My first New York City cupcake review

I wish I could say that I personally reviewed a New York City cupcakery, but unfortunately I have never been to New York. I imagine that there are cupcake shops on every corner, with hundreds of different flavors to choose from! I'm sure I would have my pick of cupcakes that cater to my specific cupcake needs. I can dream, can't I?

My family (dad, mom, two brothers, and one of my sisters) recently returned from a trip to Washington, DC and New York City, and visited a few cupcakeries for me. My littlest sister Holly did this whole review herself. She took the pictures with her own camera and gave me a detailed description of her visit. You can thank her for my first New York City cupcake review!

Holly visited Cupcake Cafe on 9th Avenue in New York City. Cupcake Cafe has two locations, one on 9th Avenue and one on 18th Street.


When I asked about the store she said,

"...the store was in a great spot, the store was cool, and the cupcakes looked REALLY cool."

I have to agree with her. I love the color spread of these cupcakes. And check out the detailed flowers that adorn the tops of the cupcakes.

"The store didn't have a great selection of flavors. They had vanilla cake vanilla frosting, chocolate cake chocolate frosting, vanilla cake chocolate frosting, chocolate cake vanilla frosting."

Holly is right. How could a cupcakery have so few flavors. And they only had combinations of chocolate and vanilla? My taste palate is much more diverse than that. Their website states that they actually have six flavors. The other two flavors are chocolate cake mocha frosting and walnut cake maple frosting.


When I asked about the most important part, how they tasted, Holly said,

"They weren't very good at all. They were prettier than they tasted."

The cupcakes that Holly purchased were $2.50 each. The large cupcakes sell for $3.50 each.


So there you have it. My first New York City cupcakery review isn't a good one. Bummer. I checked with Yelp and found that Holly's review is pretty accurate. I assumed that all cupcakes in New York City would have to be good since there is so much competition. I guess everyone has their own likes and dislikes.


Cupcake Cafe
545 9th Avenue
New York City, NY 10018

Stop making time go by faster!

We're getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we Sprinkles?

Gooble gobble! The first 25 people to whisper "turkey time" at each #Sprinkles today receive a free pumpkin #cupcake!

What do I know about Vegan Cupcakes?

I would assume vegan cupcakes don't taste good ONLY because there would be more of them if they did, right? Would you be surprised to learn that these are vegan cupcakes? Well, these cupcakes look delicious, so maybe I'm wrong. These cupcakes were created by vegan cupcake caterer, Janet Hudson.

She "veganizes" her cupcakes by substituting soy and nut milks for whole milk, nut kremes for whipped toppings, and ground flax seed mixed with flour, water, and oil for eggs. Sounds like a lot of work, but she said it's not difficult after you learn what to use. You can view her website to learn more about her vegan foods.

I won't judge vegan cupcakes until I try one. What is everyone else's experiences with vegan desserts and cupcakes?

Pink Cupcake Ring

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Love, love, love this cupcake ring! I met Shari Bonnin at the OC Blog Awards last week. Even though I met many people that night and I'm so forgetful with names, I remember Shari because of the cute yellow flower ring she was wearing. Turns out that she has her own jewelry and accessory line on etsy called Bonnin Designs. And what do you know? She has several of these adorable cupcake rings. I love them!

Back to Crumbs

Last Saturday two of my close friends tied the knot. My husband and I had the privilege of attending their wedding in Los Angeles. I absolutely love weddings! Everything from the bridesmaid dresses to the wedding cake.


Between the wedding and reception, we had a little time to kill. Since we were in the area, we made a quick stop at Crumbs Bake Shop in Beverly Hills.


Oh delicious! I had my choice of any flavor that my heart desired! It's hard to make a decision when there are so many choices. These are the times when I wish they had individual mini cupcakes so I could sample several flavors.


My husband got the Boston Creme: vanilla cake with vanilla custard topped with chocolate fudge frosting. He enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, everyone was happy!

I chose a cupcake that is not featured on Crumb's website and I can't remember the name! So weird! It was a combination of banana and peanut butter and possibly cream cheese frosting. The most important part was how good it was! The cake was moist, the frosting was perfect in taste and proportion, and the flavors blended together just right!


