as of yesterday, there’s one more reason to love cafe muse in hollywood. not only do they have breakfast daily, a great vegan selection of wraps, delicious sandwiches and huge, hearty build-your-own salads; but now they sell no whey VEGAN CUPCAKES! i don’t know of anywhere else in hollywood i can get vegan cupcakes, and this place happens to be like 5 feet from my work. 

chocolate and vanilla vegan cupcakes. $3.25 each.

cafe muse sells both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, and both flavors are out of this world. i bought one for my omnivorous friend, and she just couldn’t believe they were vegan. she said the actual cake bit tasted way better than any she’d ever tried before, and the frosting was just as rich and creamy as on other cupcakes.

i would have to agree with her. these cupcakes were just as good as the ones i used to get from leda’s bakeshop in the valley, which has closed to the public and is only taking special orders. it’s so great to have top notch vegan cupcakes again, and right here in hollywood!

no whey, the vegan baking company that makes these cupcakes, is owned by jenn shaggy, the maker of the famous los angeles vegan twinkies. her twinkies have gained a lot of local press, and i can say her cupcakes are just as good.

so hollywood vegans, rejoice! cafe muse has super awesome vegan cupcakes. go check out this cafe if you haven’t already. they have a ton of great food and now some really tasty desserts.

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what self-respecting, sweets-lovin’ vegan doesn’t go nuts over the thought of VEGAN CUPCAKES!!?? i know i do. and since leda’s bakeshop in los angeles has practically shut down, i’ve been fiending for my next vegan cupcake fix. that’s why when in nyc, i absolutely had to check out manhattan’s famous vegan bakery, babycakes! i sure wasn’t disappointed.

cookies 'n cream frosted cupcake: $3.95

for my cupcake choice, i went with a chocolate cake topped of with cookies ‘n cream frosting. it was out of this world. the cupcake sure wasn’t as pretty or daintily decorated as the ones over at leda’s, but it tasted even better. the frosting was by far the best part, being rich, creamy, and full of little chocolate chunks. the cake was moist and decadent as well…i seriously could have eaten like 5 of these. so friggin’ delicious.

best frosting ever.

i happened to be at babycakes on halloween, so they had a selection of ghoulish goodies for sale as well. i decided to buy a variation of the chocolate chip cookie sandwich with orange frosting and the word “BOO” written on it.

chocolate chip cookie sandwich, halloween style! $4.25

the cookie sandwich was even more scrumptious than the cupcake and filled with so much sticky-gooey frosting. i loved every last bite. seriously, i can’t figure out how they get a frosting with no eggs and no dairy to taste so damn rich and creamy.

the cookies themselves were incredible as well. crunchy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, and littered with almost-melting chocolate morsels. by far the best cookie sandwich i’ve ever had. now if only they sold a version with soy ice cream in the middle. mmmm.

i can’t wait to get back to nyc and eat at babycakes again and again. rumor has it they are even gonna open one in los angeles, right here in our very own weho! i hope that happens sooner rather than later. i don’t think i can wait.

everything i tried at babycakes was off the chain and worth raving about. although their treats are pretty expensive, they make up for it with healthier, natural, organic and VEGAN ingredients along with a tastiness that is unmatched. yum. yum. yum.

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well, leda’s vegan cupcakes are kinda no more…is what i meant to say. leda’s bake shop, famous for their irresistible vegan cupcakes, has officially closed its storefront as of october 19, 2008. the modest bakery located in sherman oaks bills the shutdown as “great news” and details their “exciting new plans” on their website. according to leda’s, the bake shop can’t “divulge the specifics,” but is “undergoing some exciting changes and developing an innovative new concept to meet the growing needs of our large and loyal following.” hmmmm. i guess it’s just a coincidence that the economy is in the toilet, and this small eco-friendly bakery in the valley is closing their doors for undisclosed reasons. i don’t mean to sound cynical, don’t get me wrong, i hope leda’s is planning a huge comeback that will knock all our vegan socks off. for now though, it looks like they may be going through hard times.

upon hearing the sad news, i absolutely had to get in there on leda’s last day in business (saturday october 18) and buy as many cookies and cupcakes as me and poor, supportive omnivore parents could possibly eat.

all the flavors i could possibly eat! $1.50 each.

the vegan cupcakes were absolutely to die for. of the flavors i purchased were chocoate chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate espresso, velvet and coconut. i got the miniature cupcakes so we could try as many as possible, and every flavor was absolutely divine! i didn’t even get a chance to try them all, my parents and husband were all over these little decadent devils. of the ones i tried, the chocolate espresso, and my old favorite chocolate chocolate stood out.

chocolate espresso cupcake

chocolate chocolate cupcake

it’s a shame this place is gonna stop selling life-changing vegan cupcakes to passerbys like me. i’m half thinking of renewing my vows or throwing a meaningless party, so i can get leda’s to cater my event.

just because i had to, i also stocked up on some chocolate chip cookies before i left leda’s. this little bag was waaaaay too expensive at over five bucks, but i just had to indulge. i mean, what if they completely go out of business? i would spend the rest of my life in regret over these cookies, right? i wasn’t about to let that happen.

not quite as pretty, but just as delicious as the cupcakes, the cookies were gone in absolute record time. the chocolate chips were moist, and the dough was perfectly baked and greasy. i’m glad these were so small, it made me feel much better about the fact that i ate four of them.

ahhhh. leda’s bake shop has long been one of los angeles’ favorite vegan-friendly spots. everyone loves vegan cupcakes, and it’s so sad to see them scale back their service.

last day rush for leda's cupcakes and cookies

if you take one thing from this post….for crimony’s sake, cater your next party with leda’s. or, if you feel like squandering some cash or are super hungry, spurge for 24 cupcakes, which is leda’s new minimum order. it’s a small price to pay to keep this modest vegan staple in business. and you know i’m right.

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