So this morning, Emily and I went down to Graf to meet Mandy and taste the muffins!  Upon our arrival, the young woman at the counter, India, greeted us with a big smile and hello.  Mandy was in the other room doing nails so I went in to meet her.

Mandy was sweet and personable and very excited to meet us!  Turns out, someone came into her shop and asked if she had seen the review of her shop on my blog! Wow! Word sure does travel fast!  I had no idea locals were reading my blog… so awesome!  Mandy went on and on to her customers about the review and how excited she was about it.  Me…  I was excited that people were reading it and talking about it! Sweet!

Back out to the other room to check out the goodies!  Donuts, muffins…. oh and tiramisu!

India makes me a delicious coffee… caramel latte and Emily and I sit down for a little treat.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a coffee presented quite like this before.  I almost didn’t want to drink it, it was so pretty!

So… we sit down to try our goodies.  Let me start with the coffee.  I don’t know what it is about Germany coffee… but it tastes so much better than American.  Yes, even better than Starbucks.  This latte was smooth and creamy and mmmm good.

The chocolate muffin… well, add a little buttercream to the top and you’d have a cupcake!  Because seriously, these chocolate muffins were so rich and chocolately.  They even had a chocolate filling in the middle.  So good.  SO GOOD.

And the tiramisu.  Seriously,  I died and went to heaven.  It was creamy, and soft and the lady fingers…. yummmmmy.  I really think this tiramisu was some of the best I’ve had.  I couldn’t finish it all, but I made sure to take it home to enjoy it later.

Again, it must be a  German thing… but look how beautifully they plated my sweets.  Gorgeous!

Thanks again to Mandy for having us!  Emme and I had fun relaxing in your shop, chatting with you and India and enjoying your sweets!  We can’t wait to come back and get our nails done!

We had really just stopped in for ice cream but was distracted by the case with the cupcakes in them! I literally almost lost my mind when I saw them!! Sweet little vanilla cupcakes topped with a beautiful mound of chocolate goodness. Not to mention the lemon tart and tiramisu that was also in the case with these cupcakes!

This little shop I’m in, Emi Nails & Coffee Bar, well… it’s also a coffee shop, nail salon, ice creamery and cafe!  I’ve never been in anything quite like it.  While getting your nails done, you can enjoy some cupcakes, ice cream and coffee.  This day, Emily had ice cream, I had a cupcake and Dave had a lice of lemon tarte.

(Sorry about the crappy photo quality.  I wasn’t expecting to run into cupcakes, so I didn’t bring my camera, just our phone!

Now, the first thing I notice is that they aren’t called cupcakes in this shop. They’re referred to as muffins. I’m wondering if that’s a German thing or what? But I couldn’t seem to call them a muffin. I mean, there was no fruit and there was frosting. lol It’s a cupcake. Seriously.

Also in the case was a beautiful lemon torte and tiramisu.  I wanted to try them all.  Yum.   But, we just settled for the tarte and cupcake!

The lemon tart was simply divine.  I expected it to just be cut and served on a plate, but this Germany cafe had other things in mind.  First, she dusted the plate with powdered sugar, put two swirls of chocolate on the plate, cut a generous serving of tart onto the plate then garnished it with a sweet berry.  (Not sure what kind of berry it was, but it was SO GOOD.)  Wow.  Simply beautiful.

The tart itself had a buttery crust, sweet lemon curd type filling and a toasted meringue top.  It was like an explosion of lemon in my mouth with every bite.  SO GOOD.  The lady at the shop told me a friend of the owners makes them for the shop everyday.  Seriously, whoever that person is, well, they’re my new BFF.  YUM!

Now, on to the best part… the cupcakes!!  My little cupcake was also served on a plate dusted with powdered sugar and garnished with a berry.  I don’t think I’ve ever been in a cupcake shop in the USA that served a cupcake like this!

My first bite was of the cake.  It was moist, dense and full of great flavor.  As I took a few more bites of it, I realized that it was more like a pound cake than it was a crumby, typical American cake.  Nevertheless, it was DELISH.

On to the chocolate frosting.  At first, I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was different.  It didn’t have a strong chocolate flavor and the consistency was unlike American frosting.  Then, it dawned on me.  It’s a mousse!  The frosting on this cupcake was a chocolate mousse! Thick and creamy.

Pound cake + chocolate mousse = YUMMY!

Now, I’m not gonna say this is the best cupcake I’ve ever had (cause really, nothing has been able to compare to the cupcakes at New York Cupcakes in Bellevue, WA), but these were definitely an experience!  I’m really excited to find more cupcakes in Germany to see how they compare to these and to American cupcakes.  From what I’ve read and heard from others here in Germany, cupcakes aren’t too popular here or haven’t really caught on like they have in the States.  Soon though, I’ll venture to a bigger city to look for a cupcake shop!

Until then, I’ll just walk down the street to this cafe/nail shop to get my cupcake fix!

Seriously? No Cake Pops in Seattle? I mean really… of all places, you’d think that SEATTLE would get the cake pops first. I was so bummed they didn’t have any. I really hoped to try them before I left for Germany.

So, we land in Frankfurt and right off the airplane I see a Starbucks. Could they have the Cake Pops I couldn’t find in Seattle? YESSSSSSSSSSS! They had Cake Pops!! I had travel around the world to find them…. but I was SO DAMN EXCITED I had to scoop one up and try it!

I got the pink of of course. Now, I’m showing you a Starbucks stock photo here because all I had with me at the time was my camera phone and it takes crappy pictures. But, mine looked exactly like the one from Starbucks!

It’s vanilla cake with vanilla icing, dipped in chocolate and pink sprinkles!  (The other one in the picture is the Rocky Road. I know, I should have tried it too, but I just got the one, for now.)

First initial reaction…. YUM!  Finally, a dessert that Starbucks can be proud of.  I mean really… this cake pop was moist, full of flavor and really SO GOOD.  The candy coating was just enough crunch to add texture and the sweetness of the sugar crystals on the outside was perfect.  I would definitely recommend this little treat to anyone needing a sugar fix.

Once I find out where the Starbucks is around the military base… I’ll be sure to try the other Cake Pop flavors, whoopie pies and mini cupcakes!

Located just a couple blocks from Pacific Lutheran University (317 Garfield St #A, Parkland, WA 98444), Yummers is in a perfect location for lots of foot traffic, high school and college students and even some late night bar business.  And with no other cupcake shops in the south end of Tacoma, Amber has the monopoly on cupcakes!

Meet Amber.  She’s a mother, daughter, and bakery shop owner!  Inspired by her love of baking and from making it the second round of the application process for the FOX tv show, Master Chef, Amber and her family opened up this shop on Feb. 12, 2011.  Her father, mother and son all help out in the shop, making this cute little bakery a family business.

I asked Amber how her shop got it’s name… Yummers 2 the 3rd Power is definitely unique and I had to know where it came from.  ”It’s silly,” she said, “I would always say that something tasted ‘yummers to the third power’ and the name just fit!”  And alas, Yummers 2 the 3rd Power Cupcake Factory was born!

The cupcakes were definitely the focus of this little shop with the cupcakes displayed beautifully in the case.  I noticed right away the selection of cupcakes.  Not only were they unique in appearance, but I could tell her flavor combinations were not your typical cupcake shop flavors.  Or… not your same ole’ grocery store flavors.  The frostings were piled high and the cupcakes were topped with everything from whipped cream and cherries to peanut butter chips and a raspberry glaze.

Amber serves all her flavors everyday, but some of them are in the mornings and others in the afternoon.  While I was in her shop, she had some red velvet cupcakes going in the kitchen, almost ready to be served to customers!  Also, a plantain cupcake… really, I must have one of those!!!

Need a specialty flavor, Amber will custom make you any flavor you want.  She told me of a cake she made out of “Slim Jims”.  She said you could taste the essence of the jerky, but it was so good people didn’t believe what they were eating!

Amber was sweet enough to pack me up a box of each of the flavors she had out to take home and taste! I really can’t wait to sink my teeth into them.  They look and smell so delicious! Here are a few, closer up!

Peanut butter cake topped with a peanut butter frosting and a raspberry drizzle.

Coconut cupcakes topped with a coconut frosting.  These are their signature cupcakes!

Chocolate.  Do I need to say more?

French toast cupcake topped with maple buttercream and candied bacon.  Uhm, yum!

German chocolate cake topped with German chocolate frosting, whipped cream and a cherry.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cupcake quite like this one before… EVER… in a shop.  Totally impressed with this cupcake!

Now, I will say… there were a couple of things I think Amber could change to make things better as she’s perfecting her shop and recipes.  First, I did not like the boxes Amber used to send cupcakes home with her customers.  They did not have any inserts in them so my cupcakes slid around and a few fell over by the time I got home.  Secondly, none of the cupcakes had labels or signs telling me what they were.  Although Amber was happy to tell me about all of them, signs in her display case would have made things easier.