So I've either picked the best cupcakes both times I've been to Crumbs or all of their cupcakes are this good! Thank goodness I don't live closer to a Crumbs location or I would easily gain at least 10 pounds. If you haven't tried Crumbs yet, make an effort to stop by soon. You won't be sorry!

Frostings Gets a Truck...well, a Van

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Looks like the Sprinkles truck idea is catching on (although Frostings owner Janel Mitchell told the Fast Food Maven she had this idea long before the Sprinkles truck started roaming the streets). Frostings, a new cupcakery in Lake Forest that I reviewed about a month ago, has their own version of the Sprinkles truck. But the Frostings van is way cooler-looking, it is actually a restored 1933 Helms Bakery van.

The van can hold up to 800 cupcakes and will sell Simply Vanilla, Simply Chocolate, Red Velvet, Birthday Cake, Bordeaux, and Vanilla Coconut cupcakes. The cupcakes will be sold for $3.25, the same as the store price. The pricing is better than Sprinkles cupcakes, which are sold at a premium from their Sprinkles truck.

You can find Frosting's spiffy cupcake van at the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo this weekend. Once they are ready for full-use of the van business, they will let us know by Facebook and Twitter where they will be. Come to the Orange Circle...that's where I will be waiting!

(P.S. Did I mention that I loved Frostings cupcakes?! Some of the best I've had!)

Source: Fast Food Maven

"You've Been Just Spotted" OC Blog Awards (and a review)

Last night were the "You've Been Just Spotted" OC Blog Awards. As you may recall, I was nominated for an award in the Food or Cooking category. I felt honored just to be nominated in the same group as big blogs like Fast Food Maven, Food Frenzy, Stick a Fork in it, Meringue Bake Shop, and Picky Palate.

Last night's awards party took place at Wowzville in Laguna Hills. I brought my husband along, but he ended up playing in the race car simulation room most of the time.

It was so fun to put faces to all of the blogs that I follow. Probably the most exciting part of the night was when I spotted the cupcakes! The cupcakes were from Baby Cakes Bakery in the Mission Viejo mall. The interesting part was that the Fast Food Maven had just posted about Baby Cakes yesterday.


I didn't go crazy and try all of the flavors. (I don't have enough time in the day to burn that many calories.) I used my friends to test. Thank you to Chelsey, Kim, Julie, Skyler, and Carrie for being my cupcake guinea pigs.


My friend Carson (of James Carson Photography) was also a willing participant. He tried the vanilla cupcake. The consensus of everyone was that the cupcakes were just ok, but not great.


I tried the red velvet and chocolate/vanilla cupcake. Agreeing with everyone, the red velvet was ok, but the chocolate/vanilla was not very good. It was a bummer to see the cupcakes sitting out on the table and have no desire to eat any more of them.


Back to the awards party. The winners were announced via twitter at 8:05pm. One of my favorite blogs won my category: Fast Food Maven. Congrats Nancy! The Editor's Choice (aka Runner-Up) went to Picky Palate.

Even though I didn't win, I went home with a full stomach (thanks to Baby Cakes Bakery and Dippin' Dots), Daddy Cakes pancake batter, and photos from Capital Photo Booth. Thanks for the great night, Just Spotted. Can't wait until next year!

Enjoy Cupcakes

Design*Sponge alerted me to a cupcake store in Los Olivos, CA (in Santa Barbara wine country, near Solvang) called Enjoy Cupcakes. This cupcake store is located in a wine tasting lounge called Saarloos and Sons.


Design*Sponge chose to feature Enjoy Cupcakes because of the design of the store. I'm featuring it because the cupcakes look delicious!



Enjoy Cupcakes also has a vintage 1964 Shasta catering trailer, way cuter than the Sprinkles truck.


This week's unique flavors include: Chocolate Blackberry Syrah, Pineapple Chardonnay, Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake, Honey Mousse, "Ridiculous", Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee.

Worth checking out next time I am in the Santa Barbara area.

Scary!

