At Last – The Hummingbird Bakery

Hello Everyone I’m BACK! Sorry for the short hiatus! I have just got back from my trip to London and Paris with my sisters and on the night that I got back, my Dad had a really serious fall in the kitchen and fractured not one, not two but five bones in his rib cage It happened last at night and was so sudden, we immediately rushed him tot he hospital and I have never seen anyone in so much pain :’( But thankfully, after 2 days in the hospital Dad is out and even though still in a lot of pain, he’s home and resting. Really hope Dad will recover soon! Sighhh….it’s times like these, when I hate that I’m working overseas and not being able to spend more time with my family. Would also like to say Thank You to everyone who left a comment and message through Twitter, I really appreciate them

Anyhow, do you have a cookbook where you just got back to again and again?

The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook is definitely one of my favorites! I use their cupcake recipes all the time and their Red Velvet cupcake recipe has made me quite ‘popular’ amongst my friends hahaha where Mary has even asked me to bake her a whole dozen hehe

For that reason, when I found out that we were going to London, I made both Win Win and Anonymous Sister promise that we ll make a trip to ‘The Hummingbird Bakery’. We got up bright and early and took a taxi to the Soho store, near Chinatown.

As soon as I arrived, I honestly could not wipe the massive grin on my face! I had been dreaming, hoping and praying that I ll get the chance to try the ‘REAL’ red velvet from the Hummingbird Bakery finally I have arrived!

Even though it was quite early in the morning, they had a variety of cupcakes, cakes and brownies for customers to choose from

Red Velvet Cupcake £3.15GBP dine-in ($4.72AUD)

I immediately ordered a red velvet cupcake to try! It was just as pretty as they are in the books, with that distinct swirl on top with red cupcake crumbs scattered over the top ~ lol sorry but I couldn’t help but be the biggest tourist and take a photo of me and the cupcake :p

Now to the taste test! *Drumroll’s* I carefully remove the white case and take a huge bite. I was waiting for the excitement! But was quite honestly very disappointed… The cream cheese frosting was just as creamy, sweet and fluffy as the ones I make using their recipe. However, the cupcake itself was very dry and crumbly, not at all moist or spongey as I expected.

It’s very disappointing because I have used their recipe so many times and it never fails >_< I m trying to convince myself that it’s because I set my expectations too high and maybe that’s why? Dearest Readers has anyone of you tried The Hummingbird Bakery cupcake and find it to be too dry?

Carrot Cupcake £2.75GBP dine-in ($4.12AUD)

I wasn’t discouraged and decided to try another cupcake, the carrot cupcake. Thankfully this did not disappoint me, in contrast it was moist and fluffy. You could also see the little bits of carrot inside the cupcake I think the cream cheese frosting was the same as the one used for the red velvet cupcake. Sweet and smooth perfect march with the cupcake. Even though Win Win thought it was a little too sweet for her

Brownie Cheesecake £4.25GBP take-away ($6.40AUD)

I couldn’t leave without trying one more thing! I wanted to try everything hahaha. Eventually decided on the cheesecake brownie as it seemed very popular with only two pieces left. I m not really sure why they called it a cheesecake brownie as it was very much a baked cheesecake with chocolate cake or cookies crumbles through it. I would decried it more as a Oreo cheesecake super rich and creamy! Hmmmm I can’t say I don’t like it… But I think I like cheesecakes that are firmer in texture and stronger cream cheese flavour.

Mocha £2.95GBP ($4.43AUD)

Ending with my favorite mocha I had been warned by Yasmeen (Wandering Spice) not to drink coffee in Paris so decided to risk it and try it here in London. I was impressed with this mocha, quite thick in texture and rich in flavour both coffee and chocolate ~ yum!

Overall, my experience at The Hummingbird  Bakery has created mixed feelings. Maybe because I had really high expectations, I was disappointed by the dryness of the cupcake. I ve tried the recipe many times at home and it has never failed… Always produces moist and fluffy cupcakes >_< I think it’s quite sad when cupcakeries open too many stores and they are not able to keep the quality of their cupcakes. Especially when they have such a good recipe! However, I m not dishearten and will continue using their recipes and hopefully the next time I get to try The Hummingbird Bakery it will be better

Hummingbird Bakery
155 Wardour St
Soho, London
UK W1F 8
PH: (020) 7584 0055