Eating the buffalo chicken wing cupcake from Coccadotts
Buffalo wings and cupcakes together -- as nature probably never intended.
When we heard this week that local cake shop Coccadotts was making Buffalo chicken wing cupcakes for the Super Bowl, we were intrigued. Because... Buffalo chicken wing cupcakes. It seemed unnatural, possibly wrong -- and perhaps, in some weird way, maybe kind of good.
So we stopped by the bakery today to eat one.
Price
They're $3.50 a cupcake.
The look
It looks like a cupcake with a chicken wing stuck on top, which is to say -- it's funny and it's hard not to be drawn to it. It's just unexpected and kind of crazy.
The smell
The first thing you notice about the cupcake is the of aroma of Buffalo sauce. It makes your brain spin a little bit because you're holding a cupcake but it smells like wings.
The chicken wing
Right off the top, the wing poses a few problems. It's not going to be hot, because it's not like the bakery can be serving them up as they're ordered. And even if that was possible, placing a hot (as in temperature) win on icing wouldn't go so well (icing melts -- it's one of the reasons you have to let a cake cool before icing it).
So, because of those limitations, the wing (or drummette) is cold. And it tastes like a cold Buffalo wing -- the skin is tough and the meat doesn't pull easily from the bone. But the sauce tastes like Buffalo sauce.
(By the way: we asked where they're getting the wings. The woman who rang up our order said they were getting them from from TJ's, down the street. Update: In a comment below, Jerry says he was told the wings were from Little Anthony's. Update update: Coccadotts says on Twitter that they were first getting them from Little Anthony's, and now TJ's.)
The icing
Coccadotts' description of the cupcake said it had "bleu cheese frosting." We noticed one or two specks of what could possibly be blue cheese, but the frosting didn't register as blue cheese to us (the icing, like the wing, was cold -- which might have kept whatever blue cheese flavor there was from coming through more strongly). It was sweet, but something less so than a regular cupcake (which, in our experience recently, are now extraordinarily sweet). And we gotta say that the hot sauce and icing worked together surprisingly well -- sort of a sweet and spicy thing. It might have been the best part of the cupcake.
There was a bit of an engineering problem with the icing. The wing and the icing stuck together tightly, more so than the wing to the cake. So you pull the wing off to take a bite -- and you get the whole mound of icing, too. We had to reconstruct our cupcake after that.
The cake
The cake itself is a corn bread. And it was OK. It wasn't dry. And it wasn't sweet. In fact, it didn't really taste like much at all, aside maybe a little like black pepper. It was dabbed with a bit of hot sauce, which was nice touch. But the cake was mostly texture and not much more.
Bottom line
Would we eat it again? Probably not -- once was enough. It's a fun idea and we applaud Coccadotts for giving it a shot. They seem to be getting a lot of attention from the cupcakes. But, not surprisingly, it's more a triumph of novelty and marketing than of baking and flavor.
Though we could really go for some wings now...
There are a few large-format photos at the top of the page in case you want to get a closer look. Scroll all the way up.
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Coccadotts
1179 Central Avenue
Colonie, NY 12205
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Comments
Just curious: whose opinion are we reading above?
... said derryX on Feb 3, 2012 at 1:54 PM | link
@derryX: It was me. I just saw on Twitter now that you tried one, too. Thoughts?
... said Greg on Feb 3, 2012 at 2:05 PM | link
Thank you, AOA. You ate the Buffalo Chicken Wing Cupcakes so we don't have to.
... said Bob on Feb 3, 2012 at 2:08 PM | link
Compiled from twitter:
Frosting: very, very sweet with an ever so slight blue cheese aftertaste
Cake: (corn bread) spicy, dry, and extremely dense.
Wing: awesome! Would be amazing hot. (From Little Anthony's)
Together: Doesn’t work. The frosting is way too sweet to accompany the savory cake, wing, hot sauce, and blue cheese.
It's pretty funny how our opinions differ in some key areas. I thought that frosting on its own was way too sweet, even for a real (sweet) cupcake.
