Uwishunu.com

In many ways it has felt like a pilgrimage. I am way too old to admit this, but for the last 6 months, I have been in search of! the perfect cupcake. Why, you ask? Well, why not? A cupcake (common US term) or fairy cake (common British term) is a small cake which serves one person. They are usually made in a smallish paper cup. Frosting, sprinkles, and decorations are elements of this magical creation. We know these decadent desserts from our childhoods. Well, I haven’t outgrown my passion for the ancient art of cupcakery, if there is an ancient art of cupcakery. Like Homer’s donuts, these are my weakness. I set out on a mission to find my favorite cupcake in Philadelphia. It has been an amazing journey. And then, at a little stand-alone shack on Arch Street in Old City which sits in shimmering fairy cake pink, I found the Holy Grail of the Philadelphia cupcake world.

With large pieces of stucco dripping off of the side wall, and paint hanging on by a thread, Tartes Fine Cakes and Pastries sits on a famed First Friday stretch of Old City, looking very much like one of the fine cakes or pastries that are being made inside. The building looks like it has been recently frosted. The head cupcake-ist Teresa Wall has been in the restaurant business for over 20 years. There were no smiles when I visited–cupcakes are serious business. If they smile too much while concocting this magic, there might not be any left for us. But I was smiling eventually. Boy, was I smiling. Two visits to this ice cream stand-style pastry Mecca yielded me the most delicious cupcakes of my journey thus far. The carrot cake version had the feel of artisanal cupcake-making. The cream cheese frosting was so hard to resist–I bit off the top with the fever of getting to the Tootsie Pop center. The Red Velvet cupcake, well, what can I say? Paydirt. That was the best thing that I’ve tasted in this town since beginning my quest.

Standing on Arch Street ordering cupcakes from a window and eating them while standing up adds a bit of Old World flair to our Old City. I didn’t mind standing because dancing for joy was less effort from that position. With fine ingredients, attention to detail, and a serious approach to her craft, Wall has frosted Arch Street with an irresistible stop on our daily walk. Perhaps her cupcakes are loaded with magnets or catnip or fishing lures because they are hard to resist even when walking on the north side of the street. With reasonable prices and a wide-array of offerings, you can break up the cupcake fever with cookies, tarts, and chocolate-covered things. For me, the cupcake is the perfect form. Wall has taken the cupcake off of the grocery store shelf and secured it as the wonderful treat that we all remember so well. My journey might be over. Or it might not be. I’m not sure. Philadelphia, there is still time to win me over. The bar has been set very high. I defy you to impress me more than those Willy Wonkas at Tartes. Please write to me about your latest creations. I accept donations. Even while standing.

Tartes Fine Cakes and Pastries
212 Arch Street, Philadelphia 19106
215 625 2510
Hours of Operation: Wednesday to Friday, noon to 7pm; Saturday, 11am to 6pm