, CA

My gf was craving cupcakes; she found a review on signonsandiego, and after work today we made a detour to Point Loma to check it out.  We took 3 home :  Peanut Cream - frosting too light, overpowered by the intensity of the chocolate cake beneath it, but the flavors of both on their own were very good.  Red Velvet - not red, but so what.  Cake was delicious and moist, and the frosting again was too light in consistency, especially since I'm expecting cream cheese flavor and thickness.  Mocha - best one we had.  Great thick frosting, and delicious aroma and flavor.  Coffee flavor really was significant.

These were all "adult" in their flavors.  I don't know if this is the kind of dessert that a baskin robbins or hostess ding dong kid would appreciate.  Overall they were good, maybe even a tad small, and the cake was dry at times, but there is potential here.

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0

11

E F.

San Diego, CA

I am a cupcake lover and big-time baker so I'm a harsh judge.  I was super excited to find a new cupcake dedicated bakery here in San Diego.  My boyfriend and I went last Saturday to check it out.  There was a line, always a good sign, of a few people coming out the door (the place is tiny, one little bench inside and a table with a few chairs outside).  I was excited to see where the name "Cupcakes Squared" came from...their cupcakes ARE square, neat idea!  There were about 6-8 choices, we got the S'mores, the Chocolae on Chocolate and the Vanilla on Vanilla.  We had a taste of each...the results:

S'mores...totally disliked it...it almost tasted stale

Vanilla on Vanilla...ok but not great

Chocolate on Chocolate...the best of three but still not stellar

I will say I'll go back to try them again though, gotta give a new place a chance...and who can say no to cupcakes?!?!

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1

4

peri k.

San Diego, CA

I have been dying for a yummy cupcake place to hit San Diego! Our first visit to Cupcakes Squared was  a little disappointing- they had run out of cupcakes and closed early (my three year old was in tears!) and the person who we spoke with was not very cordial about the early closure. Our next visit was better, we bought a chocolate cupcake, a vanilla cupcake with a passion fruit frosting, and a coconut cupcake. Overall it was very tasty, but not the deliciously decadent experience I had hoped for. The frostings were yummy, but the cake on all three cupcakes was very dry. I hope this is just a bug that will be worked out in time. As a cupcake junky, I'd love to see this business thrive!

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11

16

Cristyn T.

San Diego, CA

Well, I've been to Sprinkles BH and stood in a half hour line only to be disappointed... But luckily I have an awesome friend who feeds us yummy cupcakes from Leda's and other yummy places every time I go back to visit LA.  LA's food is superior to SD's food without a doubt.  But guess what SD? The cupcake shop trend has finally come down here!

I heard about this place through a friend so we decided to check it out.  I walked in the place, saw the cupcakes, and already thought I was going to be disappointed.  The cupcake display lacked excitement, and the cupcakes just looked like slices of cake without the cute decorative frosting that makes cupcakes appealing.  I decided to try one lilikoi and one chocolate cupcake.   The first bite of the lilikoi cupcake was so incredibly orgasmic!  You know when it's so good you just go, "MMMMMM!!!!" It's actually quite heavy/thick, but moist and the frosting is delish! The chocolate was good too.  The cupcakes are, however, quite oily.  Probably what makes them taste good.  I'd definitely go back and try some of the other flavors.

Another example of why you should not judge a book by it's cover.

EDIT: You probably want to eat your cupcakes right after you buy them... They get kinda hard/stale the next day :(

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3

10

Kim H.

Lemon Grove, CA

My overall response to tasting 4 different flavors (with more detail below) is: eh.  I found the cake portion of the cupcake dry and boring, texture-wise, and the toppings varied from too-sweet (sort of had that artificial, grocery-store-bought taste) to too-plain.  Here's what I tried:

"Red Velvet" (actually a mild cocoa flavor) - probably the best of the four I sampled.  Although the texture of the cake was not at its best, the flavor was decent and the cream-cheese icing was good - not amazing, just good.  

Double chocolate - Definitely the most disappointing.  I felt like I was eating a store-bought brownie.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate - The cupcake was made of a peanut butter batter, but it was very bland.  The icing was chocolate ganache and fared slightly better, but without a hearty cake-base, it was overpowering.

Smores - I couldn't understand what was so "smore"-ey about this cupcake, other than the suggestion of a marshmallow on top of the icing.  All I got was a milk chocolate flavor from the icing.  Where's the marshmallow flavor?  And the cake was supposed to taste like graham cracker?  Um, it didn't, and I'm not sure what it tasted like.  This fell flat.

I went opening day, which is when you would think they would have put out their best stuff, but I was sorely disappointed.  I actually ended up buying 6 cupcakes (at $17 I felt cheated), and my husband was only so-so on the Tuxedo cupcake.  My mom, however, liked her pistachio cupcake, as a pistachio enthusiast.  Frankly, I'm not a fan of adventurous cupcake flavors; in my opinion, if you can't do the simple ones right (Chocolate, Peanut butter), I'm not interested in your more exotic flavors.

So, unfortunately, this is a no-go for me.  Oh, and the square shape seems more like a gimmick than anything else.  The cakes looked more like brownie-type concoctions than cupcakes.  I think, if you're going to do something "different", make sure it enhances the eating experience.  Otherwise, if it ain't broke....!

Sorry I'm so harsh, but I also think Magnolia Bakery in New York is overrated, if that means anything.  And I'm a former New Yorker!

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Elite '08

113

98

Stephani S.

San Diego, CA

I checked this place out the other day because by the size of my butt, you know I love me some dessert! They had a nice variety of cupcake choices. The cupcakes are, as the name says it, square. I got a few and shared them, but also it gave me a chance to taste more than one variety of the cupcakes. Hee! Hee! So kudos first, I wanted a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting or something like that. I told the woman working there what I was looking for and she whipped it up for me. Yeah for great service! The frosting on all the cupcakes was too die for, the cake, not so much. It's square so it is kind of hard and crunchy on the square corners and it is more spongy than I would like. The prices are definitely fair, $2.75 for regular cupcakes and $3.50 for the fanciest ones. The hours are terrible. They don't open until 11 and close at 6, except for on Sunday, they close at 4pm. They do package the cupcakes up in cute little boxes and sometimes add a bow. Nice touch. I will go back again because there are more flavors to try, but it definitely is hard to make it to the shop when they are actually open.

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0

1

Margaret B.

San Diego, CA

OMG!!!!  This is the best thing to hit Point Loma in years.  Nothing beats a visit to the new Point Loma Library across the street like a visit to this fantastic (although carefully hidden) location.  The almond and chocolate cupcakes are outrageously decadent.  I am amazed at the daily specials which may include (among 18 varieties!) Lemon White Chocolate, Peanut Butter and jelly and Red Velvet****.  What a perfect dessert, bake sale featured item, dinner party or reception, or hostess gift.  The owner, Robin Ross, makes this a family affair with her husband and two young sons... all of whom are well versed and charming.  WHAT A TREAT!!

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