Review: Sprinkles Ice Cream

When my friend Jill said we should take a trip to LA to try out the new Sprinkles Ice Cream shop, she didn't need to mention it again. The trip was planned and we were both ecstatic!

At the beginning of summer, Sprinkles Cupcakes expanded into the ice cream world by opening an ice cream shop next to their cupcake shop and ATM in Beverly Hills. The other day I shared my cupcake ATM experience and now I'm giving you the low-down on the new chilly treats.

I was surprised that the shop was so empty since it's been so hot here lately. I guess everyone wanted a cupcake from next door instead. We were greeted immediately and told that only the flavors with red dots next to their names were available that day. That's the way the cupcake shop works too.

We were offered samples of as many flavors as we wanted. I wanted to make sure I got the best flavor experience so I tried a few of them. Online reviews said the Salty Caramel was too salty, but I had to see for myself. Yes, it was very salty, but still edible and delicious.

Jill chose Cap'n Crunch, which was also a top pick for me. Caramelized pieces of the cereal were present in the Cap'n Crunch flavored ice cream. She got her ice cream in a red velvet cone. Great choice!

What did I get? Well, I couldn't resist a classic. Red Velvet ice cream in a red velvet cone. This wasn't just red velvet flavored ice cream though. It was "sweet cream layered with bites of Sprinkles Cupcake iconic red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting." It was absolutely, positively outstanding! 

Plain old ice cream cones aren't the only things available at Sprinkles Ice Cream shop. You can also get ice cream sundaes, cupcake shakes, ice cream sandwiches (ice cream sandwiched between two cupcake tops), and cookies. I can't pass up a good cookie, so I brought home a Peanut Butter Pretzel Chip cookie for my hubby. Just look at the cookie, there's no doubt it's delicious! Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM!

Let's talk about prices. This shop isn't a regular Baskin Robbins, so of course you're paying more. One scoop of ice cream is about $3.50. Add a red velvet waffle cone for an additional $1 (worth it!). Cookies were $3 each. But I will say that my ice cream scoop size was very generous. I have no problem paying $4.50 for ice cream that big and that delicious.

Sprinkles Ice Cream

9631 South Santa Monica Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Sun-Wed 11-11

Thur-Sat 11-12

Made a Cupcake Withdrawal

Just when you've think you've seen it all in the cupcake world, something new pops up!

A few months ago I shared the news that Sprinkles Cupcakes had installed an ATM machine next to their Beverly Hills store. This wasn't just any ATM machine, this one dispenses cupcakes!

Last week I made the trek up to LA to try it out (along with another dessert that I'll be posting about later this week). The cupcake ATM machine is located directly next door to the iconic Beverly Hills cupcake shop. The shop had a line out the door, but the ATM machine was available, just calling to me to use it.

The touchscreen was very easy to use. I scrolled through the list of available cupcakes, which were the ones that were also available in the shop. How could I not chose Red Velvet?...That is, after all, my favorite from Sprinkles.

Each cupcake costs $4, which is $0.50 more than purchasing one from their shop. But if you need a cupcake when the shop is closed, this is a great deal. I swiped my credit card and before you could blink my cupcake appeared. I was so busy taking pictures that the door almost closed before I had grabbed my cupcake. Now wouldn't that be a tragedy!

I didn't eat my cupcake right away, as I had just eaten another delicious treat (can you guess what it was?). I put my cupcake box on top of the car as I loaded my baby boy into his carseat. We drove for a few minutes before I realized that my cupcake was still on the roof of my car! Oh no! I rolled down the window and reached my hand up on top of the car. YES!!! It was still there. Thank goodness for LA traffic so I couldn't drive fast and it didn't fall off.

I waited until later that day to enjoy my delicious cupcake. I remembered why Red Velvet is my favorite flavor from Sprinkles: I'm in love with their cream cheese frosting!

What do you think about the concept of a cupcake ATM? I love the idea. Most of my cupcake cravings pop up after cupcake shops and bakeries are closed. Have you made a cupcake withdrawal yet?

Eat Your Vegetables as a Cupcake

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As a new mom, I've been following everything exactly by the book. One of the tips I have obeyed was feeding my baby boy vegetables before fruits, so that he wouldn't be prone to sweets first. (I have a huge sweet tooth and I'm trying to curb that a bit with my son.) And to my surprise, he loves his veggies! Carrots, zucchinis, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkins.

So when I stumbled across this recipe for Yellow Squash Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting, I knew I needed to bookmark it. Little Des hasn't started eating chocolate yet, but when he does this recipe will definitely come out. I can pretend that cupcakes are good for him as long as he's eating some veggies, right?

You can find the recipe here.

Cupcake Project Asks, "Which Scoop Should I Use?"

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I learned to use an ice cream scoop to "scoop" cupcakes into cupcake liners after watching it done on Cupcake Wars. Life got so much easier!

Cupcake Project investigates this technique even further and teaches us which size scoop is best for mini, standard, and jumbo cupcakes. She uses three different "dishers" for the various sizes. For mini cupcakes use size 50 which holds 0.65 ounces. For standard, use size 24 which holds 1.33 ounces. For jumbo cupcakes use size 8 which holds 4 ounces. You can read the full post here.