Prices at Yummers are very reasonable too.  $2.25 for a cupcake, including tax and $22.00 for a dozen.  $22 is a great price for cupcakes like these too!!

So hop in your car and head over to Amber’s shop.  You won’t be disappointed.

If you want more information, check out Yummers 2 the 3rd Power on their website or on Facebook.

First stop was Simply Sweet Cupcakes located at 1206.5 1st St. Snohomish, WA, 98290.  Hiding next to a restaurant, Simply Sweet Cupcakes can be found on the main road of Snohomish with a cute cupcake tree on display in their front window.

When you first walk in, the store feels almost like a coffee shop with the dark wood fixtures, but then your eye catches the display of cupcakes and the pink walls and you know you’re in a cupcake shop!

Inside the shop, they only have room for a few tables and chairs but also have some fun cupcake accessories on sale too, including their own cupcake wrappers.

Onto the good stuff… the cupcakes!  Now, I will say, I was a bit disappointed in the selection of the cupcakes.  Granted we were in on a weekend… but I expected a bit more variety.  What I did find was an array of the typical flavors to be found in a cupcake shop in both regular size and mini:  chocolates, vanilla, orange, mint, etc.

We tried three cupcakes.  Chocolate Mint, Orange, and Cookies and Cream.

Now, for those of you who have been reading me for a while now, you know that I try to be honest in my reviews.  I won’t give a cupcake a stellar review if it doesn’t deserve it, but I’m not going to completely trash it either.  So with that said, I’m going to be honest again with these cupcakes.

I wasn’t impressed with them.  They were just… cupcakes.  They had good flavor, but they didn’t blow me out of the water.  The frosting was very heavy compared to the cake which was very light and airy.  The cupcakes crumbled after the first bite and could no longer hold the weight of the frosting.  So to me, they were a bit mismatched.

The chocolate mint cupcake tasted good… the mint flavor buttercream was really quite good.  I actually liked this cupcake the best.

The cookies and cream was good too… a lot of chocolate flavor in it.  This one was my daughters favorite.

The orange, it was forgettable.  Didn’t have much orange flavor to it and the frosting was a bit greasy.  Disappointing because it was the only non-standard cupcake flavor in their case.

Now, don’t get me wrong… these cupcakes tasted very good!!  But having tasted A LOT of cupcakes in my day… you could say that I have an idea of what a perfect cupcake should be.  But, if you’re in the neighborhood and want a yummy chocolate cupcake, I’d recommend Simply Sweet.

For more info about Simply Sweet Cupcakes visit their website or find them on Facebook.

Next up was Bite Me Cupcakes located on the same street just a half block away at 1118 First St., Snohomish WA, 98290.

From first look, Bite Me stood out from the street!  Their store front screamed CUPCAKES INSIDE! COME EAT ME! Well, not literally, but seriously, look at those bright pink signs on the windows!

Inside the shop I was pleasantly surprised to find how cute it was!  I literally found myself getting excited like a little girl at all the pink, pretty chandelier and decor!  Bite Me is the perfect place for a little girls birthday party or an afternoon date with girlfriends for a cupcake treat!

One of my favorite parts about this shop was found down the hall… a window to the kitchen!!  OMGosh I just love that I could stand at the window and watch the bakers frosting and creating cupcakes!

At the counter, they had some beautiful cupcakes on display for Valentine’s Day!  It was fun to see them all dressed up for the holiday of love!

On to the really important stuff… their cupcakes!!  The display case at Bite Me was PACKED full of a variety of cupcakes and flavors! I was so excited to see how many they had available, it took me forever to decide which ones to get!

Oh… and before I get to the cupcakes I picked… have you ever seen this before?  I’ve heard of Frosting Shots…. but Sprinkle Shots?? OH MY GOSH!!! YUmmmmo!!!

Ok so we picked three cupcakes, Banana, Chocolate Peanut butter and Lemon.  I just love how they were served to us on little plates with napkins and a fork!!  Made them feel so special!

First was my daughters choice of cupcake, the chocolate peanut butter.  It was a chocolate cake topped with peanut butter frosting and a pb cup.

This cupcake was my favorite… any combo of chocolate and peanut butter is a winner in my book.   The cake was a little dry, but other than that… this was a good cupcakes.

Next was my husbands pick.  It’s a lemon cupcake filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemon frosting dipped in yellow sugar crystals.

The curd inside this cupcake was super yummy.  I mean super yummy.  The frosting however, not so yummy.  I had a feeling it was a meringue type frosting, but it was greasy and kinda slimey and didn’t have a very sweet taste.  I was disappointed because I really love a lemon cupcake.

Last, was my choice.  A banana cupcake topped with what looked and tasted like a chocolate frosting.

The cake on this cupcake had tons of great banana flavor and was really quite good.  I ate almost all of the cake part.  The frosting, again like the lemon, just wasn’t that good.  It was greasy and just had a texture and consistency that I didn’t like.  Again, probably because it seemed like it was a meringue type frosting, which I don’t like.

Overall though, these cupcakes were good.  If you enjoy meringue frostings, then you’ll really love this shop.  For more info about Bite Me Cupcakes, visit their website.

The Divine Cupcake
Eugene, Oregon

This weekend we were throwing a baby-shower for a dear friend and I was in charge of the cake. Instead of ordering the stereo-typical grocery store cake—or cake from Costco, I decided I would order cupcakes from The Divine Cupcake. (The DC specializes in Organic and Vegan cupcakes.)

The Divine Cupcake opened nearly one year ago (March 2010) and is located in a less appealing side of town. In fact you would drive right by it, if you didn’t know it was already there. They are on a one-way street with only one entrance into the very small parking lot. (Parking max is approximately 8 spots. Very small spots. It’s very difficult to navigate in and out of the lot.) The location is one of the reasons I’ve not been there.

When inside it’s cute, quaint, and provides plenty of comfortable seating with couches and lounge chairs. The interior definitely takes away from the neighborhood. Farther in, they have different cupcake themed items for purchase: jewelry, clothing, nick-knacks, etc. (Shout out to Bella Cupcake Couture!! I saw your beautiful wrappers on display!) Behind that is their displayed cupcakes and coffee bar.

For the shower I knew I only would need a dozen cupcakes, so I called ahead just in case. I’m glad I did.

My daughter and I arrived at 11 a.m. (they open at 7 a.m. on Saturday’s). I was disappointed at the lack of cupcakes available: flavors and amount. There was maybe a dozen available?! The cupcakes were on the smaller size—even for a full size cupcake.

My dozen “Bodacious Blueberry” (seasonal) cupcakes were boxed up and ready to go. My daughter begged to pick out her own. It took her awhile, but she settled on the red velvet. $30.00 is what I paid for a 13 cupcakes.

My daughter immediately wanted to go home and try her special treat—and so did I. I was SHOCKED that it was so dry and tasteless. The frosting was hard and crusty….very very sweet too. Almost too sweet it overpowered the cake. Not impressed. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it was because they were not inside of a case and sitting under bright florescent track lighting?! I was worried about the “cakes” I bought for the party.

At the party, not one person finished the cupcake. Nobody even said, “Yum, these are good. Where did you get them,” as I was hoping. The texture and taste was the same as the red velvet: dry, crusty, and the frosting was too sweet. As a matter of fact, it didn’t taste anything like blueberry. I was very disappointed!

I will not be back.

Oh—P.S., they should really reconsider hiring new staff. The two girls behind the counter could have cared less that I was there.

Cupcakes!!!! Red Robin now serves cupcakes!  I think I about sh*t my pants too when I saw this.  I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.  Seriously?  They jumped on THAT bandwagon? Cupcakes? At Red Robin?  So… I asked my server how long they had been serving them and she said only about 3 weeks.  No wonder why I hadn’t heard about them from any of my favorite cupcake blogs yet!

So… dinner is done and OF COURSE I’m ordering these cupcakes.  ”One of each.”  I tell my server.  Now, from the picture on the table top display, I’m not really expecting much from these cupcakes.  They’re simple in design but, I’m hoping their flavor is amazing!

They arrive at our table and the first thing I notice is the shiny color of the frosting…. something tells me this isn’t buttercream.  I also notice they look very moist, almost wet… which tells me they might actually be cold.

I was right.  They were cold.  While talking to the waitress about them, she mentioned that they come to her frozen.  Really?  You’re serving me FROZEN cupcakes?  Alright… well, that aside, I decide to taste them.

First up is the vanilla on vanilla.  It’s a vanilla cupcake, filled with a vanilla creme and topped with vanilla frosting.

First reaction.  Gross.  It tastes like tires.  It was NOT GOOD.  It had ZERO vanilla flavor.  My 10 year old daughter wouldn’t even finish it.  Moving on.

