The Crusaders all agree that one of the reasons we have a such a passion for cupcakes is that they are nostalgic; a personal sized dessert that takes us back to when we were children but now customized as a treat for adult taste buds. So, when Stacy and I heard of Nostalgia Cupcakes in Annapolis, MD two and a half years ago, we thought, “What a perfect name!” Our dad introduced us to this delectable shop for our birthday in July 2010 and we were happy to see that they lived up to their tagline, “Cakes you’ll never forget, for the day you’ll always remember.” Any day that included one of their cupcakes made it a memorable day so we were very sad to discover that just a couple of weeks ago they had to close their shop, but we will never forget their cupcakes.

(Left – Crusaders Jenn and Stacy’s dad with his cupcake in July 2011. Right – Lemoncello Cupcake: Yellow cake with a tangy lemon buttercream.)

When our dad first brought us Nostalgia’s cupcakes, there was something for everyone, but I think the real crowd pleaser was their Chocolate City Cake (or at least it was for Crusader Stacy and myself).

(Chocolate City Cake: Chocolate cake with whipped ganache rolled in pure chocolate sprinkles and topped with chocolate buttercream.)

After ohh’ing and ahh’ing over the perfectly constructed chocolate dome of frosting and sprinkles, we finally dug in to this bit of heaven. The dark/semi-sweet chocolate flavor was rich and exactly what Stacy and I look for in chocolate cake. All of the cupcakes tasted that day were moist, not overly sweet, and packed with flavor. Nostalgia quickly became one of our top 3 cupcake places of all time…dare I even say top 2? I know my dad says they are number 1!

Because Stacy and I don’t get to downtown Annapolis as much as we’d like, it would be awhile until we could enjoy these special treats again. I was fortunate enough to go back with my dad one day after we had a delicious lunch nearby, and the Chocolate City Cake and Keylime were among my selections. The keylime has a bright green frosting that may have scared away purest, however the yellow cake with key lime pastry cream filling and key lime buttercream was flavored to perfection.

This past July my dad came through for us again and brought Nostalgia Cupcakes up for our 29^th birthday. I don’t think I’ve ever needed a cupcake so much, having just giving birth 10 days earlier! This time he brought a full selection. In order to fully experience each flavor, we shared.

(Some of the cupcakes seen in the photos above are Chocolate City Cake, Red Velvet, Cocoa-Coconut (Chocolate cake with cream cheese icing topped with fresh coconut), Pink Lady (Yellow cake with strawberry pastry filling and pink vanilla buttercream), Little Boy Blue (Yellow cake with chocolate pastry filling and blue vanilla buttercream), and lastly, a summer seasonal Piña Colada.)

The Piña Colada was one of my new favorites that I hadn’t tried before. Also the Red Velvet, which not a usual favorite of mine, was very good compared with others I’ve had. These cupcakes were, once again, all very moist and delicious. Consistency was always at it’s best with Nostalgia.

Just a few weeks ago I was in downtown Annapolis and decided that I should stop in on a whim. Thank goodness I did, because unknown to me at the time was that this would be my last of their cupcakes. There was no sign about them closing the following week and had I known I would have gotten more cupcakes. But I walked out with my favorite, the Chocolate City Cake and a new one for me, their salted caramel.

(Salted Caramel – Yellow cake with chocolate buttercream, caramel and topped with sea salts.)

Who could resist the puddle of caramel in the center with sea salt glistening on the edge of chocolate? I knew I couldn’t and for my fellow crusaders who are slightly obsessed with salted caramel, I had to get it. I’m so glad that I was able to taste this selection prior to their closing.

I know that I will have dreams about the Chocolate City Cake. And I will probably spend years trying to replicate the chocolate dome of sprinkles, only to fail. I wish that I could go back and get another one. Knowing that it would be my last, I could more fully savor each bite.

Nostalgia, we will always remember your cupcakes and the occasions that were made special by them. Thank you for the wonderful memories and happy taste buds.

– Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)

UPDATE: While Nostalgia is closed, you can now get her amazing cupcakes at her new shop located in Bowie, MD, called The Cake Courtesan.