The Cupcake Addict's Cupcake Collection

Author Archives: MLea

• Cupcakes Squared, San Diego

  Posted at 8:44 pm by MLea

  May 12th

  So, day three in San Diego took us to Cupcakes Squared.  This shop is located in a strip mall on Voltaire Street.  The shop was pretty small and nothing special.  No cute decor.  There was a cafe table in front of the store for those who wanted to “eat in”.  There was baking equipment visible, so I assume the cupcakes were made on the premises.   While the store itself wasn’t very unique, the cupcakes were, at least in one respect:  They were square!   I’m not sure if they are somehow made in the folded square liners or if they are cut from sheet cakes.

  We chose 3 mini cupcakes for tasting: Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut, Carrot, and Chocolate squared.

  

  Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut from Cupcakes Squared: Click to enlarge

  The Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut cupcake was based on a rich and moist chocolate cake studded with macadamia nuts and coconut.  The crunch of the nuts added nice texture.  The icing was creamy and fluffy and a little salty from the nuts and coconut.  This cake was wonderful, so wonderful that I dug right into the Carrot Cupcake without remembering to take a photo.  Oops!

  I only had a bite of the Carrot cake.  The cake was very moist, but appeared to contain raisins, which I abhor, so I just tasted a little.  The cream cheese icing was creamy and not too sweet.  This cake was garnished with a little grated carrot and crushed walnuts.  Robin from Cupcakes Squared later confirmed that the cake contained currants, not raisins.  I should be more adventurous.

  

  Chocolate Squared from Cupcakes Squared

  The Chocolate Cake on this cupcake was just as moist and flavorful as the chocolate macadamia nut cake.  Chocolate chips added some texture.  The icing was light and creamy but still rich and fudgy.   I was curious about the kind of frosting used since it was lighter than standard butter cream.  Robin confirmed that they use a butter cream made from butter, sugar, cream and flavoring.

  My overall rating for the store:  ♥♥♥♥.   If in San Diego again, I would go out of my way to go back here, especially if it was a day that the Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut as available.

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged Carrot, chocolate, coconut, macadamia nut

• Heavenly Cupcake in San Diego

  Posted at 6:00 am by MLea

  May 11th

  So…our original vacation plan was to go to Portland for a couple of days, then head to the Oregon coast for the rest of the week.  When we saw the weather forecast for the Coast (45 mile an hour winds and rain for 4 days), we started rethinking this plan.  As we checked out of our Portland hotel on Sunday, we made a last minute trip deal with Expedia and ended up in San Diego on Monday.  The weather was beautiful and San Diego is cupcake filled!

  After a lovely dinner at Croce’s, we wandered over to Heavenly Cupcake for a treat.

  I thought the shop was extremely cute with an “urban loft” decor.  There were a few tables and a couch or two.   They are open late (10 pm during the week and 11:30 on the weekend) and bake on site.  Also a plus: if you call in your order, they will bring it out to your car for you.  A definite plus if street parking isn’t plentiful.   They also have a little cupcake mobile which appears to be a fluffy cupcake on top of a Rascal scooter.

  

  Heavenly Cupcake scooter

  Another plus, especially if I had the puppies with me: they have a water bowl out front for the four legged patrons and sell pupcakes!

  

  Heavenly Pupcakes: click to enlarge

  On to the tasting:

  Having just had a full dinner, we planned to only have one cupcake, so choosing the right flavor was important.  Our choices were banana peanut butter, carrot, chocolate/chocolate, vanilla caramel, chocolate/vanilla, vanilla/vanilla, red velvet, lemon raspberry, and orange chip.   All of them were very cute.  The little sugar halo garnish is a nice touch.  Banana peanut butter was the winner!   (I didn’t think to take my Nikon and my other camera doesn’t take good macros, so no big photo.  Lots of photo issues this trip!)

  

  Heavenly Cupcakes on display: click to enlarge

  

  More Heavenly Cupcakes: click to enlarge

  The banana cake was very dense and chewy, more like banana bread than cake.  It was extremely moist and had a lot of banana flavor.  Excellent!  The peanut butter icing was nutty and not overly sweet.  It was garnished with crushed dried bananas which added a little crunch.   Mr Shuck and I both loved this cupcake.  Rating: ♥♥♥♥.  I would go out of my way for one of these.