Next we tried the chocolate on chocolate.  A chocolate cupcake filled with chocolate cream topped with chocolate frosting.  Ok so this cupcake, not too bad.  It’s definitely got good chocolate flavor… no hint of tire in this one.  It’s not the best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had… but it wasn’t horrible.  If you were really in the mood for chocolate cake and you didn’t want to order the monster piece of cake they serve at Red Robin… this might be a nice alternative.

Finally we have the Freckled Lemonade cupcake.  It’s a lemon cupcake filled with strawberry topped with strawberry frosting.  To my surprise… this cupcake was VERY YUMMY!!  It tasted just like their strawberry lemonade drink they serve.  It was moist and the filling was really quite good!  I actually took more than one bite of this one!!  Now… I’m not saying I’d pay money for them and order them again… but if someone else at my table did, I wouldn’t say no to a bite!!!

I called the manager of the local Red Robin I went to and asked about the cupcakes.  He said they ordered them from a company in Denver who makes them specifically for Red Robin.  I asked about getting them frozen and he reiterated what our waitress had said, that yes, they come to them frozen but are made fresh at the factory in Denver.

My initial reaction to Red Robin having cupcakes was, “Uh, really?  Seriously?  They jumped on THAT bandwagon?  Isn’t it a little late to be joining that parade?”  And to be honest… I’m pretty sure I’m dead on with that assumption.  Red Robin is way late getting on this trend and they have fallen short.  If you’re going to add cupcakes to your menu and you are a huge, established restaurant… you better produce amazing cupcakes.  These cupcakes are not amazing.  They are boring and forgettable.  And to be honest, I forgot to write this blog… because I actually tasted these cupcakes back in December.

The frosting was definitely a shortening based frosting.  It tasted like it had a ton of Crisco in it with a grainy like texture.  I felt like I was eating pure fat and lard when I put it in my mouth.  The cake was hit or miss.  The vanilla was dry, cold and still partly frozen but the chocolate and lemon were moist and had fairly good flavor.  The fillings were ehhh, just so-so with the strawberry being the best of the three if I had to choose.  The embellishment dot on the top instantly reminded me of the dot on the cupcakes at Sprinkles, which they are famous for… not too creative on the part of Red Robin.

If I were in charge of cupcakes at Red Robin, I might have tried to pair my restaurants with local cupcake shops to produce their line of cupcakes… thus producing a fresh, locally made product.  Not a mass produced, frozen and cold, tastes like tire cupcake like I got.  Red Robin needs to do a bit more research, take some time into planning these cupcakes… they could be a great addition to the menu.  Not something they just slapped together for the sake of hopping on the cupcake bandwagon.

My final thoughts on the Red Robin cupcakes:  Forgettable.  Don’t waste your money.

The place was PACKED!! Wall to wall kids and people there to celebrate cupcakes and community.

Cupcake Royale had a live band playing children’s music to entertain… and boy did they ever!  This small cupcake shop was filled with music that made the little kids dance and bounce everywhere!

Oohhh how sweet was this…. a cupcake sprinkle station, FREE to everyone who bought cupcakes!

Jodi Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale, was on hand to mingle with the customers, say hello and celebrate 7 great years of cupcakes!

While we were there, we picked up Cupcake Royale’s two seasonal cupcakes.  Rum Ball and Eggnog.  And let me tell you… they did not disappoint.

The Rum Ball was covered in nuts on top, so I wasn’t able to try that one (I’m allergic ) BUT… my hubby tasted it and said it was REALLY good!  I loved seeing something different on top of their cupcake other than their signature swirl.  It was a fun deviation!

The Eggnog was definitely my favorite though.  I absolutely love the density of the cupcake.  You really feel like you’re getting a lot of cake for your buck with this one!  And the eggnog frosting…. the perfect combination of spices and eggnog.  It was almost sinfull.

We took home a triple threat and a chocolate on vanilla too.  Mmmmmm I can’t wait to snack on those tonight!

The next time you visit Seattle, make sure you check out one of Cupcake Royale’s five locations so you can taste the ORIGINAL cupcake in Seattle!

Carrie will be selling her cupcake couture at Dish it Up as well as at many other cupcake shops and retail locations across Western Washington and the country!

At Dish it Up this weekend, she featured her cupcake wrappers on some gingerbread orange cupcakes made in the store!  They served samples of the cupcakes along with some bubbly! Carrie was on hand to answer questions about her wrappers and show customers how fantastic they can make your cupcakes!

See that book?  That’s the brand new CRAVE book that Carrie is in!! (PS…. Jessie form CakeSpy.com is in it too!)  Make sure you pick up your copy of this amazing book featuring so many local Seattle business women doing their thing!!

Carrie also mentioned that she has a new design for her cupcake couture… but shhhh, they’re a secret still and only available in retails stores like, Dish it Up!

Make sure you check out all of the beautiful designs that Bella Cupcake Couture has to offer.  With new wrappers for the holiday season, Carrie has something to make every cupcake you bake special!

]]> http://javacupcake.com/2010/12/bella-cupcake-couture-now-at-dish-it-up/feed/ 0 http://javacupcake.com/2010/12/cupcake-wars-season-2/ http://javacupcake.com/2010/12/cupcake-wars-season-2/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:49:38 +0000 JavaCupcake http://javacupcake.com/?p=3596 Next week, Season 2 of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network will begin. Tuesday, December 7 at 10:00pm ET/PT the show that some people love and some people hate will be back.You might remember my reaction wasn’t too favorable to this show when Season 1 began (read that here), I stopped watching after the first couple episodes.  I am hoping they have made a few changes to the show to improve it… I guess we’ll find out on December 7! (Well, actually, I’ll find out on Dec. 8 because on Dec. 7 I’ll be at the Cupcakes Take the Cake 6th Birthday Bash!)

My first thoughts on Season 2 though are this:  I’m not too impressed with the line up of bakers.  There seem to be a lot of California bakeries and not a very diverse representation of other shops from around the country and even the world.  I see NY, PA, and CA very well represented but I’d like to see a Pacific Northwest (there is Portland, but I’m thinking more like Washington) cupcake shop on the list.  Or maybe one form the mid-west or a smaller city.

I’ll give Season 2 a try.  But, I can’t guarantee I’ll go in with an open mind.  I’m already kinda jaded.

From the Food Network’s website:
It’s cupcake vs. cupcake in Food Network’s tastiest competition yet! Each week on Cupcake Wars, four of the country’s top cupcake bakers face off in three elimination challenges until only one decorator remains. The sweet prize: $10,000 and the opportunity to showcase their cupcakes at the winning gig. Whether a special Ace of Cakes anniversary celebration, a star-studded magazine party or an A-list celebrity golf tournament, these Cupcakes Wars really heat up. Candace Nelson (owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes) and Florian Bellanger (chef and co-owner of online macaroon company MadMac) serve as permanent judges with a third rotating judge each week, and Justin Willman hosts.

Thus far… here’s the schedule!

Episode 1 – December 7: “Tree Lighting”

Sugar Bakery – East Haven, CT
Crave Bakeshop – Portland, OR
The Spot Gourmet – Glendale, CA
Sweet Rachel Desserts – Los Angeles, CA

Episode 2 – December 21: “LA Kings”

Mission Mini’s – San Francisco, CA
Cakeology – Boston, MA
Parties by Panahce – Los Angeles, CA
Auntie Em’s Kitchen – Los Angeles, CA

Episode 3 – December 28: “Hard Rock”

Bruce’s Bakery – Brooklyn, NY
Cupcake and Cookie – Los Angeles, CA
Mini Bakery – Los Angeles
Sweet Freedom Bakery – Philadelphia, PA

Jenny Keller, from Washington State, sells her cupcake cookies and her cupcakes on her website, Jenny Cookies, and they are some of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen!

You can order her creations on her website.  Cookies start at $2.25 and cupcakes at $2.75.  She also makes cakes for parties and weddings! Those range from $75 on up! You can also call her at 425.346.5424 for special orders & pricing info!

You can also find Jenny on Twitter and Facebook!

She’ll be brining her cookies to our 6th Birthday Bash in Seattle too! (Tickets still available!)

(Left) Jenny and her daughter dressed up like cupcakes! Oh my goodness, how cute!!

All photos courtesy of Jenny Cupcakes.

From their website:

I was given the opportunity to try out a few cupcake baking cups from Sutton Gourmet Paper. What better reason to make cupcakes than some super cute new liners!

These liners claim to keep their color and design…. I sure hope they do because I’ve tried MANY liners that are just so cute… but you can’t see their design after you bake them! A waste of 1) time looking for cute liners and 2) money! Uggghhh!

Head over to Cupcakes Take the Cake to read the rest of the review and to see how the cupcakes turned out!

Photo above by CakeSpy

And here’s Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale, sharing some cupcakes! Spread the cupcake love!

This new location of Cupcake Royale is a definite place to stop on any trip to the Eastside!

For more info about Cupcake Royale, visit their website!

