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The Crushcake is their signature flavour - which is a red velvet cake topped with a chocolate heart dipped into crushcake’s signature sour cream frosting. This was a delicious cupcake that was so easy to gobble up! The red velvet cake is so moist and chocolatey. It also wasn’t terrifyingly red, which is a plus in my books. The frosting was not bad, although I wouldn’t have known it was sour cream. It wasn’t very sweet, and had sort of a marshmallow fluff-like texture. Despite that, we still didn’t finish the frosting as we’re not big on those but overall this is a really good cupcake!
The Half-baked is an almond chocolate chip cupcake filled with homemade chocolate chip cookie dough topped with chocolate frosting and caramel drizzle. There’s a little molten bit in the upper center right below the frosting. Overall, we thought this tasted quite weird on its own. You do need the chocolate frosting to dull the marzipan-like taste in the cupcake. I guess their strong suit lies in their frostings which aren’t too sweet. Overall I didn’t enjoy this cupcake taste much, but the texture was good! I wish I’d tried the coconut flavour, but I’ll save that for next time instead.
This is literally my favourite drink I’ve had in California so far. The Dirty Chai latte at Crushcakes is very fragrant. I love the prominent spices, which balance out with the coffee very well. The dirty chai did seem to have some chocolate in it as well, which tasted awesome. The blend of cinnamon, spices, coffee, chocolate and milk in this beverage is a sure winner. It’s so smooth and velvety that I had to restrain myself from gulping it all down. It was also the perfect accompaniment for my drive from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica.
If I ever pass by the Santa Barbara area or any of the neighbouring towns with a Crushcake outlet, I would definitely go out of my way to pick one of these up!
If you’re in Santa Barbara, Crushcakes is a great place to grab breakfast or lunch downtown. Even if you’re not there for a meal, you can grab some pancakes or cupcakes for dessert, or even a cup of coffee or tea.
My personal recommendations:
- Dirty Chai Latte
- Crushcake Cupcake (red velvet)
One of their specialty drinks which is a dark chocolate mocha sweetened with agave. It’s not as sweet as a regular mocha, thanks to the dark chocolate. But also not too bitter thanks to the agave syrup. I found this drink really nice and smooth, although the coffee was a little too weak to act as a wake me up despite it being made with two shots of Intelligentsia espresso.
Great accompaniment with the breakfast items, or a cupcake!
A fried egg, bacon, cheddar, and chipotle ketchup on an everything bagel and a side of fresh fruits. Everything quintessentially breakfast-like combined into one bagel.
The chipotle ketchup adds a little tang to the mix so it doesn’t get too greasy or salty. I was a little disappointed by the bagel as it was flat. It wasn’t as fluffy and soft as the other bagels we’d had in the US, but it also wasn’t as filling which might be good for a lighter breakfast.
Crushcakes is overall just a great place for breakfast, a quick meal, coffee or cupcakes. I wish we had more time in Santa Barbara to explore the menu and other eateries, but I’m glad we tried Crushcakes!
A breakfast sandwich served with maple roasted ham, fried farm egg, melted jack cheese, sliced red onions and tomatoes on grilled sourdough and fresh fruits (banana, strawberries, red and green grapes).
What’s not to love with such a cute name for a dish? You’ve got all the breakfast staples in one sandwich, and it even comes with fresh fruits to start the day right. The egg is a little underdone so you get some gooey yolk flowing out to coat the cheese, ham and bread. I love that the ham is sliced very thick. The sourdough is grilled nicely, and has a slight tang to it. Overall it’s a nicely balanced sandwich, nothing extra special or fantastic - but a solid breakfast option if you want something fuss-free.
