Huntington’s new bakery offers some killer cupcakes.

By Melissa Farthing, Copy Editor

The time has finally come; the planets (and cupcakes) have aligned. Huntington now has an official bakery, and this girl couldn’t be happier. 

Bear and Beak Bakery is located in the basement of TCB Games in downtown Huntington. A large, round sign with the company’s logo (featuring a cute geometric bear and duck) hangs on the outside of the building, making the bakery easy to find. After heading down some stairs and taking a left turn, I was greeted by a sweet and buttery aroma, along with a long glass treasure trove of freshly baked goods. There were quite a few options to choose from: donuts (from Heyerly’s Bakery in Ossian), cupcakes, monster-sized cookies, coffee cake and more. Being a cupcake fanatic, it was no surprise that I chose a pumpkin and a salted caramel apple cupcake to take home with me. 

I have to say that I was genuinely impressed with both of these cupcakes. I’m pretty finicky when it comes to cupcakes, and I always have high expectations. Luckily, Bear and Beak’s cupcakes met those expectations. The salted caramel cupcake had real pieces of apple baked into the cake, something I did not expect. The apples gave the cake a dense yet moist consistency. The frosting was very sweet, but because the cake wasn’t as sugary, it wasn’t overpowering. You could really taste the “salted” part of the caramel in the frosting, which I loved. The pumpkin cupcake was equally tasty. The cake was also moist, and the cream cheese frosting was heavenly. Both of these cupcakes were so good that I took my roommates to try them early one morning before class. 

Since my first visit, I’ve tried other items from Bear and Beak. While delicious in their own right, I still think that the bakery’s cupcakes are by far their strongest offering.

Overall, I am ecstatic about this new Huntington business. As far as I am aware, we have never had a “real” bakery until now (unless you count Walmart and Kroger, which I certainly don’t). I will definitely be a returning customer in the future, which might not be great for my waistline (or wallet).