Inside this shop you’ll find an urban style coffee shop with art on the walls… and yes, the art does have cupcakes on it too!! There were people on their laptops, sipping their coffee and munching on their cupcakes.

We picked out two cupcakes, Purple Carrot and Mint Buttercream.

The Purple Carrot was made with ingredients from their local farmers market including ginger and cinnamon.   Let me tell you… I’m not a fan of carrot cake…. but this cupcake was HEAVEN!  The spices were a perfect pairing with the purple carrots!  It’s a MUST TRY if you’re in Renton!

The Mint Buttercream…. it was good.  Wasn’t as exciting as the carrot though.  Maybe it was the end of the day, but I found the chocolate cupcake a bit dry and the buttercream a bit ordinary.  Nothing really stood out as being, OH MY GOSH AMAZING.

We chose not to try others because they were mainly vanilla or a chocolate base with a flavored buttercream on top.  And, since I wasn’t too impressed with the mint buttercream cupcake, I didn’t want to chance the rest.

Here are a few others in their case.

All in all though… I think if you’re in Renton and have a sweet tooth for cupcakes, this shop will fulfill that craving!

For more info about Common Ground, you can find them on Twitter and Facebook too!

It started out with the Military Wife Tweet-Up with Katherine (@MissKatherine) and Erica (@HellcatBetty) down at the Starbucks by Fort Lewis.  Great conversation, great women, great time!

Then it was up to Bellevue, WA for the Cupcake Meet Up!  Jessica Stanley, owner of Rocket Queen Cupcakes in Albany, OR was in Seattle for a two week visit and wanted to tour a few of the cupcake shops she hadn’t been to yet!  So I met up with Jessica and Carrie Middlemiss, owner of Bella Cupcake Couture, at New York Cupcakes where owner Lisa Waxman Johnson met with us!

I had never been into New York Cupcakes before, so this was a nice treat for me! Their cute, pink decor was perfect for the petite cupcake shop.  Pink chandeliers, pink walls, pink fridge, pink cupcakes… everything was perfectly pink! Loved it!

Oh…. it was love at first sight with New York cupcakes.  Oh just pure heaven.  Firstly, let me tell you these are no small cupcakes.  They are full size, full frosting, some even filled and topped deliciously perfect looking cupcakes! Great, original selection and some fun, seasonal flavors too!

These blueberry cupcakes…. were like the the moistest cupcakes I’ve ever had.  It was like a muffin… on steroids.  SO GOOD!!!

And here’s the 6-pack I brought home to my Dad and Daughter.   No, I didn’t eat these myself!!

And of course… the reason for it all…. to meet these lovely ladies!!  Jessica Stanley of Rocket Queen Cupcakes, ME! Betsy Eves of JavaCupcake,  Lisa Waxman Johnson of New York Cupcakes and Carrie Middlemiss of Bella Cupcake Couture!

I’m definitely adding New York Cupcakes to my Top 3 Favorite Cupcake shops.  I don’t know why I hadn’t been there before… but it was well worth the drive to Bellevue!  The cupcakes are divinely delicious, the atmosphere is sinfully sweet and the owner… well Lisa is just fantastic and one of the sweetest women I’ve met in a long time!  Make sure you stop by New York Cupcakes on your next visit to the Seattle area… you won’t regret it!!!

You can find all these lovely ladies on Twitter too!

Jessica – @RocketQueenCC

Carrie – @BellaCupcakeC

Betsy – @JavaCupcake

This past weekend, Jubilee Cupcakes & Vintage Candy opened and I paid Patti and her new shop another visit! WOW! I thought the shop was cute before, but it’s 100 times better now!  The focus of the shop is definitely on the cupcakes now with some amazing vintage candy too!  There is more seating and the shop is less cluttered with non-cupcake stuff.  The candy is a perfect addition to the shelves of the store, adding a magical feel to the shop.

Oh… and remember the Ganz Cupcake Measuring Spoons I got a while back?  Jubilee sells them!!! They’ve also got a second set of those cupcake measuring spoons in TINY sizes… Dash, Pinch, and Smidgen!  Of course, I picked up a set!

Let’s have a little tour of their shop… my camera died before I could take more pictures of the outside and upstairs seating areas… so know, there’s more to the shop than just these pictures!

I can’t have cupcakes anymore… but I let Emme get one.  Triple Chocolate with a Hello, Kitty topper!  (ps… I had a little taste…. so MOIST and chocolately.  Emily wanted seconds! hehe)

Don’t forget all the toppers and goodies to go on your cupcakes!

And now on to the CANDY!!!  They had taffy and gum and all kinds of old time candy that you can’t find in the grocery stores!

Party supplies too!  (And I also heard that Jubilee is also selling Bella Cupcake Couture!)

Another great addition to Jubilee…. CAKE SPY!!! Yup. Jessie’s got her little Cuppie for-sale at this shop!  Emily wanted me to pick her up one of everything! hehe We love Cuppie and Jessie!

So, I’ve gotta say…. this shop is a great addition to the South End.  With Indulge in Sumner not re-0pening after their fire and only one other (not-to be named, and not as good!) cupcake shop in Tacoma, Patti has got a great brand on her hands to expand!  She told me she plans to expand Jubilee all across the South end of the Sound in the coming years.  I am super excited for her and wish her success!

If you’re in Tacoma… make Jubilee a MUST SEE destination!

Where you can find more info about Jubilee Cupcakes & Vintage Candy:

On the web

Facebook

Twitter

The exterior of the cupcake shop was really neat.  They had big windows so you could see inside to all the cupcakes and the happenings of the store as well as some tables with fun umbrellas and decorations on them.  On a hot sunny day, Saint Cupcake would be a fun place to grab a cupcake and a drink and enjoy the outdoors.

Upon entering Saint Cupcake, I was flooded with a sea of pink!! Pink walls, pink decorations… everything was sweet, fun, cute and pink! This shop would be a little girls dream!  The shop had a small interior, some bar seating and a few tables and chairs and a case loaded with cupcakes!

On one wall, they had this huge mural with the “Story of Saint Cupcake” written on it! So fun!

What I loved about this shop was their huge assortment of mini cupcakes!  There were TONS of them!  I love it when shops have so many mini’s to choose from… it makes me want to order as many as I can!!

So we picked our 4 mini cupcakes and headed out!  I couldn’t wait to try these little yummies!! We didn’t eat them right away though because this was our third stop that day and we were getting cupcaked out!  So, we saved them for later at the hotel.

Oh, and I couldn’t pass up taking a picture of their delivery truck! So cute!

Unfortunately, the cupcakes didn’t survive the heat in our car or my daughter.  Emily stacked the adorable Saint Cupcake box into the soft sided cooler and all the cupcakes were smushed by the time we got to our hotel… so I have no pictures of the cupcakes we chose.   I was so angry… tried to piece together the cupcakes, but didn’t take any pictures of them.  They however, still tasted DELICIOUS!

Saint Cupcake’s website has tons of pictures if you want to see more of their cupcakes!!  This shop is definitely a sweet spot in Portland and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to get cupcakes or host a little girls party!

I was really excited to stop into Sweetpea because their name is special to me.  My husband, who was home on leave from Iraq while we were in Portland, calls me his Sweetpea.  :)  So needless to say, I really didn’t care what Sweetpea Baking Company had in terms of cupcakes, I was just happy to be there with my husband! hehe

As we walked into Sweetpea, we could immediately tell that this bake shop was unlike your typical cute, sweet cupcake store.   Sweetpea is more urban, earthy, more natural with an organic feel.  Perfect match for their vegan cupcakes!  They had a very chill, industrial vibe and I was liking it!

We get up to the counter and find a small selection of cupcakes to choose from along with some other baked goods.  We each pick our cupcakes and then sit down with a big glass of water to enjoy them.  It was quite warm, muggy, and overcast in Portland that day.

I chose the Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcake. It was a very moist, yet dense cupcake with a whipped pb frosting topped with a chocolate piece.  It was full of flavor and the pb/choc combo was to die for!  This cupcake was definitely Vegan, I could taste the grittyness of the natural ingredients.  It wasn’t your typical fluffy, made with real butter and all that yummyness, but it was still good.  If you’re a Vegan, these cupcakes are a great choice for you!

My husband picked the black bottom cupcake (which I didn’t try) but he had the same reaction I did to mine.  He could tell it was Vegan, not being a bad thing, but said it was also really tasty!

My daughter had the vanilla with chocolate frosting.  She ate it all up… so I’m assuming she thought it was delicious! hehe

Overall, I had a really great time at Sweetpea.  I’d definitely come back there if I was in the neighborhood and I’d definitely recommend it to my Vegan friends in the market for an excellent Vegan cupcake!  Sweetpea was also serving up some other Vegan baked goods, but we didn’t try any.  Next time, I’ll branch out and try one!

Thanks Sweetpea for a great visit!!! You were an excellent addition to our Portland Cupcake Crawl!

