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.