  After the banana peanut butter, I was still wanting a little something… the only mini cupcakes that were available were the Orange Chip, their signature flavor.   I don’t really like the combination of orange and chocolate, but I thought I’d give it a go anyway.   As I brought it to my lips, I caught a scent of something familiar…Mr Shuck confirmed that it smelled like Froot Loops!  A little taste…the cake tastes like Froot Loops!   The cake was nice and moist, but I couldn’t get past the taste.   The icing was creamy and rich.  Together,  it was like eating Froot Loops mixed with Cocoa Puffs.  I probably wouldn’t try this one again.

  If I lived in San Diego, I’d probably have Heavenly Cupcake programmed in my cell phone.  Granted I only have 2 cupcakes to judge by, but my first impression is “Heavenly”.

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged Banana Peanut Butter, Orange Chip

• Ja Da’s Desserts in Portland, OR

  Posted at 11:10 am by MLea

  May 10th

  Ja Da’s Desserts doesn’t have a shop.  They are available by special order by contacting the owner, Jamie Savage, (at 503-351-9769 or by email at jadasdesserts@hotmail.com) or at the Portland Saturday Market. These cupcakes were the best that I had in the Portland area.

  

  Cupcakes at Ja Das

  

  Chocolate Mint from Ja'Das

  When we first approached the cupcake booth, we were offered samples of the sweet potato cupcake.  The sample was so delicious, I couldn’t resist trying a whole cupcake.  I decided on the Snickers cupcake and we were given 2 spoons so we could eat it out of the cup.  We took our treat over to the fountains…after getting a little distracted by these little guys…

  

  Puppies! Click to enlarge

  

  Snickers Cupcake from Ja Da's: click to enlarge

  The cake was extremely moist and rich.  The icing wasn’t overly sweet despite the caramel swirl.  There were bits of cut up Snickers bars on top and the saltiness and crunch of the peanuts provided nice contrast.  I have no complaints, as this photo will show…

  

  YUM!

  After wandering around the market for awhile, somehow we ended up back at the cupcake booth.  A sweet potato cupcake found its way into my shopping bag.  Mr Shuck and I remembered it the next day during the 3 hour drive back home.  It was still fresh and stick to your fingers moist after a day (probably because of the air tight plastic container).

  My overall rating for both of these cupcakes: ♥♥♥♥.   If I were in Portland, I’d go out of my way to make it to the Saturday Market for another one of these.  My only complaint is an environmental one: these cupcakes have a lot of packaging.  Granted, they do keep the product fresh, but it’s a lot of landfill space.   Maybe one day they will consider compostable plastic.

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged ja das, portland, Snickers, sweet potato

• Amy Winehouse Cupcake @ The Sugar Cube, Portland, OR

  Posted at 8:49 pm by MLea

  May 9th

  First, I have to say that I really like the Portland food cart thing.  I especially love the pod of food carts located at Skidmore and N Mississippi.  It’s a vegetarian’s dream!  We had a delicious tofu curry at the Ruby Dragon.  There was also a falafel cart, vegetarian sushi, pizza, and others that I don’t remember.  We had amazing non-meat choices in that parking lot.

  

  The Sugar Cube Logo

  The first day when we went to The Sugar Cube, they had 2 cupcakes available.  The Amy Winehouse, which I chose, and The Highway to Heaven, a buttermilk chocolate cake filled with salted caramel and dipped in chocolate ganache.  I wish I had chosen the Highway to Heaven since the Amy Winehouse was available the next day as well.  Then I could have tried both cupcakes!

  

  Amy Winehouse cupcake from the Sugar Cube: click to enlarge

  The Amy Winehouse is described on the menu as a “Boozy yellow cake, infused with copious amounts of brandy, a hint of orange zest and then dipped in sexy bittersweet chocolate ganache.”  It’s garnished with a “coke straw” and some powdered “sugar”.  I thought that it was really good.  The cake was moist and and definitely boozy.  There were vanilla bean flecks evident.  The chocolate ganache was nice as well.   It was a regular home baked size cupcake that appeared to have been baked in the cart.  We also had the Fizzy Lifting Drink made from freshly grated ginger, plum vinegar and ginger ale.  It was very refreshing.

  I would definitely go back to the Sugar Cube.  I really want to try the Highway to Heaven cupcake.  I liked the Amy Winehouse, but I probably wouldn’t get it again.  Rating: ♥♥.

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged amy winehouse, chocolate, rum

• Divine Bites in Vancouver, Wa.

  Posted at 9:23 am by MLea

  May 8th

  Divine Bites is a little cupcake stand located within Divine Consign, a furniture consignment store on Main St in Vancouver, Washington.  I have no photos because I deleted them with the photos from Hello, Cupcake.