]]> http://javacupcake.com/2010/07/portland-cupcake-crawl-sweetpea-baking-company/feed/ 0 http://javacupcake.com/2010/06/food-networks-cupcake-wars/ http://javacupcake.com/2010/06/food-networks-cupcake-wars/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:24:52 +0000 JavaCupcake http://javacupcake.com/?p=2425 Food Network’s Cupcake Wars started this week with two episodes.  Sunday’s was the George Lopez celebrity golf tournament episode and Tuesday was the SeaWorld episode.  I wasn’t able to catch Sunday’s episode, but I did see the SeaWorld episode… and let me tell you right off the bat, I was NOT impressed.

Granted this is a new series and they are still working out all the kinks… but COME ON Food Network!!!  To me, it seemed as though Cupcake Wars was just like any other food competition show with cupcakes tossed in as the main attraction.  You could have substituted any novelty food in this show and it wouldn’t have made any difference.  There was nothing special about having cupcakes as the center piece of this show!  I expected spectacular challenges and even more spectacular cupcakes!  What we got were cupcakes that (no offense to any of the participants) could have been created in my home kitchen.

Now… I do understand that they had limited time to prep and bake… but as professional cupcake bakers, I just expected more.  More cupcake, more elaborate decorating, more pizazz in presentation.  For example, during the decorating challenge of the SeaWorld episode, the bakers (oh by the way, they called them cupcake makers, instead of what they are… bakers! That errked me!) needed to include an element of SeaWorld into their cupcakes.  Two of the bakers produced cupcakes with the whale from SeaWorld on top… but, they were very poorly made, elementary looking, and lacked in detail.  (I’m sorry I can’t produce pictures of these whales… I’ve searched the internet looking for pictures or video from last night’s episode, but can’t find any.  If they ever turn up, I’ll update this post.)  Now, if it were me…. I would have produced a cupcake with a whale that looked like this cupcake by New York Cupcakes in Bellevue, WA.

Another thing I didn’t really like with the show was the unreasonable expectations the bakers faced in regards to time.  The final challenge had them create 1000 cupcakes, build a display and put it all together in 2 hours.  Is that really even physically possible?? The time factor may be the biggest reason I was disappointed with the cupcakes… there wasn’t enough time to create those “WOW” cupcakes I was looking for.  *sigh*

I’m going to give the show a chance… I really am.  I will keep watching it and keep hoping that it improves.  Maybe by the time Season 2 rolls around (if there is a season 2) they’ll have gotten a clue and changed up the format.

From the Food Network Website:

It’s cupcake vs. cupcake in Food Network’s tastiest competition yet! Each week onCupcake Wars, four of the country’s top cupcake bakers face off in three elimination challenges until only one decorator remains. The sweet prize: $10,000 and the opportunity to showcase their cupcakes at the winning gig. Whether a special Ace of Cakes anniversary celebration, a star-studded magazine party or an A-list celebrity golf tournament, these Cupcakes Wars really heat up. Candace Nelson (owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes) and Florian Bellanger (chef and co-owner of online macaroon company MadMac) serve as permanent judges with a third rotating judge each week, and Justin Willman hosts.

June 13 9:00pm ET/PT  (Season Premiere) “George and Ann Lopez Charity Golf Tournament“

Sweet! (WINNER!) (Orlando, FL)

Sugar Cupcakery (Milford, OH)

Southern Girls Desserts (Los Angeles, CA)

Becker’s Bakery (Manhattan Beach, CA)

June 15 9:00pm ET/PT  ”SeaWorld Birthday Bash“

Dollhouse Bake Shoppe (WINNER!) (Santa Monica, CA)

Milk (Los Angeles, CA)

Daddy Cakes (Topeka, KS)

Sweet Bakery & Cafe (Ellicot City, MD)

June 22 at 9:00pm ET/PT ”Match Making Party”

Chef Chloe Coscarelli (Los Angeles, CA)

Crushcakes Cupcakery (Santa Barbara, CA)

Cupcake Nouveau (Coral Gables, FL)

Cups (La Jolla, CA)

June 29th, 9:00pm ET/PT “Ace of Cakes 100th Episode Celebration”

The Coffee Shop (Gilbert, AZ)

Cupcake Charlies (Mashpee, MA)

The Perfect Circle Cupcakery (Orange, CA)

Sweet E’s Bake Shop (Los Angeles, CA)

July 6th, 9:00pm ET/PT “Survival of the Fittest”

Lulu’s Cupcakes (Scotsdale, AZ)

Whodidly Cupcakes (Santa Barbara, CA)

Cupcakes & Co (Burbank, CA)

Smallcakes (Overland Park, KS)

July 20th, 9:00pm ET/PT “Cupcakes for a Cause”

Suite 106 Cupcakery (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)

Kara’s Cupcakes (San Francisco, CA)

Ivey Cake (Franklin, TN)

For Heavens Cakes (Thousand Oaks, CA)

July 27th, 9:00 pm ET/PT “Film Festival Face-Off”

Sweet Arleen’s (Westlake Village, CA)

Red Velvet Stefanie (Los Angeles, CA)

Bee Sweet Bakery Cupcakes (New Orleans, LA)

Mr. Cupcakes (Clifton, NJ)

August 3rd, 9:00pn ET/PT “Classic Cupcake Challenge”

Molly’s Cupcakes (Chicago, IL)

La Provence Patisserie Cafe (Beverly Hills, CA)

Cupcakes (Scotsdale, AZ)

Jazzy Cakes (Sherman Oaks, CA)

We pull up to the shop nestled in a quaint neighborhood shopping center and can immediately smell the cupcake goodness coming from the bake shop.  A sign for story time greets us as we make our way into the bright, fun filled cupcake shop!

Immediately, I notice the decor of the shop… a little bit retro, a little bit modern… a lot fun!! The bright blues just popped against the bright white walls.

Ooohhh the cupcakes!!! They had so many to choose from! The first thing I noticed was that Bliss had their mini cupcakes displayed right next to their regular size cupcakes… this is something that most of the cupcake shops in Seattle don’t do.  So, I was surprised to see a complete assortment of mini’s!  Also on the menu was a selection of gluten-free cupcakes!  The very kind girl behind the counter told us they had been asked to serve some and they are slowing getting more popular and hope to expand their selection when demand increases!  How awesome is that?

We chose 4 mini’s to sample.  Rainbow bliss, Mocha bliss, Vanilla bliss, and Chocolate Chip Mint bliss.   All of them excellent… moist and the buttercream was smooth and full of flavor!

I loved this little shop so much, that my husband bought me a Bliss Bake Shop t-shirt that says I <3 Cupcakes on the front!  The people at the shop were so great to chat with, there was even a little play area for the kids to hang out while Moms enjoy their cupcakes.

I also should mention that Bliss also serves ice cream, cookies and makes milkshakes!  My husband got a mocha ice cream milkshake and he said it was one of the best he’s ever had! Yay for Bliss milkshakes!

You can find Bliss on Facebook and Twitter so make sure to follow them… and stop by their shop the next time you’re in Portland!  It’s a must visit Pacific Northwest destination!

Why you ask am I blogging about the farmers market?? Well… they had CUPCAKES!!

The Last Bite had a table full of baked yummies, including cupcakes! She had two packs of vanilla on vanilla cupcakes which I just had to try!  I asked for a business card and told her I’d be reviewing her cupcakes for JavaCupcake.  She told me the owner of The Late Bite has a commercial kitchen out of her home where she bakes custom cakes and takes orders for weddings, etc.

From their website:

“A graduate from the Seattle Culinary academy which honored her with the “Most Outstanding Pastry Chef” award for 2003, Krissie is truly passionate about making cakes and bringing joy to people’s special occasions. She began her love of baking as a child but went on to attend the University of Washington’s Business School. After years of baking at home while raising her three children, she decided to take the advice of so many of her friends and start her own business. She enrolled at The Seattle Culinary Academy where she spent two years “fine-tuning” her pastry skills. Finally she is doing what she always dreamed of! This excitement definitely comes through in every one of her creations.  Krissie has been creating delicious and elegant desserts as owner of “The Last Bite” since 2003.”

The cupcakes were a vanilla cupcake with a white frosting. They looked super yummy at the market and I couldn’t wait to get home to try them! With first bite, I noticed how smooth the frosting was… a lot smoother than I expected.  But unfortunately, the frosting wasn’t very good.  It had a Crisco like taste and was not sweet.  The Crisco flavor was so over powering, it actually gave me an upset stomach and I was forced to scrape off the frosting so that I could taste the cake part.

The cake was slightly dry and crumbly, but there was a lot of it.  Sometimes the cake part can be light and airy, but these weren’t.  They were thick and yet full of flavor and quite good.  I could definitely taste the vanilla in them, which was a good thing since the frosting tasted to horrible.  I’d like to taste other cupcakes from The Late Bite, but from their website it looks as though they specialize in cakes and wedding cakes.  If I see them at the market and there is another flavor, I’ll try it again.

