I’m not a big cupcake person. That’s not to say that I haven’t tasted a bunch of cupcakes-that’s just to say that I haven’t yet found a cupcake that I felt was yummy enough to understand what the big deal was all about. This is probably a funny statement coming from a girl who has a 3 inch cupcake tattoo on her arm. I like the idea of cupcakes; your own personal cake just the right size to be nestled in your hands; it could be any flavor you want- individually made with you in mind. Why do they all have these awesome names, but they all taste the same? Just the word ‘cupcake’ is fun to say, so why haven’t I tasted one good enough to get on the bandwagon yet?
And then I tried the “hotcakes and bacon” cupcake from “Cuppies” and in some ways I kind of wish I hadn’t. You’ll notice that there’s no picture of that cupcake here, and that’s because I had no intention of writing about cupcakes when I was handed a box of cupcakes to try. I figured I’d just eat one and then hand the rest over to my 13-year-old. The frosting on this cupcake was light in texture but not in flavor, this cupcake tasted exactly like a stack of pancakes and the frosting tasted exactly like maple syrup. But the cupcake was better than pancakes because it didn’t just sit there like pancakes, it was fluffier, and I love fluffy! And the fun part was that on top of the maple syrup frosting were bits of BACON! So when I say I wish I hadn’t tried CUPPIES cupcakes, what I mean to say is that I took the box back out of my son’s hands and said “hold on, it looks like I’m gonna have to taste each one of these.” You could see his mouth watering while he waited patiently for me to photograph them.
The “Cup of Cocoa” cupcake reminds me of that scene in Willy Wonka when Violet Beauregard snags that piece of gum and starts chewing and she describes her experience to the group. She talks about how the flavor of the gravy actually feels warm down her throat; I felt the same way when I bit into this cupcake. It wasn’t just a chocolate cupcake, it didn’t just taste like cocoa, it tasted like hot cocoa. It was as if my brain and taste buds were confused, somehow my mind was processing a warm liquid as a solid.
The “Berries and Roses” cupcake was so beautiful to look at, like heaven in your hands. I love glitter and all things shiny; to me “Glitter” is right up there with fun words fo say like fluffy or unicorn. But who wants to eat a rose? It smelled like fun, the way a stripper named Bambi smells like fun, but I was afraid it would taste like perfume. I’m not usually fond of berry flavored things, for instance, I love fresh strawberries but hate strawberry ice cream. This cupcake was so surprising, so unexpectedly delicious, and so beautiful. The berry-vanilla cake and cherry chunks were moist and flavorful! This is the stuff you would serve at a Princess party, a baby shower for Victoria Beckham or if you had Kate Middleton over for tea. You could impress a curmudgeonly mother-in-law with this cupcake and she would rewrite her Will and bequeath you all her heirloom jewelry. Here is a shot of the inside of the cupcake, I managed to get ONE shot of ONE cupcake for you before I devoured it:
So, let’s talk about the weird looking cupcake for a minute- the one sitting in the corner with the funny hat. Its name is S’mores and that was my boy’s favorite. It would have been mine too if I wasn’t already bewitched by that Cup O Cocoa sensation… Perhaps there’s a way to dip my S’mores into my Cup O Cocoa? The cake taste like a graham cracker, on top of that is delicious graham frosting and some bittersweet chocolate ganache, and then roasted Mini-mallows! It tasted like camping, but better, because no one has to get their fingers singed with hot wire hangers and your clothes don’t come home smelling like smoke. Perfection! I’ll hoard a 6 pack of these in my tent while everyone else is sitting ‘round the campfire.
So, with so many cupcake options out there, why get cupcakes from cuppies? Well, first because they are superior to any other I have tried. For me I wouldn’t waste my time, money or calories on any other. But also because Cuppies is a business grown from one cute little blonde named Angie who learned how to bake from her Aunt and Grandma. The one thing she had trouble mastering were cakes. Determined, Angie took it as a personal challenge and by the time she had nailed it she fell in love with the ART of cupcakes. Her personal favorite is the Coconut Cream. Her fiancé, Peter, who helps as dishwasher and cupcake sampler says his favorite is Bliss by Chocolate.
So; ART+Determination+Grandma & Auntie+Love= Cuppies.
That’s right up there with rainbows and unicorns!
Most cupcakes are on sale right now for the summer and are $19.99 a dozen.
Currently there is FREE delivery in some (South Bay) areas.
The Vegan (YES! They have vegan cupcakes!) cost a bit more but are worth it.
