The flame flickers close to my dad’s fingers as he waves the lighter over the candle wick. In a second, the flame catches. Collectively, we take a deep breath in and sing “Happy Birthday.” From his spot at the table, my brother watches the flame, waiting until he can indulge in the cupcake underneath it. 

   Everyone loves cupcakes, but not every cupcake is equal.

Saunders Family Bakery

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Value: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

   The cupcakes from Saunders were among some of the cheapest cupcakes I found around Holland. One cupcake cost $2.50, and the other cupcake cost $2.75. Considering that they were medium-sized cupcakes, the prices were more than fair. 

Taste: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

   At Saunders, I tried the maple and pumpkin spice cupcakes. The maple cupcake was a simple vanilla cupcake with a sweet maple frosting. I found the maple frosting to be a little overpowering, but the vanilla cupcake balanced the frosting. The pumpkin spice cupcake, however, was delicious. The cupcake perfectly conveyed the pumpkin spice flavor without being overpowering.

Overall:★★★☆☆ (3/5)

   Saunders’ cupcakes have a fair price and decent flavor. While they didn’t have many flavors displayed, they had great customer service. As soon as I walked in, a worker walked up to me and pointed out all their flavors and their vegan options. I really appreciated her help because I was new to shopping at Saunders. 

Ryke’s Bakery

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Value:★★★★☆ (4/5)

   Ryke’s cupcakes were the cheapest cupcakes I found. Their cupcakes were smaller sized, but they only cost $2.50 per cupcake. Taste: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)

   At Ryke’s, I purchased the peanut butter cuddle cupcake and the red velvet cupcake. The peanut butter cuddle

cupcake had tons of peanut butter flavoring and frosting. I felt overpowered by the peanut butter. However, the red velvet cupcake had less frosting and a better balance of flavor within the cake. The cream cheese frosting was delicious, and the cupcake was moist inside.

Overall: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)

   The cupcakes from Ryke’s were good. Not only were they fairly priced, but they were moist cupcakes with a lot of flavor. When I visited, though, the display looked as though many flavors were sold out, despite me arriving in the morning. The lady who was working was nice and gave me a cupcake suggestion when I asked.

Cakabakery

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Value: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)

   The Cakabakery’s cupcakes were the most expensive cupcakes I tried. Each cupcake cost $3.50, despite their small size. They had a variety of classic flavors displayed, as well as some seasonal flavors.

Taste: ★★★★★ (5/5)

   Despite their price, the Cakabakery’s cupcakes were phenomenal. I had the cookie dough cupcake and the pumpkin spice cupcake. The cookie dough cupcake was my favorite of all the cupcakes I tried. The cupcake had a gritty frosting that captured the texture of real cookie dough and a layer of cookie dough at the bottom of the cupcake. The pumpkin spice cupcake was also delicious. Both cupcakes were moist and flavorful.

Overall:★★★☆☆ (3/5)

   Overall, the Cakabakery is a great cupcake option. These cupcakes are definitely the most expensive, but in terms of flavor, they are worth every penny. They also have gluten-free options, so their cupcakes are accessible for everyone.

Holland Cakery ’n’ Sweets

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Value: ★★★★★ (5/5)

   Holland Cakery had the largest cupcakes of all the locations that I sampled. Each cupcake cost $3.00, regardless of flavor. Of all the locations, Holland Cakery definitely had the best value because of how large their cupcakes were.

Taste: ★★★★☆(4/5)

   I tried the s’mores cupcake and the pumpkin praline cupcake at the Holland Cakery. The s’more cupcake had a marshmallow filling and a graham cracker to garnish the top. The combination of flavors was delicious. When I bit into it, I felt like I was biting into a real s’more. Similarly, the pumpkin praline cupcake was flavorful. The cupcake had a great balance of pumpkin flavoring in the cake and frosting. Despite the delicious flavors, both cupcakes were a little dry.

Overall: ★★★★★ (5/5)

   I believe that Holland Cakery ‘N’ Sweets has the best cupcake in Holland. They have the largest cupcakes for the best value and they have far more flavor options on display than the other locations. They also package their cupcakes in a secure box with holes to hold the cupcakes so that they don’t get squished during travel.