Cupcakes for Dogs!

Also at the farmers market was a dog treats vendor who makes all natural yummies for your canine friends! And yes, she makes cupcakes too!  Organic Dog Treat Bakery makes all natural, organic cupcakes for your dogs!  Not only can you enjoy your cupcakes from the market, your pet can too!!

These cupcakes come in two sizes, Pupcakes and Mini Pupcakes.

From their website, these treats are made with: Organic Oat Flour, Sweet Potato, Egg, Sunflower Oil, Water, Vitamin E and C Powder Frosting: Fat Free Cream Cheese.

Wowzers! What an awesome treat for your pup!  Unfortunately, I don’t have any dogs, but there were plenty of happy customers in the pictures on their website!

These mini size pupcakes are perfect for your little lap dogs and puppies while the regular size pupcakes are a super treat for your big dogs!

Make sure to check them out online, they also make their own dog bones (all organic) and will ship them to you!

I was so excited to see the cupcakes at the counter that I didn’t even check out the other goodies they had for sale at the Double Play Desserts counter! The lady behind the counter said they were all out of the chocolate Oreo cupcakes, but they had plenty of the rest!

• Vanilla with Vanilla frosting topped with Oreo
• Vanilla with Vanilla frosting topped with Sliced Almonds
• Vanilla with Chocolate frosting topped with Sprinkles
• Chocolate with Vanilla frosting topped with Mini M&M’s
• Chocolate with Vanilla frosting topped with Nuts

I let Emily pick which one we were going to try… the Oreo cupcake was the winner.  They handed us the cupcake in a little tray and I could feel the warmth of the cupcake immediately.  They served their cupcakes WARM!!! FRESH out of the oven and topped with frosting and Oreo goodness.  After getting over the shock of the warmth of the cupcakes, I realized how big they were.  For $3.75, these cupcakes were worth every penny just for their size!

So, we sat down at our seats and well… had to eat our garlic fries before we tasted the cupcake.  hehe

After those were devoured, we conquered the cupcake!  It was too big to just take a bite into, so I took the bottom of and tested the cake part first.  OH MY GOODNESS… it was moist and flavorful.  You could actually taste the vanilla flavor in it.  I was so pleasantly surprised by it’s yummy-factor!  Next, it was on to the top, where all the oreo goodness was.  And let me tell you… it was heaven!!! Just the perfect amount of sweet frosting topped with crushed Oreo.  YUMMMM-O!!!!

I will say though… that compared to the pictures of the cupcakes I saw that the Mariners put out before the season started to hype these little bad boys… these cupcakes weren’t quite as gourmet as I anticipated.   But… over all, these cupcakes are definitely worth the trek to Section 185 to try!

Safeco Field (home of my beloved Seattle Mariners) just announced that they will now be serving HOMEMADE GOURMET CUPCAKES!  I will be at my first game on April 17 and I will be sure to review all of them!!! I can not wait!!

From King5.com:

Fans at Seattle Mariners games at Safeco Field this season will find a new line-up at concessions stands.  In addition to long-time favorites, there will be an emphasis on fresh, local and healthy options, and a focus on affordability.

Not to worry, garlic fries, Ivar’s clam chowder and hot dogs are still available, but for the more adventuresome palate, Centerplate, the exclusive caterer for Safeco Field, offers fans a variety of new offerings.  Some of the highlights are:

• Philly cheese steaks with hand cut fries, beef and lamb gyros, Greek salad, prime rib nachos,
• Dungeness crab sandwich, blackened salmon sandwich, peel & eat shrimp bucket, gluten-free halibut & chips
• Seattle’s own all natural, handmade Cucina Fresca pasta,
• An expanded vegetarian menu, featuring whole fresh fruit, gluten-free, vegan and organic selections including fruit smoothies,
• Deli option to build your own meals with grab-n-go sandwiches and sides of pasta, potato or coleslaw salads and chips,
• Hope’s Country Fresh Cookies, house-made cupcakes and caramel apples, chocolate dipped Rice Krispies Treats.

Together, they enter a cupcake contest and the little girl has a much better summer than she though! It’s a perfect read for my 4th grader and would be a super cute addition to anyone’s library!

“It’s Raining Cupcakes” was just released in March 2010 and you can buy it on Amazon.

Inside, the bar stools invite you to sit down as you decide what you’d like.  Cupcakes and coffee are their specialties.

Since it was the end of the night, their cupcake stands were a little sparse, but they still had a great selection.

Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream
Vanilla with Chocolate Buttercream
Granny’s Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream
Granny’s Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream
Chocolate Chip Mint
Southern Red Velvet with Vanilla Buttercream
Lemon with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cinnamon Swirl
Caramel Macchiato
Orange Dreamsicle
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Coconut with Coconut Buttercream
Cookies-N-Creme – NEW!

My favorite part of Indulge was the side room that was set up like a living room.  It was a big leather couch, coffee table, book shelves and a TV.  It was a cozy little room where you could sit, enjoy your cupcakes and hang out with your friends.  A perfect spot for local teens,  Moms with kids or a couple of girlfriends catching up.  If I lived closer, I could totally see myself visiting Indulge often!

Now on to the good stuff!! The cupcakes!  I ordered a half dozen cupcakes to sample and share with my daughter Emily and my cousin Andrea (former Indulge employee).

Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream
Chocolate Chip Mint
Lemon with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cinnamon Swirl
Orange Dreamsicle
Cookies-N-Creme

First, I need to comment on the actual size of the cupcakes.  They were HUGE and the frosting piled at least 3 inches high on each cupcake!! By far, these are some of the most generously sized cupcakes I’ve seen in a cupcake bakery in the area.

My personal favorite was the Cinnamon Swirl.  It was moist and crumbly at the same time and the frosting was TO. DIE. FOR.  And honestly, it was very similar in flavor to my favorite Cinnabon cupcake, the Cinnacake Classic.

The mint chocoalte cupcake was also just as heavenly! The chocolate cupcake was full of flavor and the mint icing was a perfect compliment.

My daughter tried the Oreo cupcake, her favorite!  And of course, it was also delicious.  The frosting is killer… made this cupcake a hit!

The vanilla cupcake was also a great classic.  Super flavor and a perfect cupcake.

The orange cupcake tasted just like a creamsicle popsicle.  But, it was a lot of orange.  Almost too much for me.  But, my cousin Andrea LOVES this one and said it’s her favorite.  I think this one is just about preference.

Finally, the lemon, my least favorite.  From the get go this cupcake was at a disadvantage, it’s frosting was 2 inches shorter than the rest… probably due to the cream cheese frosting.  I saved this one for the last and unfortunately, I can’t say I loved it.  I like lemon, but something about this cupcake just didn’t do it for me.  Probably the cream cheese frosting, which I’ve never been a fan of to begin with.

Overall, I was VERY impressed with Indulge Cupcakes.  They were moist and the buttercream was incredible!!! I highly recommend this cupcake shop to anyone in the area and only wish they’d expand and open one up in Tacoma!

Indulge website:  http://www.indulgecupcakes.com/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/indulgesumner

]]> http://javacupcake.com/2010/02/indulge-cupcakes/feed/ 1 http://javacupcake.com/2010/02/claim-jumper-redeemed/ http://javacupcake.com/2010/02/claim-jumper-redeemed/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:36:19 +0000 JavaCupcake http://javacupcake.com/?p=1290 On February 6th, I posted a review of Claim Jumpers cupcakes and how disappointed I was in them.   Now, I don’t do reviews because I expect or want anything for doing them… I review cupcakes because it’s fun for me and I like sharing with others. Never in a million years did I expect that after I posted the Claim Jumper review that someone from their corporate office would contact me.  Well, it happened.

Yesterday morning, I got a comment (read that comment here)on the original review post from Jamea from the Corporate Guest Services department at Claim Jumper.   She apologized for my poor experience and asked if we could speak about the situation.

Here was our email exchange:

Jamesa,
I received your comment on my blog post about the cupcakes at Claim Jumper restaurant and wanted to thank you for taking the time to write me.

Please know, that my experience with the cupcakes does not affect my impression of Claim Jumper as a whole, I still quite enjoy the restaurant.  This post was only a review of the cupcakes and my reaction to them.

I am wondering, how did you come across my review and blog?

Betsy

–

Hi Betsy,

Thank you so much for getting back to so quickly.  I came across you blog through a Google Alert for Claim Jumper, anytime anything is posted about Claim Jumper on the internet I am alerted.  I was reading your blog and was horrified at the quality of Cupcakes we served you.  Although I was embarrassed by the cupcakes I am happy you included the pictures so we could actually see the poor quality. I am hoping you will share with me the Claim Jumper location the cupcakes were purchased from as we want to make sure our kitchen staff is preparing them properly.  I am also hoping you will share with me your address as I would like to send you a gift card to enjoy the next time you dine with us.