  We got to the shop right before closing, so only had a couple of choices.  I decided on “Lip Licking Lemon” and “Elegant Marshmallow”.

  

  The lemon cupcake was filled with lemon curd, topped with vanilla butter cream, and topped with a Lemon Head.  The butter cream looked like it had flecks of vanilla bean, but lacked vanilla flavor.  Overall the cupcake was moist and lemony.  (I ate the Lemon Head separately since I knew it would distort any other flavors.)

  The Marshmallow cupcake was chocolate with a marshmallow filling topped with a fudgy icing and garnished with tiny little marshmallows (smaller than the ones in instant cocoa).  The cake was a bit dry by itself, a little crumbly, but the entire bite together was yummy!

  I’d go back for more if I were in the Vancouver, Washington area.  The two cupcakes I had were really good.  I’d just make sure I got there way before closing time so there would be more flavor options.

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged chocolate, Divine Bites, Lemon, marshmallow, Vancouver

• A cupcake from Hello Cupcake in Tacoma, Wa

  Posted at 9:13 am by MLea

  May 7th

  Hello, Cupcake! has a very cute shop tucked in between an arty shop (BKB) and Hot Rod Hot Dogs on Pacific Ave in Tacoma.   They have cute cupcake ornaments, Cakespy artwork, licorice pigs and lots of Hammond’s candies for sale.  They also have cupcakes!

  The flavors available were pretty standard: vanilla/vanilla, chocolate/chocolate with sprinkles, mocha with coffee icing, red velvet, carrot, and vanilla/chocolate (both ways).   I chose the chocolate with vanilla icing which was extremely cute and topped with a little sugar flower.  You’ll have to trust me on this.  I apparently deleted all my photos.  Oops!  (Their website has lots, so check them out.)

  I was worried about the moistness of the cupcake when it started crumbling when I pulled off the liner.  The icing was standard (American, I assume) butter cream: very sweet with not much flavor other than “sugary”.  The cake was dry and not very heavy on chocolate-y-ness.  The combination resulted in a slight bitterness.  I needed a chaser to get the taste out of my mouth.  Darnit!  My soda was dry!

  My rating: ♥.   I might try again if I’m in the area if I were hungry.  I’d probably end up getting a veggie dog next door instead.

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged chocolate, Hello Cupcake, Tacoma, vanilla

• 7th Heaven Cupcake from Jaciva’s Bakery in Portland, OR

  Posted at 8:51 pm by MLea

  May 5th

  This cupcake was on my list but a bit out of the way.  After leaving Saint Cupcake, we went across the street to Zupan’s Market to get a coffee.  Imagine my delight when I saw this cupcake in their bakery case.  They also had a peanut butter cupcake from Jaciva’s as well as some cupcakes from other local bakeries.   I would have liked to have tried them both, but the 7th Heaven Cupcake was WAAAY too big to have anything else with it.  This cupcake was topped with a delightful icing: something between whipped cream and an Italian meringue butter cream.  (I discovered when visiting the bakery months later that it is a vanilla mousse.)  It was very fluffy and not overly sweet.  It tasted like vanilla ice cream and was studded with mini chocolate chips.  This sat atop a chocolate cake and was dipped in a hardened chocolate shell that crunched (and made a mess all over) when you bit into it.  The cake was dry and spongy.  Maybe it had been sitting around in the grocery case for too long before it made its way into my hands.  I’ve emailed the bakery to see if they can give me more information about the icing.

  

  7th Heaven Cupcake and grande latte: click to enlarge

  

  7th Heaven Cupcake Icing: click to enlarge

  

  7th Heaven Chocolate Cake: dry and spongy: click anyway to enlarge

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged 7th Heaven Cupcake

• Saint Cupcake Deluxe in Portland

  Posted at 9:26 pm by MLea

  May 4th

  Saint Cupcake Deluxe was giving away free mini cupcakes so we decided to go there instead of plain old Saint Cupcake.  Also, why go for plain, when you can have deluxe?

  

  St Cupcake Deluxe

  

  Through the window at St Cupcake Deluxe

  The shop was very cute, but tiny.  It is tucked into the alcove of a trendy home decor shop called Noun.  Apparently the cupcakes had just been cleaned out by a frantic mother whose own baking had not turned out as expected.  The “Dots” were larger than my minis, but smaller than a regular size cupcake.   The cupcakes are not made on site, but are brought in from the original Saint Cupcake.  We sampled Coconut, Carrot, and Chocolate with Vanilla icing.

