Auntie Em’s Kitchen

Posted by Edmund in Bakeries & Sweets, Los Angeles | 0 comments

Auntie Em’s Kitchen

4616 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041

I was out on another outing for the perfect cupcake, so I stopped by during lunchtime at Auntie Em’s Kitchen in Eagle Rock, where I had heard I could find the mythical, “perfect” red velvet. Whenever I hear about a good red velvet, I’m almost immediately skeptical, since so few places do a good job with it. So I headed over to see the truth for myself.

When I got there, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the location and ambience, but I still liked it. The place isn’t too much to talk about. It’s small, a bit cramped, and not quite as nice as some of the other bakeries in town. Still, it has a cool vibe to it, as it’s packed with a lot of people, with what looks like a great breakfast menu, and a gourmet cheese shop inside the bakery on top of that. The inside might not look great, but it’s simple and quaint, with a kind of intimate charm to it. It’s a good breakfast/dessert spot for the family or for a date.

Still, Auntie Em’s was a disappointment. It wasn’t bad, but it was definitely overrated. I only went for the sweets, and they were just way too sweet for their own good. The cookies are definitely a pleaser, as is the brownie, but other than that, avoid this place.

What I had (recommendations in bold):

1. Chocolate chip cookie—Falling apart good. Buttery, to the point of no return, but crispy as well. Tons of chocolate. Kind of gooey too. Great texture. It’s really nothing extraordinary, though, and the butteriness can be off-putting for many. I’d still recommend it, but it may not be your type of cookie. 1.4/5.0
2. Oatmeal Raisin—Even better than the chocolate chip, and I don’t even like oatmeal raising. Much better than that from Deluscious cookies. Amazing sweetness to it (not cloying). Great blend of raisins and oats w/ a very satisfying buttery gooeyness. Raisins are yellow raisins—adds a great sweetness. Best oatmeal raisin I’ve had in town—combines fresh flavors with just enough sweetness and butteriess for a good cookie. Still, the butteriness may be very off-putting for those who don’t like fatty, oily treats. 4.2/5.0
3. Cream Cheese Brownie—Not too gooey/dense but perfectly fudgy and cakey. Great balance. Melt-in-your-mouth good, and not cloying at all, to the point that you can eat the whole thing with no problem, and maybe another one too. One of the best I’ve ever had—like eating a very good chocolate cake with a nice counterbalancing glaze on the top. Cream cheese glaze isn’t too sweet and adds a nice contrasting flavor. Almost Perfect. This is what I’d get if I could only choose one menu item. 4.7+/5.0
4. Red velvet cupcake—Definitely one of the best cakes in a red velvet cupcake. The  texture is amazing. The color is a beautiful ruby red. The flavors are huge. However, the frosting is way too decadent. There is way too much frosting, and the frosting itself is just too sweet. The cake is rather moist and flavorful, but it’s overshadowed by the frosting, which is horrible and doesn’t even really taste like cream cheese. Very disappointing in general. 1.0/5.0
5. Carrot cupcake—Again, delicious cake. Cake blends much, much better with frosting than in case of red velvet. Still, frosting is way too sweet and overpowering. Better mix of flavors than in the red velvet, but that doesn’t say much. To be fair, though, the cake it excellent. The raisins inside add a nice flavor and crunch. 1.5/5.0
6. Chocolate w/ chocolate ganache cupcake—Ganache is way too hard, too dark, and too much, though it is very good (you can eat it all by itself, if you can stomach the intensity). Overpowering, to say the least. Cake can’t be salvaged either. Not as moist or as good as the others. Kind of disappointing. If you like intense dark chocolate, this may be good, especially the ganache portion. Otherwise, avoid it. Just way too much, too overpowering, and the cake is too dry. 0.8/5.0

Taste: 2.0/5.0. Depends largely on the good, since it’s so hit-and-miss.
Ambience: 1.0/5.0
Overall Score, as a bakery: 2.0/5.0
Overall Score, as a café: 1.5/5.0