I hope to hear form you soon!

Warm Regards,

Jamesa

PS.  I have to say I was excited to come across your blog, I love baking cupcakes!  I saved you in my favorites.

—–

Jamesa,

I was at the 5901 South 180th Street, Tukwila, WA (Southcenter) Claim Jumper. I’ve been going to this CJ for several years now and it’s always been a treat when we go!

My address is:
XXXXXXXXXXX

Thank you for taking the time to follow up with my blog post. I never dreamed that someone from Claim Jumper would read it and respond. I review cupcakes for fun and because I love eating them! Just to let you know, I’ll be posting a follow up blog and will write about how pleasantly surprised I was that you contacted me and wanted to make sure my experience with Claim Jumper remained a positive one.

And on a personal note, I’m glad you enjoyed my blog. I love cupcakes too!!!

Thanks again,
Betsy

–

Hi Betsy,

I am so happy to hear you have been a loyal guest to CJ for several years, that really means a lot to us.  Our goal is to make sure we never disappoint our guest.  I am so glad you have given us the opportunity to make this right for you.  Please feel free to contact me anytime if I can ever assist you.

Have a wonderful week!

Jamesa

My coworker and I were drooling over your cupcakes!  They look so amazing!!!!  You are very talented.

–

Ok so seriously!!! Did this just happen? WOW. My review got read by someone who matters and by someone who has the influence to make a change. I couldn’t believe it that Claim Jumper reached out to me to ensure that my experience at CJ wasn’t forever ruined. I was… and am, impressed. This is the first time anyone has ever reached out to me after I reviewed their product. Granted, I don’t think I’ll ever really like CJ cupcakes, I won’t stop eating there in general. I always have and will continue to enjoy their food.

So thank you Claim Jumper… thank you for taking responsibility for your cupcake disaster and thank you for reaching out to me to make things right. That was a classy and stand up move on your part and puts Claim Jumper on the top of my list! A+ for customer service!

You can read about my trip to the original Cupcake Royale and West Seattle Cupcake Royale also!

I picked up a 4-pack to include Mint Chocolate, Triple Threat, Lemon, and Salted Caramel.  The mint chocolate I believe has now become my all time favorite Cupcake Royale cupcake.  It’s so perfectly moist and the frosting is minty and fresh.  SOOO GOOD.

They were very decorated for Valentine’s Day too!

Here’s a look at the rest of their cupcakes and their special Deathcake Royale (which I sampled and is so incredibly rich and delicious! a chocolate lovers dream!)

Cupcake Truck

Some people are serious about food, others about wine. My obsession is cupcakes! I love them! They are small pieces of heaven on earth. You have the satisfaction of a cake without the guilt of eating a whole one. There are some key factors in a good cupcake one is the icing it should always be fresh and creamy. It can be sweet but not overpowering. The cake should be moist and have flavor. If you are like me I like to have a little icing with each bite of cake so if both of them are too sweet it becomes too much. There have been several places I have been very loyal to including Magnolia,Cupcake Factory and Crumbs.

Today I was reading the NY Times and came across an article about a mobile cupcake truck! Genius! I love the MUD truck because I love their coffee and the concept of it being mobile adds to the allure. So as I am reading the article I learn the truck will be debuting today in 2 locations. I quickly friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter this is serious business.

The truck is going to be in Chelsea until 10pm so I make sure to get all my errands and motherly duties done so I can reward myself. Its 8pm and I’m done I get on the 5 train head to union square and take a nice walk up to 23rd street. As I approach 7th avenue I see the truck in all its sweet glory with lights around it and adorned in painted cupcakes.. Beautiful! I cross the street and avoid getting ran over by cars whizzing down 7th avenue.. The closer I get my hearts starts beating faster..Cupcakes,Cupcakes,Cupcakes!

I walk up to the truck and order the Oreo. I ask if they did wholesale. The guy working the truck points to the genius who came up with the idea his boss Lev Ekster who I shake hands with and inform him that I have been waiting for this moment all day. I let him know I am serious about my cupcakes. He asks me where I usually go and I tell him Crumbs he tells the guy in the Truck to give me another cupcake and tell him what I think. I let him know I can’t lie about these things. It was a damn good cupcake!

So I got to meet the owner, enjoy 2 complimentary cupcakes and make a business connection. I also suggested a new flavor white chocolate hazelnut.

So make sure to check them out http://cupcakestop.com you won’t regret it. If you are lucky and early enough try the Red Velvet. The prices are great $2.25 for a regular and a buck for a mini!

Sweet Peace,
DivaMomNYC

Delicious looking, right?  WRONG.  By the time I got home, this is what they looked like…

I tried to put the frosting back on but they weren’t quite as pretty as they were in the store.

Not exactly how I expected them to fair on the car ride home.  I’ve NEVER had cupcakes fall apart like this when bringing them home before.  Needless to say, from this point the level of impressiveness was going downhill.

The cupcakes themselves were very large, tall actually and felt very moist to the touch, so I started with that.  Both of the cupcakes bases were very good, flavorful and moist.  And actually…. sooooo yummy.  The frosting however was quite disgusting.  It tasted like sweet lard with a hint of cream cheese.  It was greasy and gooey and completely ruined the cupcake.  After the first taste of the frosting, I scraped it all off so it wouldn’t ruin the cake part.

Final analysis… if you’re in the mood for really good CAKE with no frosting, order the cupcakes at Claim Jumper and scrape the frosting off.  If that’s not what you’re in the mood for… DO NOT order these cupcakes.  Over priced and very disappointing.

But really, cupcakes?  At Cinnabon?  I was certain that these would not taste as good as they looked on the stand behind the counter.

The Vanilla Bliss was my least favorite.  The cake part was slightly dry in comparison to the other three cupcakes which was it’s downfall for me.  The buttercream however was quite good.  My daughter thought they stole my recipe because she liked it so much.

The Cinnacake Classic was a perfect signature cupcake for Cinnabon.  The cake had swirls of their cinnamon goodness in it and was incredibly moist.  The icing was the same icing they top their rolls with and the drizzle… well that was just heavenly.  This tasted so much like a traditional Cinnabon, I almost forgot that this was a cupcake and not a Cinnabon! This was by far my favorite out of all four cupcakes!!!

If you love chocolate then this is the cupcake for you! Chocolate Passion is the perfect name for this decadent cupcake.  It’s rich and creamy frosting was smooth and delicious and oh my goodness… it was like a chocolate orgasm in my mouth.  Yes, I said it…. a chocolate orgasm!! When I need a fix of chocolate… this is my new guilty pleasure!

I’m not a fan of carrot cake to begin with, but the 24-Carrot Cake cupcake won me over with the first bite.  It was the first cupcake I took a bite out of and was definitely the biggest surprise in my mouth.  It was moist and full of flavor and the cream cheese frosting was a perfect pairing with it.  I was so surprised actually at how moist this cupcake was that it single handily changed my skeptical mind about Cinnabon cupcakes.  I was now a believer.

Final analysis, Cinnabon Cupcakes are CINNALICIOUS and I would definitely recommend them and eat them again.  They were moist and full of flavor and their buttercream icing was smooth and delicious.  A pleasant surprise in the world of cupcakes.

Oh…. when I saw you, I knew we’d go together like a “Wink” and a smile!! Oh yes, little Wink cupcakes you were made for me and I was made to smile for you!!

My little angel and I hopped in the Routan and jetted up to the big city of Seattle to the quaint neighborhood known as Queen Anne.  My mother lived in this neighborhood back when she met my father, so I knew this place was magical.  Wink Cupcakes, well you’ve continued on with that magic with your cupcake shop!

My friend Jen met up with us just outside of Wink and we were more than excited to try out their cupcakes! As we entered, we were greeted by several staff all dressed in the cutest little t-shirts!  They read: “Making Seattle Sweeter One Cupcake at a Time”.  How freeking adorable is that??? (PS, if I wouldn’t have spent all my money on cupcakes, I would have walked out the door with one of these shirts too!)

As I walked up to the counter, I drawn immediately to the display case that held the cupcakes.  Three rows of beautifully displayed cupcakes.  10 different flavors.  How was I going to choose? Oh wait… why choose?  Just get one of each!  So excited to taste my favorite little treats, I forgot to see how much they cost.  Now… I planned to spend a few dollars at Wink today, but I guess I wasn’t expecting the $36 a dozen price tag for these little puppies.  EEEEK. At this point, I’m crossing my fingers they are worth it!

So we sit down with our loot, eager to take a bit out of each one.  Here’s the run down of what we got.

Now on to the taste testing! Emily wanted to try the Peanut butter with Peanut butter buttercream first.  The base of this cupcake tasted so much like a peanut butter cookie.  Mmmmm it was good.  The frosting was creamy and smooth and topped perfectly with a kiss!

