I Tried All of the Cupcakes at Chip and Joanna’s Magnolia Silos Bakery, and I Have Thoughts

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I have a serious sweet tooth. I don’t just mean that I like a dessert here and there: I mean I have a dessert after every meal type of sweet tooth. That’s why, when my mom and I decided to take a girls’ trip to Waco, Texas, where Chip and Joanna Gaines have their Silos property (the Magnolia homebase), I knew I had to try the cupcakes at the Silos Baking Co. Little did I know, I would end up trying every flavor the bakery makes.

The Silos Baking Co. offers five year-round flavors—Cookies ‘n Cream, Shiplap, Strawberries ‘n Cream, Lemon Lavender, and The Chocolatier—plus two seasonal flavors. We visited the bakery in late May and tried their summer flavors: Strawberry Lemonade and Orange Cream.

Because I like to consider myself a dessert guru, I determined winners for not one, but multiple categories: best cake, best frosting, most aesthetically pleasing, and best overall cupcake (consider it the Olympics of cupcake tasting). Plus, I made an ultimate ranking of the flavors from best to worst. Seven cupcakes, two lemonades, and one very full stomach later, here’s my list of winners—and duds—in each category.

The Best Cupcakes at Silos Baking Co.

Best Overall: The Chocolatier

I will be the first to admit that I tend to lean more toward rich, chocolatey desserts over fruity ones. But even my mom (who prefers fruity treats) agreed that The Chocolatier was hands-down the best cupcake at the Silos Baking Co. The fudgy chocolate cake was perfectly balanced by the light and mousey chocolate frosting, a chocolate-lover’s dream.

First Runner-Up: Orange Cream

This flavor shocked me. As I previously mentioned, I am not a fruity dessert person, and I have never been a fan of orange flavoring. (I disliked it so much as a child that I didn't eat anything orange until I was 10.) But I was pleasantly surprised by this orange cream cupcake! It takes exactly like an orange push-up—the kind you would eat as a kid by the pool on hot, summer days. Maybe it was the sense of nostalgia or maybe my tastebuds matured, but I really enjoyed this cupcake and would easily purchase it again.

Second Runner-Up: Cookies ‘N Cream

According to the summer 2024 issue of Magnolia Journal, Cookies ’N Cream is Joanna’s favorite ice cream flavor. (I can’t help but wonder if that’s why this classic flavor got a spot in the bakery’s year-round lineup.) No matter the reason, I’m happy this cupcake is here to stay. The frosting was delicious, and I appreciated the cookie crumbs in the frosting. This cookies and cream cupcake is a great option for someone who likes chocolate, but doesn’t want anything too heavy.

Fourth Place: Shiplap

This cake’s name is a nod to one of Magnolia’s most-used design elements: shiplap. Keeping with its namesake, this vanilla-on-vanilla cupcake was light and classic. You can’t go wrong with a vanilla cupcake, but compared to the more exciting flavors, it fell a bit flat, hence its middle-of-the-pack ranking.

Fifth Place: Strawberry Lemonade

I was excited to try this cupcake because strawberry lemonade is a quintessential summer flavor. Unfortunately, the second summer flavor did not pack the same punch as the first. This cupcake was heavy on the lemonade, and light on the strawberry. While it was a lovely lemon cake, I missed the strawberry too much to rank it any higher.

Sixth Place: Strawberries ‘N Cream

I wanted to love this cupcake, I really did, but it just missed the mark. Again, the strawberry flavor was extremely subtle, almost that of a vanilla cake. While the frosting was delicious (and there was plenty of frosting), the cake was a letdown.

Seventh Place: Lemon Lavender

I was hesitant to try this flavor because I would normally never order a flavor like it, and—don’t hate me—but my hunch was right. I didn’t taste any lavender, and I was not a fan of the seeds in the cake. Ultimately, it was a dry lemon cake.

Superlatives

Best Cake: The Chocolatier

Is anyone surprised? This chocolate cake might be the best I’ve ever had. It was moist and fudgy, and it didn’t leave me with a stomachache. If I didn’t need to try the other six cupcakes at the Silos Baking Co., I would have gone back to purchase (and devour) a second of The Chocolatier!

Best Frosting: Strawberries ’N Cream

While the cupcake as a whole missed the mark, the buttercream frosting on this cupcake was delicious. It was light, airy, and sweet without being too much. When trying all of the flavors, I continually went back for more tastes of this frosting, almost using it as a palette cleanser. If the strawberry cake had been as good as the frosting, this strawberries and cream cupcake would have given The Chocolatier a run for its money.

Best Aesthetic: Orange Cream

Not only did this cupcake taste like the perfect summer day, it looked like one, too. With bright orange cake, classic white frosting, and small orange sprinkles, this cupcake looked exactly like how we all want to feel during the height of summer: fun, bright, and joyful.