Review: The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co.

Does Seattle need another cupcake shop? If it's the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co., the answer is "yes!"

You won’t believe there’s Campbell’s tomato soup in the signature cupcake at Belltown’s petite Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. (the tender cake tastes more like a marriage of spice and carrot cakes), but co-owner and chief cupcake baker Tony Portugal assured me it’s in there. The subtly sweet cake is topped with a crown of creamy-smooth chocolate Italian buttercream. That airy and light and not-too-sweet frosting is one answer to the inevitable “Does Seattle need another cupcake shop” queries about the sunny shop, which opened in May. Another? The best red velvet cupcake I’ve tasted in town, moist and rich and topped with just enough addictive cream cheese frosting. Portugal’s partner, Mike Hein (both Portugal and Hein moved to Seattle from L.A. a year ago), is a natural at the counter, matching sweet tooths to that day’s array of flavors—ginger tea, French toast or Neapolitan, perhaps, among the nine to 14 flavors offered daily—even offering samples of frosting when time permits. French press Victrola coffee and teas from Art of Tea and Miro make sitting at the handful of tables and savoring the moment nearly irresistible. Cupcakes from $1.25 to $2.95. Mon.–Sat. Belltown, 2209 Fourth Ave.; 206.441.4240; theyellowleafcupcake.com. c

For more restaurant reviews and food articles by Allison Austin Scheff go to Seattle magazine