Seasonal review: Sprinkles finds its strength in classic flavors

By Sydney Park     2/1/22 11:15pm

Rating: ★★★★½

Pro tip: Check online menu monthly for new seasonal flavors

Whether you’re looking to celebrate an occasion, grab dessert after a quick bite or simply indulge your sweet tooth, Sprinkles never disappoints. Located in Rice Village on 2563 Amherst Street, Sprinkles Cupcakes, a popular nationwide dessert bakery, is creating new limited flavor items on a monthly basis. For the month of January, they offered a seasonal Pop Tart cupcake, and I was curious as to how it would compare with other traditional flavors in both taste and value. 

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If you’re already a Sprinkles lover, then you’ll know that their iconic Red Velvet cupcake is a fan favorite. Dressed in sweet cream cheese frosting and a sugar layered dot, a vibrantly red, rich chocolate cake awaits. Priced at $4.50, the cupcake is hard to beat between its moist interior, perfect icing to cake ratio, and level of sweetness. It’s easy to understand how it became the company’s best-selling flavor.

In comparison, the Pop-Tart cupcake sits at a $6 menu price, arriving in light pink strawberry frosting sprinkled with green and pink sugar and decorated with a mini Pop-Tart on top. Surprisingly, there is a sweet buttery crust on the bottom of the vanilla cake, resembling the texture and flavors of the top of a crumble. As you continue to enjoy the notes of a strawberry shortcake, another hidden feature appears: an oozing center filled with strawberry jam. Combining all the elements together, the texture is delightful and the flavors work harmoniously. It certainly does not taste like a Pop-Tart, but the creativity and jam filling make for a very intriguing cupcake. However, between the crust and frosting, the cupcake is notably quite sweet. It doesn’t necessarily ruin the taste, but for those not into super sweet desserts, it’s better to share. 

So, is the seasonal item worth the extra price? Admittedly, I would have to give the better hand to Red Velvet once again. Although I appreciate Sprinkles’ originality, classics never die. Because the limited flavor is priced comparatively high, it becomes more difficult to justify paying $6 for a cupcake. Pop-Tart certainly embodies the high quality and creativity that Sprinkles is known for, but Red Velvet has set such an impressively strong standard to meet. 

For cupcake fans and sweet tooths alike, you will not be disappointed with a trip to Sprinkles. Although January’s seasonal item Pop-Tart didn’t quite reach the bar, the bakery is constantly developing new flavors to take on their original classics. For the first two weeks of February, be sure to head on over to browse seasonal flavors Heartthrob Red Velvet and Raspberry Chocolate Chip in addition to the almighty Red Velvet. 

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