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Archive for Cupcakes

Mini Cupcakes by Brown Sugar LA

By Dessert Darling · April 26th, 2013

I found these darling cupcakes by Brown Sugar LA on a Living Social deal and am so happy that I did! The pastry chef, Amy Brown, was top of her class at Le Cordon Bleu and she strives to use the best ingredients in her desserts (a key point for me!). These minis that I brought to Book Club were fresh, bouncy, gently flavored and just overall well rounded. The only thing I noticed was that not many girls got into the them, which highlighted a lack of umph. Perhaps a dash more salt.. or white sugar (?!) would make them a bit more crave-worthy.

For more info on Brown Sugar LA, click here.

Ps: Brown Sugar LA is a virtual bakery, which means they don’t have a store-front right now. Just fyi!

XOXO

Cupcakes at Joan’s on Third

By Dessert Darling · January 18th, 2013

In the window, these well-groomed cupcakes look deliciously inviting. I bought a vanilla/vanilla with white sprinkles and a carrot cake: these different options yielded varying results.

Vanilla/Vanilla: The dense vanilla cupcake let me down. The slightly bland icing needed more vanilla, less sugar. The cake was a bit dry and the topping didn’t really work here. With so many sprinkles piled on, they made for a very crispy experience..like biting into a cookie, rather than a cupcake. The sprinkles also gave off a bit of a waxy, store-bought flavor.

Carrot Cake: Mmmm, Now we’re talking! This little moist cup of cake loaded with flavorful frosting melts in your mouth. If they toned down the salt and amped up the spice a bit, this treat could be a 5-cherry cupcake!

For more info on Joan’s on Third, click here.

Cupcakes at Frosted Cupcakery

By Dessert Darling · January 11th, 2013

Frosted Cupcakery is a darling corner shop off of the heavily trafficked Highland Blvd in Hollywood. The displayed cupcakes look stylish and delicious and they don’t disappoint once they melt in your mouth. Yes, these cupcakes melt in your mouth. Perfect cake, perfect icing.. a first rate cupcake all around! My only hesitation was that the strawberry was slightly zingy for my tastes. That said, it was made with fresh strawberries in both the cake and icing (Love that!) and was the server’s favorite, so to each her own.

For more info on Frosted Cupcakery and their other locations, click here.

Fun and Easy Halloween Cupcakes with Leslie Durso

By Dessert Darling · October 19th, 2012

An oldy but goody! With Halloween parties around the corner (perhaps even this weekend!) it’s time to think of some really fun, festive, and easy treats to bake. Leslie Durso (aka Veggie Dream Girl), teaches us how to make three simple Halloween Cupcake ideas in this video here. Enjoy!

Sweet Arleen’s Cupcakes, Not as Sweet as I’d Like

By Dessert Darling · August 27th, 2012

I told my guy that I needed to try Sweet Arleen’s Cupcakes since they won an episode of Cupcake Wars and her bakery is nearby his work. My sweetheart proceeded to come home with two large boxes with every flavor and more!! Awwwe. How can I not award 5-cherries to that!?

Alas, I must share my honest opinion and frankly, these are not my favorite cupcakes. Firstly, I’m not a fan of silky whipped frosting that has a mild, greasy, butter taste. Secondly, the size is simply not conducive to cupcake eating. These treats are awkwardly large with such a high top of frosting, you can’t eat them without getting a dollop on your nose. Proof that these cupcakes are not visually inviting with their clunky stature? I had a party the following night, prominently displayed the cupcakes, and no one ate them!

That all said, you can tell these treats are made with fine, fresh, and natural ingredients, and the cake part itself is quite delicious. I met a man who doesn’t like sweet frosting and he thought that these were the best cupcakes.. so there you go. Overall, 3 cherries for Sweet Arleen’s cupcakes in Westlake Village, CA!

a tray of cupcakes left over from my party

For more information on Sweet Arleen’s cupcakes, click here.

ps: the cream cheese frosting is much sweeter than the buttercream, but dare I say- too sweet? just fyi

Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery

By Dessert Darling · May 15th, 2012

(Sigh) I’ll be honest, I’ve been avoiding this review for a while. That’s what happens when you meet the owners of an establishment and they’re nice to you! Alas, the truth had to come out eventually…. Magnolia Cupcakes… are not good. There- I said it. The frosting is both extraordinarily sweet and bland while the cake is often times dry.

Furthermore, horror of all horrors, they don’t even use cream cheese frosting on their (hyper) Red Velvet cupcakes! Instead, it’s a marshmallowy whipped vanilla icing. My friend’s birthday had both Hansen’s Cakes Cupcakes (on the left below) and Magnolia Cupcakes (on the right).

Look how artificially red the Magnolia’s cupcake is!

Everyone agreed that Hansen’s made a way better red velvet (I mean, it’s really no competition when you don’t even have cream cheese frosting!)

On a positive note, I love Magnolia’s slightly smaller size and wonderful frosting to cake ratio. They also make a phenomenal Banana Pudding!

