From its cozy street corner location in the heart of New York’s West Village to the elegant Hamra Luxury Center, Magnolia Bakery is here to invite us to try its classic American baked goods, vintage charm and inviting atmosphere. Like its original home, you will find it comfortably nestled in the corner of the first floor; where the only view you want to enjoy is the splendid array of delicious desserts on display, while the friendly staff takes on the task of freshly baking and creatively decorating more cupcakes, cakes, muffins, pies, and much more!

So what is the story behind Magnolia Bakery’s rise to fame and delicious sweets? With more than 120 fresh, handmade menu items with superior customer service, what’s not to love?

After being featured on the hit TV show Sex and the City, and in popular movies such as The Devil Wears Prada and Prime, Magnolia Bakery’s reputation continued to grow through mentions on TODAY, 30 Rock, E!, The Martha Stewart Show, Regis & Kelly, Weeds, CNN and Fox Business News, and of course, we can never ignore the gastronomic tastes of our local Kuwait. From scintillating fresh fruit pies, delectable cakes with fresh icing, cheesecakes so rich in flavor, whoopee pies, cookies, and that banana pudding, this bazaar editor promises an indulgent session of sweets like no other.

We didn’t think we had it in us to try everything, yet everything we tried! Let’s be honest, passersby and surrounding spectators could have easily thought that we were emotionally eating after a bad breakup. Our tables, yes, tables, were constantly filled with delicacies that are too good to pass by with one simple taste.

When it comes to the cakes at Magnolia Bakery, it’s all about choosing your favorite type of icing. From a fluffy and creamy meringue, rich buttercream, whipped cream, to cream cheese icing, the flavors are endless. For instance, we sampled a smaller version of the specialty cakes, White Out, a supple sponge chocolate cake with meringue icing and cake crumbs. Yet it really didn’t end there, as Red Velvet is optionally served with a lighter whipped vanilla icing rather than cream cheese, so how could we really resist?

The cheesecakes, however, are not to be underestimated at Magnolia Bakery; they are rich with flavor yet light as air! Always on the lookout to explore our horizons, and tantalize those taste buds, we decided on the Pumpkin Pecan with a Ginger Snap Crust, along with the Red Velvet with a Chocolate Cookie Crust.

In order for us to taste more, we obviously had to shrink down on the size of the desserts that caught our eye, so we went for the small baked goods. Starting with the flourless chocolate cake; it’s dense rich, and absolutely fudge-y! You can order it plain in the mini size or go all out in its glorious cake version with vanilla meringue buttercream. From the cookie jar, whoopee cookies, in general, have been a lifelong irresistible weakness of this bazaar editor. When I noticed that there’s a pumpkin flavor with maple cream filling, I literally jumped with joy. Choose from the classic, crinkly chocolate chunk cookie covered in cracked sugar, or different flavors like brown sugar, oatmeal Raisin, or the in-house Snickerdoodles!

Deciding to break the chocolaty yumminess with some fruit, we also sampled the Apple Double Crust pie, piled high with chunky, pieces of apple bursting with flavor, and a touch of cinnamon. The pièce de résistance, is the deliciously sinful and famous banana pudding; with layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas, and creamy vanilla pudding. Resisting the urge to order a massive bowl of banana pudding for takeaway was a commendable feat by our team, to say the least.

If, unlike us, you’re simply stopping by Magnolia Bakery for a small bite to satiate that sweet tooth, then perhaps a better fit would be the Double Fudge brownie, or the zesty Lemon Bar. Because we’d chosen a large selection of desserts, this is where the fun began. Taking the chocolate icing off a single cupcake and mixing it with the Lemon bar? Deliciously genius!

Then, the age-old question begs to ask itself: Muffins versus cupcakes? It’s like Sophie’s Choice! We highly recommend you always respond with diplomacy, and naturally choose both! The different flavors and toppings alone are enough reason, from classic chocolate in vanilla cupcakes with chocolate or vanilla icing, and other flavors like carrot, German chocolate cake, caramel, banana and a devil’s food Truffle cupcake with white chocolate or chocolate filling covered with a velvety chocolate Ganache.

Don’t forget to enjoy your desserts at Magnolia with their signature teas, coffees, and hot cocoas, and you can always place that indulgent takeaway order as you’re having dessert! You can also choose Magnolia for weddings and events, as they specialize in cupcake trees and unique dessert tables to add a different sweet touch to any event with your own personalized design.

Magnolia Bakery is located at the first floor of Al-Hamra Luxury Center and at Levels Complex, Mahboula. For more information, find them on Twitter and Instagram, @MagnoliaKuwait. Please call 2227 0285  for delivery orders or more information.