Sprinkles Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes and Niki De Saint Phalle

On our way to a friend's birthday dinner party recently, a friend and I walked along Park Avenue specifically to visit the Niki De Saint Phalle sculptures currently on display between 52nd and 60th streets.

En route, I take sole credit for remembering that another friend had told us that the Sprinkles Cupcakes, located between 60th and 61st on Lexington, always carries a vegan red velvet cupcake.  Since we rarely find ourselves in the area, neither of us could think of a reason to prevent us from swinging by...

True to rumor, there was just the one vegan cupcake available (they told us that more are in the works); so, we each partook.  I'd like to mention that besides carrying a vegan selection, they also get extra credit for the vegan cupcake costing the same as all of the other varieties.  And so, vegan red velvet for all!

Am I the only one to notice that the decorative "V" is almost identically reminiscent of the pins from The Vagina Monologues?  It worked nonetheless, as it's a fool-proof way to distinguish the red-velvet from the vegan red-velvet.

In any event, this cupcake is fantastic!  The cake is impeccable: in color, texture, and taste.  The icing was a bit more coconutty tasting than the traditional cream cheese frosting that usually adorns red-velvet, and I both appreciated and preferred the difference.

The ones I took home didn't fare so well aesthetically because of the extreme humidity, but guess what?  They still tasted great. 

And the box was adorable enough to counter any unfortunate icing meltage.

As for the Niki De Saint Phalle sculptures?  Absolutely exquisite.  Take a look for yourself.

If you have a chance to see them in person, do.  They are on display through mid-November.  While you're there, there's nothing stopping you from grabbing a cupcake.  In fact, it would be a shame if you didn't.