... said derryX on Feb 3, 2012 at 2:10 PM | link
Correction: the wings are no longer from Little Anthonys and are now from TJs. (source: https://twitter.com/#!/Coccadotts/status/165512702503034881 )
... said derryX on Feb 3, 2012 at 2:14 PM | link
Interesting that Coccadotts is getting national attention claiming to have invented an idea that has been all over the internet (or at least pinterest) for weeks.
http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2012/01/buffalo-chicken-super-bowl-cupcakes.html
... said jillya on Feb 3, 2012 at 2:17 PM | link
I used this recipe: http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2012/01/buffalo-chicken-super-bowl-cupcakes.html
I tried them last night, and they were strangely delicious. The frosting definitely tastes like bleu cheese (I added more than the recipe called for to make sure), and the bottom is a savory hot sauce cupcake, not a corn muffin. I scrapped the wing for all of the reasons you mentioned. I would recommend this recipe instead! Enjoy!
... said loyer7 on Feb 3, 2012 at 2:18 PM | link
Well, I applaud your bravery. Since I'm more of a bbq sauce wing fan, than Buffalo flavor, I have to say, better you than me. :) It's an interesting concept though. I like my dessert beef sauces better though, personally. =D
... said Andy on Feb 3, 2012 at 3:49 PM | link
I just had one... It was oooook. I shredded the wing first so I could have all the flavors at once without dealing with the chicken bone. The wing was good and the muffin was fine. The frosting kinda ruined it. (The frosting on mine was not nearly as solid as the ones AOA reviewed above. It was whipped.) The frosting was still reaaaally sweet and only had an aftertaste of blue cheese. I think in theory the whole thing could be a lot better than it actually was.
Also: I was in Coccadotts around 1 when the local news cameraman was in there. Someone behind the counter said they'll be on Good Morning America, too.
... said Paul on Feb 3, 2012 at 3:54 PM | link
This concept is so interesting. My boyfriend ordered 6 for superbowl sunday, I can't wait to see what he thinks of them!
... said Jen on Feb 3, 2012 at 4:09 PM | link
@Bob: You're welcome.
@derryX: The relative sweetness of the frosting is interesting -- I'm sure some of is just a matter of different palates. I also wonder how much variation there is between batches. Because in the one I tried, I picked up very little blue cheese flavor. It was almost non-existent.
@jillya: I didn't realize they were claiming to have invented it. You're right, the idea has been all over the web, which we pointed out when first posting about it earlier this week.
@Paul: Shredding the wing is a good idea.
... said Greg on Feb 3, 2012 at 4:12 PM | link
Last year I made miniature meatloaf cupcakes with garlic mash potato frosting and a small sprig of rosemary for garnish. It was real mealoaf, real garlic mashed potatoes and a real hit!
... said Jamie on Feb 3, 2012 at 4:42 PM | link
Right, claiming credit for someone else's idea... hmm wasn't that what she was accusing everyone of doing when she was on Cupcake Wars? Trying to steal her ideas? Ha.
That wing/frosting combo looks like it could be used as some sort of ninja throwing weapon.
... said StanfordSteph on Feb 3, 2012 at 5:03 PM | link
I am so not there...
... said Burnt My Fingers on Feb 4, 2012 at 10:04 AM | link
Okay, first off, re: the ABC piece - I am very skeptical that customers are actually coming in for these in droves. Really?
In somewhat related news, I really enjoyed this SFist piece (like Gothamist but for the Bay Area) in which they tried the bacon milkshake from Jack in the Box, which is strangely, vegetarian.
http://sfist.com/2012/02/03/jack_in_the_box_unleashes_a_bacon_m.php
Is there anything our intrepid bloggers won't do for us?
... said jess on Feb 4, 2012 at 5:23 PM | link
chicken wing cupcake? seriously?? that's one thing that never crossed my mind... until now :)
... said michael on Feb 7, 2012 at 6:41 AM | link
Shame the originator of the idea isn't getting the credit or national press.
http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2012/01/buffalo-chicken-super-bowl-cupcakes.html?m=1
... said mox on Jan 16, 2013 at 8:21 PM | link