  

  Coconut Dot from St Cupcake Deluxe: click to enlarge

  The coconut was very nice with a cream cheese icing dipped in toasted coconut to balance out the sweetness.

  

  Carrot Dot from St Cupcake Deluxe: click to enlarge

  The carrot cake was moist and delicately spiced, but the icing was a little too sweet (and lacking coconut to help).

  

  Chocolate with Vanilla Icing from St Cupcake Deluxe

  The chocolate cupcake must have been okay as I didn’t make any notes about it.  I do recall the sugar crystals on top being a bit distracting.

  Overall, I think the cupcakes were okay.  If I was in the neighborhood, I’d probably stop by, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick one of these little cakes up.

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries | Tagged Carrot, chocolate, coconut

• Happy Birthday to Me!

  Posted at 12:48 pm by MLea

  May 1st

  Huge cupcake tour this weekend in honor of my birthday.  So far, I’ve sampled at Hello, Cupcake in Tacoma, Divine Bites in Vancouver and Ja’Das at the Portland Saturday Market.  Later today, we’ve got The Sugar Cube, Saint Cupcake, 7th Heaven, and Cupcake Jones.  Reviews to come!  So far, Ja’Da’s is winning by a mile!

  Posted in Miscellaneous Bakeries

• “I” is for Irish Car Bomb

  Posted at 7:27 pm by MLea

  Apr 25th

  So, if I don’t like beer will I like a beer cupcake?  I guess we’ll find out.

  You might ask, “What is an Irish Car Bomb?”  Wikipedia says “the name refers to the drink’s Irish ingredients – typically Guinness stout, Baileys Irish Cream, and Jameson Irish Whiskey – and the car bombings notoriously used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) during the Troubles. The whiskey is floated on top of the Irish Cream in a shot glass, and the shot glass is then dropped into the stout. ”

  My goal is a stout cupcake filled with Baileys white chocolate ganache and topped with a whiskey butter cream.

  I started my cupcake by heating a mini bottle of Baileys (50ml) with 1/2 cup of cream then pouring the boiling mixture over 8 ounces of chopped Dilettante white chocolate.  After this was melted and smooth, I put it in the frig to cool off.

  For the cupcake, I used a recipe I found somewhere and copied and now I can’t find again.  Anyway, thanks to someone!  I didn’t want chocolate cupcakes, so I left out the cocoa and added more flour.

  Guinness Cupcakes
  1 cup Guinness Draught or Guinness Extra Stout
  1 stick, plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  ¾ unsweetened cocoa
  2 cups brown sugar
  ¾ cup sour cream
  2 eggs
  1 tsp vanilla extract
  2 cups flour 2 1/2 cups flour
  2½ tsp baking soda

  Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a muffin tin or line with muffin paper.
  Combine Guinness and butter, chopped into chunks, in a large saucepan.

  

  Melting butter in stout

  Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in brown sugar.
  In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Add this to the beer mixture and mix well.
  In another dry bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Fold the flour mixture into the batter.
  Pour into lined muffin cups and bake 16-20 minutes (until an inserted toothpick comes out clean). Let stand 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from tin and cool on a rack.  This made 48 mini cupcakes and I had some batter left over.  The batter turned out very lumpy and the lumps didn’t go away during cooking.

  

  Pouring in the batter: Click to enlarge

  I took the cupcakes out of the pans and set them on cooling racks, then turned to the frig to get a beverage while they cooled.  I guess I didn’t have the Bailey’s white chocolate mixture very stable on the shelf because it fell in the floor when I opened the door.  Did I mention I didn’t put a lid on the bowl?  Have you ever attempted to clean a huge pile of melted chocolate out of the floor?  The bowl didn’t land head first so I was able to salvage a little that was left in the bowl.  Maybe these cupcakes will be drizzled with white chocolate instead of being filled with it.

  I made a brown sugar Italian meringue butter cream using 1 1/4 cups brown sugar and 2/3 cup water to make the sugar syrup.  I added the 240 degree syrup to 5 egg whites which had been whipped to soft peaks.  To this I added 1 pound of softened butter and 2 tablespoonfuls of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey.

  I ended up having enough of the white chocolate ganache to dip most of the cupcakes.

  

  Dipped cupcakes: Click to enlarge

  I had enough icing to top all but one of the cupcakes.

  

  irish Car Bomb: Click to enlarge

  Posted in Mrs Shuck's Creations | Tagged baileys, Guinness, irish car bomb, stout, whiskey

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