Crave Cupcakes — Rice Village

It seems Crave has covered every base in the quest for the perfect ’cake. The bakery is full of fab retro touches and bedecked in a chic shade of pale blue accented by scads of glass and stainless steel. Ingredients are nothing short of gourmet, with Madagascar bourbon vanilla, European chocolates, and fresh fruit from Napa Valley. Cupcakes are prepared in small batches all day (in full view of customers), so each one is served fresh. In addition to standard choices, offerings like nutella, mint chocolate and chocolate espresso rotate in daily. But the fruity offerings are the real standouts. The lemon and strawberry are sublime, with subtle, not overpowering, flavors that should quell any doubt about artificial flavors. (There are none, natch). In short: you’ll definitely be craving these babies.
 

Crave is also adding premium coffee drinks to their lineup at the Rice location, with cappuccino, espresso, and lattes, including a one-of-a-kind cupcake latte (all the better to go with that apple streusel breakfast cupcake) — plus new flavors including German chocolate, Italian creme and dulce de leche.