Jen and I tried the Chocolate with Chocolate buttercream next.  It had a very intense, distinct coffee flavor in both the frosting and the cake.  If you like coffee flavor, you’ll love this cupcake.  It wasn’t your typical chocolate flavor, yet still very tasty!

We also tried the Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting and the Coconut with Coconut buttercream as well as the Hazelnut with Hazelnut icing.  All very different in their flavors! The Red Velvet had the moistest cake of all of the flavors we tired while the Hazelnut had the most distinct true to their name flavor. By the time we got to the Coconut, we were on cupcake overload and could only finish half of it!

And this is what you look like when you’ve eaten too many cupcakes.  Oohhhh my belly!

We spent almost 2 hours in Wink Cupcakes, enjoying the decor, the friendly people, and the tons of customers coming in and out of the shop.  As we were enjoying our cupcakes, one of the Wink staffers brought us a complimentary Buttercream Latte! Such a sweet surprise! Thank you!

Overall, we had a really great experience at Wink.  It was just what a cupcake shop should be… fun, sweet, and yummy! There were a few things that I’d like to see differently at Wink that I think could really make this cupcake shop a HUGE success!

First, their buttercream frosting was almost too sweet and smooth, airy and light.  When I think of a standard buttercream, I like a thicker, more “meaty” buttercream.  Wink’s frosting was a little too smooth and light for my taste.  Now…. if you like this type of buttercream… then Wink is the place for you! It was good, just not my ideal for a cupcake.

Second, the size of their cupcakes were surprisingly small.  For $3 a “wink” sized cupcake and $36 a dozen, I would expect a slightly bigger cupcake.  Some of the cupcakes we sampled didn’t even rise up over the edge of the liners, being only about an inch or so tall.  Having tasted so many cupcakes and been to so many cupcake shops, these by far were the smallest cupcakes for the price.

Lastly, with the exception of the Red Velvet cupcake, every cupcake we tasted was slightly over cooked and dry.  When I pulled away the liners from the cakes, I could see a lighter color on the inside of the cupcake than the browned outer edges.  This was a little disappointing.  With each bite of a new cupcake, I was hoping that I’d find more moistness in them… but, I didn’t.  I’m hoping that they can tweak their cupcake recipes so that these beautiful little gems can be as moist and delicious as they look in the case!

Now… don’t get me wrong, despite these three things… I thought that Wink Cupcakes was a big success!  I had a great time up on Queen Anne hill at Wink and I’d definitely stop back in if I were in the area! And… if they ever start selling their T-Shirts in “big girl” sizes and online… I’ll be buying one!  Oh… and get this, the glass window said, “Please refrain from licking the glass!” hehehehe

Thanks Wink Cupcakes for being such great hosts to our visit! My daughter and my best friend and I had a really great afternoon in your shop!

Here are a few extra fun pictures from our afternoon at Wink!

Just about 20 minutes from The Strip in Vegas, Retro Bakery is located just off the highway in a quaint little shopping center. I was greeted by a super cute, super friendly bundle of joy named Kari. I had tweeted to her (@RetroBakery) earlier that morning that I was going to be stopping by that day, but I wasn’t sure if she had checked her Twitter or not, so I didn’t mention right away who I was. But… eventually it all came out who I was and how I came to land at the Retro Bakery that day!

Ok… now the cupcakes. I should have taken a picture of the display case. There were so many delicious cupcakes to choose from, it was very hard to pick. My husband and I decided we’d each pick two.

I chose the Peanut Butter Cup (Chocolate cake topped with peanut butter buttercream and dark chocolate shavings) and the Cinnamon Toast (vanilla cake topped with cinnamon buttercream dusted with cinnamon and sugar) cupcakes while my husband chose the Cotton Candy (Vanilla cake topped with pink cotton candy buttercream and blue glitter sugar) and the Creamsicle (Vanilla cake topped with a vanilla/orange swirl buttercream).

The tag line on the bakery’s business card is “It’s All About the Buttercream” and they aren’t kidding!! The buttercream on these cupcakes was TO. DIE. FOR. Creamy, flavorful, smooth… it just rolled across my tongue with each bite. Each buttercream flavor was distinctly the flavor it said it was going to be. So when I bit into the peanut butter… it actually tasted like peanut butter. Most suprpisingly, the cotton candy buttercream tasted exactly like cotton candy!!

As I look back, I wish I would have tired one more cupcake with a different base flavor. We had three with vanilla and one chocolate. The chocolate was so delish… most and chocolatey!! Yummm!! I gotta give it to the vanaill though… because it was by far the BEST vanilla cupcake I have EVER tasted! It was dense, but not mushy, springy and moist, full of flavor and baked PERFECTLY. I could have eaten those vanilla cupcakes alone if the buttercream had not been so heavenly!

So thank you to Kari for being so sweet when we came to visit!! And thank you to Retro Bakery for making such delicious cupcakes!! I can’t wait to get back to Las Vegas to try four more flavors!

The Yellow Leaf isn’t hard to find, right off a main street just north of downtown Seattle, the shop has a prime location for business and pedestrians.

As I entered the cupcakery, my first thought was how small the space was. Being a coffee/tea shop also, I was expecting to see more room for people to comfortably sit, eat and drink their yummies. There were 3 or four tables with a few chairs in the front area which was also the lobby/ordering area. Not much room to move around, but it was still cozy. The colors of the shop were warm browns, yellows, tans. It was a cute, quaint cupcake shop.

I was greeted at the counter by a man who I assumed to be the owner. He knew all the details about all the cupcakes and was very excited to share them with me. He had out several selections of cupcakes behind the glass that included Tomato Soup, Orange, Black Forest Cake, and Vanilla.
I was at The Yellow Leaf with my husband and my daughter, so we picked out four cupcakes we wanted to try and share. We chose Tomato Soup, Orange with chocolate ganache and orange frosting, Black Forest Cake with raspberry and frosting, and a basic Vanilla with Vanilla frosting. They were served on a big white leaf shaped plate!

My husbands choice was the Tomato Soup. Although it didn’t exactly taste like tomato soup, it did have a nice spiced flavor to it. The frosting was creamy and full of flavor also. He said he liked it because it was different from your average cupcake.

My daughter had the orange cupcake with the chocolate ganache. She loved this one. The orange flavor wasn’t too overpowering and the chocolate added an extra explosion of flavor.

I had the Black Forest Cake with cherries. This cupcake was the smallest of the bunch, the owner added the disclaimer when we ordered it that even though it was the smallest it was the densest. He was right! It was super dense and had an amazing chocolate flavor. The cherries and frosting were a perfect pairing with the chocolate. This cupcake was my favorite of the four.

Lastly, we shared a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting. This was my husbands favorite. He said the basic flavors were really done well and the cupcake just tasted good.

Over all, the cupcakes were good. But I do have a couple of complaints about the cupcakes. The cupcakes were over cooked and very dry (with the exception of the dense Black Forest) and were brown around the edges and crumbled/fell apart when we ate them. I chatted with a few women who were also trying The Yellow Leaf for the first time and they commented too how dry the cupcakes were.

For being a new cupcake shop, The Yellow Leaf has a lot to offer! Great location, variety and unique cupcake flavors, and a superbly friendly staff. I look forward to seeing how this shop grows and perfects their cupcakes!

A friend of mine heard about this new cupcake company opening in Seattle and pointed me to THIS article about it.

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. is a cupcake and muffin shop scheduled to open TODAY in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, WA. What makes this cupcake shop unique is that it is owned and operated by two men! With the name of their company inspired from the beautiful landscape of the Pacific Northwest and the delicious cupcakes and muffins they serve paired with local coffee & tea… this cupcakery is sure to be a hit!!

I’ll be in Seattle this weekend to see an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum and I am definitely going to stop by and check them out!! (Of course I’ll blog about that too!! hehe)

The Yellow Leaf can be found on Twitter: @TheYellowLeaf. They are SUPER NEW to Twitter, so go follow them and enjoy their cupcake goodness!

From their website:
“In May 2009 The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company opens its doors for the first time in Seattle, Washington. With a passion for baking and a labor of love the Yellow Leaf came to be. The story is short and sweet, do what makes you happy and life will be good!

Owners Tony and Mike traveled America sampling many amazing and delicious cupcakes and baked goods. From Seattle to New York and many stops in between the two decided it was time to turn the dream (and passion) into a reality. And so came the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company.

The pair are hoping to inspire, create, and make every customer happy in what makes them happy… cupcakes! In a world that sometimes seems blue, you must always dream, for that world comes in many delicious and wonderful flavors.”

Check out her creations at Sereh’s: Cupcake Soaps, Handcrafted Soaps, Scented Soaps, Decorative Soaps & Unique Gifts

You must check out Avocado Creations!

Etsy: www.avocadocreations.etsy.com
Blog: www.avocadocreations.blogspot.com
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