Here I am enjoying summer and I am rudely interrupted by the opening of Halloween stores. Ahhh!! Is summer really almost over? I wish getting older didn't mean time goes by faster.

So here you go, brain cupcakes to mark the end of summer and the impending Halloween season. Red velvet raspberry cake with French vanilla cream cheese frosting and a chocolate brain (made with miniature brain molds).

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

Photo: Bake or Break

These desserts aren't exactly cupcakes, but the recipe does come from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. Plus, who cares how you categorize these treats....they look amazing! Introducing Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes.

Photo: 52 Cupcakes

My favorite part of these mini cheesecakes are the whole Oreos at the bottom of each one. I love Oreos, but I don't eat them nearly as much as I used to. In the good old days, I could eat 1/3 box, now I feel guilty eating just one. Oh, the joys of getting older and a slower metabolism.

Photo: 52 Cupcakes

You can find the recipe and more pictures on 52 Cupcakes and Bake or Break. Just make sure you have milk nearby for full enjoyment!

Looking for Cupcake Recipes

Last week I promised my co-ed, city league, softball team that I would make cupcakes if we won a game. At the time, our team was the opposite of undefeated. We are a very enthusiastic team, but that hasn't helped us...yet. Well, last week the other team forfeited so we got our first win of the season! So now I need to follow through with my promise and bring cupcakes to our next game on Thursday.

I am in a rut and need some new cupcake recipe ideas. Help me out by emailing your favorite cupcake recipe. I will publish my favorite recipes and will pick one to celebrate the success of our first softball win.

Thanks!

Friday Night Special at TPC Cupcakery

Received the following tweet from The Perfect Circle Cupcakery in Orange:

TGIF...Friday Nights do it Right! Don't be late, buy your date a cupcake and get your FREE! Friday Nights 7-8pm!

NOTE: You can now follow me on twitter! @elisewallace

Magnolia Bakery coming to LA

I don't know much about Magnolia Bakery, except for that they are a famous cupcake bakery in NYC. They are well-known for being featured on Sex & the City. Since I've never been to the cupcake mecca (NYC), I don't know if Magnolia is all hype or what.

I may get a chance to see for myself, without having to fly across the United States. Several websites are reporting that Magnolia Bakery is coming out west and opening a shop in Los Angeles. Well, wouldn't that be nice?

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More Info on CupShakes

Yesterday I posted about a brand new cupcake creation: CupShakes. Today I have pictures to go along with the news.

Step 1:

Put one Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcake and ice cream in glass.

Step 2:

Add silver splash protector.

Step 3:

Mix.

Step 4:

Enjoy!

Becky from Utah Loves Cupcakes got the scoop on the new CupShakes and was lucky enough to try all of the flavors last night. All of the feedback was positive! It looks like these CupShakes are going to be a hit!

If you live in the Provo area, stop by Sammy's Cafe tonight for live music and CupShake samples.

Sammy's Cafe
27 North 100 West
Provo, UT

If you are craving a cupcake with no strings attached, head over to The Sweet Tooth Fairy (and let me know how the cupcakes are).

The Sweet Tooth Fairy
1227 S. University Ave.
Provo, UT 84601

Photos: Utah Loves Cupcakes

Newest Creation: CupShakes

A friend of mine has a restaurant in Provo, Utah called Sammy's Cafe. It is a burger and shake place that is known for their pie shakes. Yes, that's when you mix a whole slice of pie into a shake. Sounds incredible and horrible at the same time (horrible only because of the enormous amount of calories!).

Photo: Your Heart Out

This morning I got word that they are expanding their pie shake line to include CupShakes. It's exactly what you think it is...cupcakes mixed into a shake! And not just any cupcakes, cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy. Since The Sweet Tooth Fairy opened after the last time I visited Utah, I haven't tried their cupcakes yet, but I've heard plenty about how great they are!

I'll let you know when I have more info and/or pictures of this yummy creation!


