The Hummingbird Bakery’s new branch brings sweet American-style cupcakes to Soho.

The Venue
Its branches in South Ken and Portobello Road already have a cult following among West London’s yummy mummies, so the chain’s reputation precedes the Hummingbird Bakery’s latest shop in Wardour Street. The decor is sleek, with clean lines and shiny surfaces everywhere, but it’s also fun and very pink, with candyfloss-coloured store cupboards lining the wall behind the counter, a touchy-feely textured pink wall on the facing side and Warhol-inspired cupcake prints on the walls.

There’s no actual seating, in what is really quite a small shop, but if you do want to eat in there’s a narrow bar along one wall. Underneath the shop is the actual bakery, where all the cakes and pies are freshly made every day. A plasma screen at the back of the shop shows off the various custom-made cakes you can order for special occasions, and there’s also a display case full of Hummingbird merch, including the eponymous cookbook.

Chances are, though, that like most people who enter the bakery, you’ll be drawn to the colourful counter of cupcakes before you notice any of the other stuff.

The Atmosphere
In the mornings the bakery is very busy, with queues out the door sometimes, but pop in later in the day and you might catch a quieter moment. The atmosphere is warm and feel-good, and the staff are friendly, brisk and busy. The shop attracts a whole cross section of Soho types – though especially women - including curious passers-by and young media types from the surrounding offices, mainly coming in to buy boxes of cupcakes to take away.

The Food
The Hummingbird Bakery’s wares couldn’t look prettier, or more tempting, with their bright colours and generously swirled icing. Their trademark – and most famous – concoction is the Red Velvet cake, which is also available in cupcake form. Its vanilla sponge is coloured bright, vibrant red and topped with white cream cheese frosting, and a pretty dusting of red bits. The sponge is very soft, moist, and fresh-tasting, with a rich egginess. It’s nice that the frosting isn’t too sweet either. The Black Bottomed cupcake is another famous and popular recipe: it’s a sticky, dark chocolate base, with chunky chocolate chips in it and a cocoa-rich, almost nutty flavour, topped with smooth cream cheese frosting. The carrot cake is perfect, warmly spiced and moist, with lots of walnuts and a soft creamy frosting, whilst the pink-frosted chocolate cupcake (possibly the cutest of all, finished off with coloured strands and stars) delivers a seriously strong sugar hit with its sweet icing.

As well as a standard menu of American-influenced cakes like New York Cheesecake, Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake and Pumpkin Pie, there are also some very cute seasonal and limited-edition treats on offer. For Christmas, there’s a glittering selection of red, green and white frosted cakes decorated with snowmen, stars and trees, and specially-designed cakes for Valentine’s Day are on the cards. There are also daily specials, which range from gingerbread to the intriguingly named whoopee buns. Cupcakes cost from between £1.75 to £2.75 each, with a slight mark-up for eating in, and whole cakes start at £20 or £2.75 for a slice.

The Drink
The Hummingbird Bakery sells freshly made coffee (from £2) and hot drinks, including a range of teas, from £1.20.

The Last Word
The Hummingbird Bakery is pretty, pink and the perfect place to stop for a cake and coffee at any time of day. With such a good looking display, you’ll want to try them all.

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