For more information on Magnolia Bakery, click here.

Hansen’s Cakes Cupcakes- Best Deal in Town!

By Dessert Darling · May 2nd, 2012

Yum!

My first few bites of a Hansen’s cupcake had me swooning! Truly, these are Fun cupcakes to eat. While they have as much icing as actual cake, they are manageably sized to fit in your mouth for a whole bite. Furthermore, the delightful toppings enhance the cupcakes with playful color and texture.

While delicious, the icing has a taste that’s reminiscent of cakes from a grocery store bakery, which is a bad thing, I know, but I swear, those first few bites were completely divine.

Now. I must say. These cupcakes are to be enjoyed just one at at time.. maybe even half at a time, because if you overindulge, they’ll turn on you. What tasted like heaven one minute ago starts to taste like toxic wax the next, and you’ll buzz with a crazy sugar rush. Over all, I round these cupcakes up to 4.5 cherries, because for the money (only $1 buck each!!) and initial experience, they’re great.

For more info on Hansen’s Cakes, click here.

Kara’s Cupcakes in the SF Bay Area

By Dessert Darling · April 27th, 2012

I light up anytime I see cupcakes at an event.. however, the array of avant-garde cupcakes at an engagement party disappointed me. Why was the frosting so flawlessly smooth? Were they made by human hands or aliens?

I learned these were Kara’s Cupcakes, which excited me again since I hadn’t tried them yet. But as I approached the dessert tray, I grew wary. The tall poof of icing perched on top, exposed the cake’s naked edges. Hmm, I like my cake to be evenly covered in icing. I guess the logic was, the icing was so tall it shouldn’t matter. But then I found the height of the icing distressing. How am I going to get this all in my mouth without getting icing on my nose? Am I supposed to eat this with a fork? Why be a cupcake if I have to eat you with a fork??

This cupcake did not look like fun. I dove in anyway…The icing was so airy-whipped that my teeth sliced right through as it evaporated in my mouth. The texture, or complete lack there of, was slippery smooth.. bleh. I need resistance, texture, a little density..just a little.

That all said, Kara’s were made with quality ingredients and had a fine flavor, and um.. I did eat five cupcakes that night (hey, a girl’s gotta be sure.) I much preferred the ones with sprinkles, which added desperately needed consistency.. and they were particularly yummy sprinkles, not like the waxy kind you buy at the store.

I’ve gotta say though…Kara’s Cupcakes? Not my cup of cake.~

: Image from JonasApproved.com

For more info on Kara’s Cupcakes, click here.

Happy St.Patrick’s Day! Cute Cupcake Idea

By Dessert Darling · March 17th, 2012

Today I’m featuring this charming cupcake by A Little Nosh because she cleverly used spinach to color her cake green instead of artificial coloring. Brilliant! Click here for her full recipe. Always buy organic ingredients when possible to avoid fattening “FrankenWheat” with GMOs (more info here)!
Have a safe and Happy St. Patty’s day!!!

Brentwood Farmer’s Market Diet Devastation

By Dessert Darling · March 12th, 2012

You know the day that you swear you’re not going to eat ANY sugar as you take a hiatus from indulging? ..that day where you wake up early to go to yoga and then the Brentwood Farmer’s Market for some fresh kale and fish? Apparently, that’s also the day where the Farmer’s Market is chock full of delicious desserts and you’re starving from your yoga class! Arg. I’m never going to lose these three post-wedding pounds, am I? Alas.. the culprits to my downfall are as follow.

It first started innocently enough with these Macarons at the Grace and I stand.

These were hearty macarons with a large cookie to filling ratio (thicker cookie than most macs). This larger size made for a chewy experience that gave my mouth a work out. Then I stumbled across these delightful cupcakes by Temptations Cupcakes.

Naturally I had to buy them for the cocktail party that I was attending that night. The cream cheese frosting was pleasantly mild and absolutely wonderful, but we did have a complaint about nuts in the banana cake. I agree- no nuts in cupcakes. If you want to throw nuts in there, call it a muffin.

Then I came across these Gluten Free Russian Tea Cakes by Livia’s Kitchen and I mean, come on, they’re Gluten Free! I had to try those. And yea, for future reference, Gluten free does not mean sugar free, butter free, fat free, or diet friendly. Alas, it’s my sworn duty to find the best desserts out there for all consumers, so I mean, I had to buy these cookies for the party too. Sweet, buttery balls of glory~

Finally, after a wrong turn coming home from the party, I found myself explicably entering the Jack in the Box drive through. At that point, I figured that diets start on Mondays. So I bought two milkshakes to squeeze into the last remaining hours of Sunday night. Thankfully, I only needed a few sips of the Strawberry shake to determine that it tasted too artificial for me. The Oreo shake, however, didn’t have a prayer. I drank the whole thing… and was Reallllly satisfied.

Today though… I’m moping.

And that is the story of my Farmer’s Market Diet Devastation. The End.