UPDATE: Thank you, Utah Loves Cupcakes, for the updated info! Sweet Tooth Fairy has posted pictures of the new CupShakes on their blog. They look yummy!

i <3 cuppycakes

REMINDER: today is the last day to vote for your favorite oc blogs. vote here! the cupcake activist is the first one listed under the "food or cooking" category.


i was recently introduced to a new (well, it's new to me) cupcake blog: i heart cuppycakes! i fell in love with the pictures of clara's cupcakes. see if you agree with me!

caramel apple cupcake:
caramel filled apple cupcake with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting

straw-berried treasure cupcake:

chocolate cupcake with fresh strawberry center and marshmallow cream cheese frosting

red velvet cheesecake cupcake:
red velvet cake with cheesecake center and cream cheese frosting
(reminds me of new red velvet cheesecake at cheesecake factory)

cupcakes that look like mini sirloin burgers from jack in the box!
side note: i love the mini sirloin burgers from jack in the box! i have to beg my husband to take me there every once in a while.

"hot" chocolate cupcake:
chocolate-chili cupcake with marshmallow whipped cream frosting, topped with chocolate sprinkles

Cupcakes at the OC Fair

Saying that I love to eat is a HUGE understatement. I live to eat! So it's no surprise that the fair is one of my favorite times of the year. Last year I stumbled upon deep-fried cupcakes at the OC Fair. I can assure you that they taste a lot better than they sound. I was on a mission to find them again this year.


During my search I found a stand called Cup Cakes (original name, but I guess it's good to know exactly what they sell at that stand). Since I hadn't found the fried cupcakes yet, I decided to give them a try.


Cup Cakes is actually a company called CB's Cupcakes. They are a cupcake catering company that sells cupcakes at California fairs, special events, and their three stores (Temecula, San Diego, and Glendale). They are also available for birthday parties and weddings.


Cup Cakes is one of the few places I've seen where you can design your own cupcake. Their cake flavors are: Red Velvet, Chocolate, Vanilla, and Key Lime. The frosting choices are: Chocolate Buttercream, Vanilla Buttercream, and Cream Cheese. Then, you get to pick your topping.


I chose the Key Lime cupcake with Cream Cheese frosting topped with Graham Cracker Crumbles. When I first saw my custom cupcake I thought, a green cupcake? This isn't going to taste good. Good thing I didn't listen to myself. The cupcake was really good! The frosting was a little more whipped than I normally prefer, but the flavor was still very good. And for $2.00 (for the mini, $4.00 for the jumbo size), this was a great deal for the fair! I would definitely recommend!


I finally found the Spud Shack (the stand where I found the deep-fried cupcakes last year). Sadly, they weren't selling the cupcakes this year. That's ok, they probably aren't that good for you anyway. Since the OC Fair ended on Sunday, check out Cup Cake at the LA Fair.

NOTE: Don't forget to vote for my blog at the Just Spotted OC Blog Awards (see left side of website for polls).

Sweet and Saucy Shop Opens!

I've enjoyed reading Melody's blog, My Sweet and Saucy, and drooling over her dessert creations for quite a while now. Last weekend she finally opened her own shop in Long Beach. I wanted to stop by Sweet and Saucy Shop, but I just didn't have the time. I have to find the time soon!

Wednesday Melody posted an update about her new shop, along with pictures of the goodies that she sells. The cupcakes look marvelous! I'm interested to see what the Candy Bar cupcake taste like.


Her website has a gallery that displays many of the desserts she has made in the past. Check out these delicious-looking cupcakes!


Sweet and Saucy is not just a cupcakery, it is a dessert shop too. The other desserts look just as yummy as the cupcakes!

You can also view some of her other tasty treats on her website.

She doesn't just stop at cupcakes and desserts, you can also order wedding or specialty cakes. All of her cakes look absolutely dreamy! If only I could travel back in time to my wedding day with one of her wedding cakes...


I need to find out if her desserts taste as delicious as they look. If this isn't reason enough to stop by, I don't know what is!

Sweet and Saucy Shop
6400 Stearns Street
Long Beach, CA 90815
562-397-9190

P.S. The official grand opening of Sweet and Saucy Shop is August 16th. I bet there will be a few free desserts to sample so I'm going to try to stop by on this day.