SusieCakes Celebrates Dog Days of Summer with Free Cupcakes

For the month of August, SusieCakes is hosting the Dog Days of Summer promotion to support National Dog Shelter Day. When customers donate a dog accessory (dog toy, bag of dog treats, dog bed, leash, collar, etc.), they will receive 2-for-1 cupcakes. 

This offer is good at all SusieCakes locations for the entire month of August. Also, the offer is limited to two dozen cupcakes. On August 26, SusieCakes will take all donations to local shelters. Yay SusieCakes for supporting dogs!

Don't Be Scared...it's Shark Week!

Seems appropriate that the week AFTER I return from my vacation in Maui is Shark Week. I would have forgotten all about it if my friend hadn't posted this photo (above) on Instagram.

I found a few others shark cupcakes to celebrate this "holiday."

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Melting Cake from Sweetest Kitchen

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I love the look of this cake from Sweetest Kitchen! She got the idea from One Charming Party, but I wonder if the original creator came up with the idea by accident. I could totally see myself messing up the cake I wanted to make and just patching it up like this. It's a cute idea either way. You can see the full from Sweetest Kitchen here.

Special Promotion with Casey's Cupcakes and Build-A-Bear

Casey's Cupcakes, a cupcake shop chain in Southern California, is offering a special deal for customers of Build-A-Bear. If you bring in your Build-A-Bear receipt, you will receive 10% off a "Decorate Your Own Cupcake Party" at Casey's Cupcakes. I didn't even know Casey's Cupcakes had cupcake parties.

Casey's Cupcakes offers three different levels of cupcake parties, ranging from $14/person to $27/person based on the number of decorated cupcakes and other items you receive.

Casey's Cupcakes has locations in Riverside, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Irvine. Decoration parties are available at all of the locations.

Aloha!!!

I'm on vacation!! Yes, I'm enjoying the beautiful island of Maui with my family. Can life get any better?

Of course I'm on the search for cupcakes too! When I was in Maui two years ago, I stumbled across a few cupcakes and some delicious cookies. Will I be that lucky again? I'll let you know when I return next week!

Aloha!!

Ice Cream Cupcake: Yes or No?

Can you believe that I hadn't taste an ice cream cupcake until last week? Crazy, I know! But truthfully, I haven't really seen any for sale, just read about them online.

So of course when my favorite cupcake shop is selling them on their cupcake truck, I knew it was destiny! I had to have one right now!

I rushed home so I could share it with my hubby. We both agreed that this ice cream cupcake was amazing! The cake was the normal chocolate cake that you'd find on a cupcake. The center was a scoop of mint n chip ice cream. The frosting on top was a minty whipped frosting, just like the frosting you'd find on a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. This cupcake was outstanding and perfect for a hot summer day. I can't wait to try the other flavors!

You can taste a delicious ice cream cupcake too by catching the My Delight Truck. You can find their locations by following them on Twitter (@mydelighttruck).

My Delight Truck Comes to Orange County

I recently named My Delight Cupcakery in Ontario, CA as my second favorite cupcakery. So you can imagine my "delight" when I found out their cupcake truck is now serving Orange County!

I was even more excited to check their Twitter account (@mydelighttruck) one day and discovered they were just around the block! Of course I ran over and picked up some of my favorite cupcakes, along with a new treat.

My little guy was fast asleep so I didn't have to feel so bad not sharing with him.

My dinner for the night: Snickerdoodle, Cookies n Cream, Caramel Cheesecake, and a Mint n Chip ICE CREAM cupcake. I don't think it's even necessary to talk about how much I loved every single cupcake. But I will. This ice cream cupcake needs a deeper look. Stay tuned...

Food Indulgence at OC Fair

To say I love the fair is an understatement! I got a teaser a few weeks ago when I got to judge the Culinary Arts competition before the fair opened. I couldn't wait to go back and eat some real food.

Our night at the OC Fair consisted of: cream cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped jalapenos, fried Oreos (my favorite), a fried Klondike bar, BBQ corn on the cob, fried pineapple, sausage with peppers, and a jalapeno & cheese corn dog. I really wanted a honey-dipped corn dog, but I never found one. We also watched bull riding, squealed at Alaskan pig racing, and fell in love with the baby animals. My little guy was tuckered out by the end of the night. I can't wait until next year to do it all again!

Cupcake Wars: Billionaire Boyfriend

Major celebrity on last week's episode of Cupcake Wars. Kate Walsh was the guest judge, promoting her new fragrance: Billionaire Boyfriend. One thing worth noting about this episode was the use of lavender in some of the cupcakes. I have eaten many cupcakes with lavender in them and they always taste like soap. I was surprised when Florian enjoyed that lavender honey cupcake. Maybe some good ones do exist.

Sweet Little Things & Company (Ozark, MO)

Lila & Sage (Murphys, CA)

Darla's Cake Design (Chino Hills, CA)

The Art of Cake (Oradell, NJ)