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Review: Simba Lion Cub Cupcake (and more!) at Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery in Disney’s Animal Kingdom


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Who’s up for a cupcake feast at Animal Kingdom’s Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery?!

A longtime favorite in regards to offering some pretty fantastic bakery eats, Kusafiri is one of those places I just have to stop every time I visit Animal Kingdom. This little shop is home to several bakery favorites (namely, the Cotton Top Tamarin Cupcake and African Spice Cake), and even has a limited breakfast menu that still manages to impress with unique items such as the Warm Colossal Cinnamon Roll and Hot Breakfast Wrap, despite its size.

Alongside the classics, Kusafiri is often a place to find something new, and it didn’t disappoint on a recent visit. To my chagrin, though, I discovered that some of my favorites have undergone a bit of a makeover.

Kusafiri Bakery menu

Kusafiri Bakery menu

Let’s start with the good news…

Lion Cub Cupcake

The list of Gourmet Cupcakes has expanded with the Lion Cub Cupcake.

Lion Cub cupcake

Lion Cub cupcake

I showed this handsome little guy off on my Instagram a while back (‘cuz how could I not — I mean, how cute is little Simba?!), and have been excited to show him to you on the blog ever since. The fondant Simba topping the cupcake (similar to the toppers you’ll find on the Gourmet Cake Cups at Magic Kingdom’s Cheshire Cafe) is surrounded by a mane of frosting. ROAR!!

The flavor? Passionfruit. It comes through in the pudding-like filling tucked in the vanilla cake under the white vanilla frosting.

Inside the Lion Cub cupcake

Inside the Lion Cub cupcake

Lion Cub cupcake filling

Lion Cub cupcake filling

The citrus is mellowed by the creaminess of the vanilla, which is a combo I love. Plus, you can’t argue with the added cute factor, so there’s that.

If Simba just can’t wait to be king, he may have already accomplished that here at Kusafiri, especially in light of the changes to a couple of classic standbys: the White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake and the Zebra Cupcake.

Lion Cub cupcake and White Chocolate Elephant cupcake

Lion Cub cupcake and White Chocolate Elephant cupcake

White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake

It was love at first site with the White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake when it hit the scene years ago. A cupcake topped with a gorgeous white chocolate elephant lollipop, it was the coolest two-for-one snack EVER. But what really made this cupcake one of the greats was the buttercream frosting on top, with a surprise second batch of carmelly delicious German chocolate cake frosting tucked underneath. BAM! Here is a picture of the previous version:

White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake

White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake

The current version of this treat is really just a shadow of its former glory. Our white chocolate elephant still graces the top, but the base is now just chocolate frosting on top of chocolate cake — no surprises here.

Current White Chocolate Elephant cupcake

Current White Chocolate Elephant cupcake

Inside of the current White Chocolate Elephant cupcake

Inside of the current White Chocolate Elephant cupcake

It’s okay, but who wants “okay” where you previously had “out of this world”? Sigh.

Zebra Cupcake

I hate to break it to ya, but the Zebra Cupcake differs a bit now from what it used to be, too. The basic gist is the same: vanilla cake and buttercream frosting, topped with chocolate pieces decorated to represent zebra stripes. Those chocolate pieces were the hallmark of this cupcake, and were previously a mix of both white and dark chocolate, tucked into the frosting to jut out at all sorts of fun and crazy angles. Here’s another “Back when I was your age, this cupcake looked like THIS” shot:

Previous version of the Zebra Cupcake

Previous version of the Zebra Cupcake

And here it is now, in front of the Cotton Top Tamarin cupcake…

Current Zebra cupcake

Current Zebra cupcake

No more mix of white and dark chocolate shavings — the current stripes are decorations on pieces of dark chocolate. Sigh x 2.

Overall

The Lion Cub Cupcake is really a small work of art, so we can all rest assured that Kusafiri is definitely still capable of cupcake greatness. But I’d be lying if I said I was psyched about the makeovers of two of the most legendary Disney World cupcakes. It won’t keep me from visiting Kusafiri every time I visit Animal Kingdom — one, because they’re still pumping out gems, and two, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an un-makeover of the White Chocolate Elephant and Zebra Cupcakes. As always, we’ll keep you posted!

What do you think of the cupcakes at Kusafiri Bakery? Please let us know with a comment!

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com!Also, come on over and:




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