Magnolia Bakery in New York City has become synonymous with one thing – banana pudding. But is this reputation deserved? Have all the Instagram influencers been over-hyping this dessert?
Magnolia Bakery: World Famous Baked Goods
Today, Magnolia Bakery can be found all over New York City with multiple locations across the island of Manhattan at places Grand Central Station and Hudson Yards.
However, it actually has its origins in a much humbler location that all these grand buildings. Magnolia Bakery first started back in 1996 by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey within a corner shop in the West Village.
The bakery can still be found in the West Village, on a cute cobblestone corner. And despite having multiple locations all around New York City, people still flock to the West Village to pay a visit to the original location where Magnolia Bakery started.
There are days when you will find dozens of people queued up all away around the block trying to get in to Magnolia Bakery. The smell of the cakes and cookies coming out from the bakery invites people to enter in to the delicious pies, cakes and other baked goods.
What to Get at Magnolia Bakery
Honestly, everything looks absolutely lip-smackingly delicious at Magnolia Bakery. But there was not enough space in our tummies for us to try everything.
Amongst some of the iconic baked goods at Magnolia Bakery is the red velvet cupcakes. They also make their brownies and bars in small batches. So if you have a sweet tooth, try the Double Fudge Brownie, or get the Chocolate Chunk Blondie to sink your teeth into. For something more tart to perk you up, the Lemon Bar with its flaky shortcrust pastry is a must-try.
Another classic must-try at Magnolia Bakery is the cheesecake. Amongst the varieties available include the Red Velvet Cheesecake, a cheesy cousin of the Magnolia Bakery’s red velvet cake, and the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, made with top-shelf vanilla beans and a graham cracker crust.
However, the pinnacle of the pack and the most iconic of them all that gets people lining up around the block is Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding.
Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
The Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding comes in a tub that looks like it should hold some ice cream.
However, instead, inside is sweet and creamy banana pudding. It is made with fresh bananas, vanilla wafers and vanilla pudding.
When we dug into the tub of banana pudding. It was light and fluffy. We could definitely taste the fresh bananas inside the pudding. The pudding itself was not overwhelmingly sweet and we enjoyed the creaminess of the pudding’s texture.
Was it nice to dig into? Yes.
Was it life changing? We did not particularly think so.
We did enjoy the banana pudding but were also glad that we didn’t have to wait for very long for it.
Thankfully, there are now multiple Magnolia Bakery outlets and, with services that deliver it through the States, it is easier than ever to get hold of it without having to wait in line for a long time.
If you enjoyed this story, did you know that you can get New York pizza close by? Read about Bleecker Street Pizza and their Nonna Maria slice.
