“It all started with red velvet,” says Cynthia Sachs, the woman behind Hamptons Cupcake Lounge. Since, Sachs has developed 27 health-conscious cupcake recipes from scratch after finding out nearly 10 years ago that she was diabetic. “I had to obviously change everything: my diet, lifestyle, and eating habits, but I wanted to take part in the whole cupcake craze.”
Sachs’s interpretations now use unsweetened applesauce and fruit purees instead of typical sweeteners, and unbleached or whole-wheat flour for a “low-fat, low-carb, low everything except for flavor” treat.
While her traditional cupcakes are indeed innovative, with summer flavors such as lavender lemonade made with lavender buds, and strawberry rhubarb, it’s her cocktail-based “cuptails” that truly distinguish the Cupcake Lounge. The libatious treats were inspired by the baker’s love of happy hour and have become popular for East End parties. Her most popular creation is her Cuparita. “I do my margarita cupcake with fresh juice, fresh lime zest, and tequila, and pour a certain amount of that into the batter,” she says. “When it’s baked, it actually tastes like a margarita.” Flavors like Bourbon Blast, a chocolate and whiskey cupcake with Bailey’s cream cheese frosting, and Cupjito, a mojito cupcake with fresh mint and rum, pack the same high-flavor punch. Hayground School Farmer’s Market, 151 Mitchell Lane, Bridgehampton (Fridays); Jobs Lane (next to Parrish Art Museum), Southampton (Sundays), 517-0343;
