Tea Time Dress Up

A quick trip to get cupcakes ended up being the best way to spend a chilly, cloudy Saturday afternoon. I was in Rochester yesterday spending the day visiting my old teacher, seeing old friends and hearing a lovely concert. With some time to kill, I dragged my friend Ji Won to a cupcake hot spot just a mile away from our old school.

located at: 258 Alexander Street, Rochester, New York

Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe is tucked inside the La Tea Da! Tea Room & Parlour. The two were joined together in an effort to keep both businesses alive during the recession. The space is La Tea Da by day and Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe by night, although you can purchase cupcakes to-go during the daytime hours.

I'm so glad the two are together, otherwise I would have totally missed out on a silly and fun afternoon. The space is separated between the two but you can buy cupcakes and partake in tea in the La Tea Da area, which is decked out in lace tablecloths, floral china and quirky trinkets; basically a pastel, Victorian explosion, in the best way possible.

Alice in Wonderland trinkets are very present.

Diners are encouraged to dress up their tea time experience by picking out hats from their quite extensive collection. Ji Won and I had a little too much fun that the tea and cupcakes were an afterthought to dressing up.

Cupcakes range from $3.50-$4.00, depending on whether it is a standard or premium flavor. Ji Won picked out a cherry cheesecake cupcake and I couldn't pass up the Cakes & Bacon cupcake. My cupcake was $4.00. We also shared pot of tea for two, a tasty peach and apricot black tea. 

My cupcake was a honey buttermilk cake filled with a maple chiffon and topped with a bacon-flavored frosting and garnished with chocolate-dipped bacon slices. Sounds overwhelming but none of the components were overpowering. The best bites were with the maple chiffon filling, which elevated the cupcake from ok to pretty good. Moist and pretty delicious. The extra bonus was the chocolate-dipped bacon. You can't really go wrong when bacon is involved. 

Afternoon tea is also offered before 4:00 (we just missed it), complete with finger sandwiches, scones and pastries. I hope to find myself enjoying full tea service there, complete with the ornate hats soon.