Vanilla cake with peanut butter buttercream.

Chocolate cake with Ghiradelli chocolate ganache.

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

Banana cake with Nutella buttercream.

Chocolate cake with Nutella buttercream.

If you haven't had a cupcake from Kate, aka the Cupcake Lady, you're bonkers. Find out where to get them here. She'll be driving around town all week and her cakes are in stores. The Cupcake Lady is a goddess in M&P's heart of hearts.

Decorated with coffee sacks hanging from the ceiling, broken tile mosaic tables, stacks of boxes by the coffee condiment stand and well-worn chairs, it feels cozy and homey when you walk in. This spot, which can hold about 25 inside and another dozen or so outside when it's nice, can get busy in the mornings, especially so when there's just one person behind the counter. Lunch time can get hectic too with the panini press running all the time.

At the start of many cold work days, I'd trudge up the 3 flights of outdoor stairway, boot up my computer and then head back downstairs, mug in hand, to get some maple tea and a muffin. Oh those muffins. Nothing like a fresh muffin to start your day. And Satellite has the goods. The one muffin I eventually settled on was the apple, raisin, walnut muffin. It's got a nice crust to it with a very moist inside helped by all the apple bits. The baked goods eventually made their way into the refrigerated case later on in the day, but they're on top of the counter at the start.

You can see here just how filled with stuff the muffin is. I was back in the area a few weeks ago and I couldn't help but stop in and grab a muffin for old time sake and I wasn't disappointed. It's been about 3 years since I've been there and the place hasn't changed. This little neighborhood spot still has the goods. The place was the same down to the "We need $1s" sign made out of an old index card just like old times.

Since I'm not a coffee drinker, I can't help you out on that front, but they do have a wonderful selection of teas and baked goods. They've managed to stick around for a good while too so they're surely doing it right. If you're passing through the area or live around there and just never got around to venturing in, give it a try.

Satellite Cafe
701 S 50th St
Philadelphia, PA 19143
(215) 729-1211

Somehow — we forget exactly how — Picky first got word of the truck roaming the streets. He convinced Messy and two friends to take a hike up to the Philadelphia Book Company (Frankford, just south of Girard) for Frankford First Friday back in August. The cupcake truck was supposed to be making its debut. But L&I hadn't come through yet so The Cupcake Lady just set up shop with tray upon tray filled with cupcakes. We said our hellos and proceeded to get a first taste of the goodness.

Picky opted for a regular size ($2) yellow cake with chocolate ganache frosting. We were told that the ganache is made with Ghiradelli dark chocolate (she doesn't mess around). Messy chose a marble mini ($1) with chocolate ganache. Nobody opted for the $4 jumbo cupcake, but we were all extremely satisfied with our choices. The cake is dense and rich. If you want a fluffy, airy cupcake, we warn that you're not going to find any of that here. You're also not going to find stiff, overly-sweet bakery-style frosting. These cupcakes are exactly like what your mom made — only much, much better. Bring your A appetite and prepare for a serious bite.

How do you catch up with the cupcake truck? If you're on twitter, follow them @buttercreamphl. They post updates just about daily on locations, specials and what-have-you.

You can place an order and have them delivered, free of charge, via this form. You can still get your fix at Pumpkin Market (1609 South St), where Kate drops off trays of cupcakes on the regular. Picky's current favorite cupcake is the red velvet with cream cheese frosting, aka Joans (after the Mad Men character). It's pictured above at bottom. Check out the full lineup of flavor combos here.

Messy *****
Picky *****

The final word: Run to this truck like you did the ice cream man as an 8-year-old.

UPDATE 11.06.09
From now until February 15, 2010, we are going to be on a limited schedule of 3 stops per week, wednesday, thursday and fridays. I am going to take that time to rebuild the engine of cupcake truck, get a great plan going, incorporate and all that good stuff. We will have a big re-launch for Valentine's Day with specials and extra stops. We are going to try to plan it so we can be all over the city and make trips to places like South Philly, Northeast Philly, Manayunk, etc. without "breaking down on 76" fears.

Buttercream Cupcake Truck
Hours/Location: Varies day to day, week to week. Check the calendar and on twitter @buttercreamphl
(267) 505.7486

Our version of the traditional European black bread. The coffee and rye chops create a slightly bitter taste that contrasts wonderfully with the sweetness of the caramelized onions. Unbleached white flour, dark rye flour, natural rye starter, water, yeast, caramel color, rye chops, kosher salt, onions, sunflower seeds, white starter, brewed coffee, cocoa powder, honey, molasses.
$5.20

Although $5.20 is a lot to pay for bread, the loaf will last you a good while and you're really paying for a quality product (your taste buds will thank you!). If you think you won't be eating it too quickly, ask them for a plastic freezer bag. Picky usually just cuts the loaf in half and freezes one half while we work on finishing off the other. Picky also prefers to slice his own bread — Messy is, unsurprisingly, inept at bread cutting. Not to knock Metropolitan's wonderful bread cutting device, he just has an odd satisfaction in cutting his own bread (kind of an oddball, eh?).

The Pumpernickel's moist, but not wet, innards are protected by a not-too-hard crust that will give a bit if you push from the outside. The yeasty-honey-molasses smell will warm your senses, especially with the strong caramelized onion bite. Lightly toasted with a slather of your favorite butter (we love the unsalted roll butter from Fair Food Farmstand — seriously, this stuff makes everything taste like heaven!), this will make for a nice quick on-the-go breakfast or a delicious mid day snack to hold you over until the next meal.

For more thoughts on the goodies at Metropolitan, check out e's visit at Foodaphilia and the Fork You! vist. We're very jealous!

Metropolitan Bakery is celebrating their 15th Anniversary this year. We've been on board for the last five and hope to be enjoying their delicious concoctions for many years to come! You can try your hand at their delicious recipes with their new cookbook. The millet muffins are delicious and (we hear) easy to make.

Metropolitan Bakery has multiple locations: Reading Terminal, Rittenhouse Square, Old City, University City and Chestnut Hill.