Cupcake Delights - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I discovered Cupcake Delights Bakery through a BBC News article (BBC Article on Cupcake Delights) describing the distinct differences found in lifestyles of people living in Addis Ababa. After reading the article, I knew it would be my mission to travel to Ethiopia to find this bakery and taste their cupcakes. I guess this finally gave me a reason to visit Ethiopia (I know this sounds horrible, but I never really thought of Ethiopia as a country for tourists…boy was I wrong!). A few months after reading this article and deciding Ethiopia was officially on my travel ‘bucket-list’, I found out a friend from university would be beginning her Peace Corps service in Ethiopia. Lucky me! From there, it was pretty much a go…all I had to do was find the time.

When I finally made it to Ethiopia, the first thing I noticed was the food. I envy the Peace Corps volunteers in Ethiopia, their local food is leaps and bounds better than the local food in Uganda. The various foreign food in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is also impressive compared to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Between the pizza, paninis, Lebanese,  Chinese, Japanese, and other ‘-ese’ foods, I made it my mission to try Cupcake Delights before leaving for my friend’s site. Luckily, before I left I told her this was a must, so she decided dinner would be at Cupcake Delights my first night (who knew they would have real food too?). My anticipation was high, Pavlov would have killed to observe my salivation due to it.

Happily, my anticipation was rewarded by a delicious, moist, sweet, and actually cake-tasting red velvet cupcake. On the not-so-happy note, the red velvet did not have a hint of chocolate in it. It seemed to be merely a vanilla cupcake dyed red. In spite of this, I was happy because the cupcake was otherwise great. Not too moist, not too dry…the cupcake was just right in terms of texture. The cupcake was light and airy, even a little spongy, in a good way. The icing was very smooth, but also very sweet. Almost too sweet. This and the lack of chocolate flavoring are the only things I can say go against the Cupcake Delights Bakery.

Box of Goodies from Cupcake Delights

After months of hoping and wondering if there would be any decent cupcakes in Africa, I was greatly rewarded. Thank you, Addis Ababa, for not only offering me a delicious cupcake, but for giving me hope that there are delicious cupcakes along this red velvet caked road.

Price of Cupcakes: 24 Birr (~$1.33 U.S.)
Cake: Perfect, airy
Icing: Too sweet, smooth
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating: 6/10 Sprinkles

Nicola's Cupcakes - Tampa, Florida

Another month has come and gone since I've returned to the U.S. I'm quite excited to celebrate my first 4th of July in the U.S. in a couple years.

To celebrate our glorious independence, I thought I'd try and find a hidden gem in the world of cupcakes. I knew about some bigger name cupcake bakeries around Tampa, but I was hoping to come across something small, unknown to most people. Lucky for me, there was a hidden cupcake bakery right under my nose (actually, it was across the street from my apartment).

I found Nicola's Cupcakes by chance. I happened to walk into the frozen yogurt establishment, The Yogurt Spot, and what did I find? CUPCAKES! Apparently, Nicola's Cupcakes shares a store front with The Yogurt Spot. On a side note: there was Red Velvet flavored frozen yogurt and it was pretty darn good!

Lucky for me, they still had a few red velvet cupcakes left. I decided to take one home to eat after my frozen yogurt fix. When I got home, I felt a bit full so I saved it in the freezer for later. So that taken into account, I have to say the cupcake was pretty darn good. Even after have kept it in the freezer over night and letting it thaw for a couple hours, the cake was still moist and soft. The frosting, after defrosting, was smooth and creamy. It wasn't too sweet, however it was not the traditional cream cheese frosting used with the red velvet. Maybe it was...but it didn't taste as strongly of cream cheese as I expected or wanted.

The cake was absolutely delicious in flavor and texture. It wasn't dried out and I could actually taste some cocoa! I think this is one of the few cupcakes I've had that actually have the traditional cocoa flavor I've been looking for!

Nicola's Cupcakes - Red Velvet Cupcake

The cocoa in the cupcake is just subtle enough that it doesn't over power the frosting but it's present. It even tastes like real, pure cocoa. When I looked up their ingredients, I understood why the cocoa tasted so good; "We use pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, the finest European chocolates, fresh fruits & freshly squeezed juices."

Price: $3
Cake: moist, airy, light
Icing: sweet, smooth, creamy
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating: 8/10
Website: Nicola's Cupcakes

Cupcake Central (I Heart NY Kitchen) - Kampala, Uganda

Here's a throwback post that I wrote while I was in Peace Corps, exploring the cupcake offerings of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda:

When I signed up for Peace Corps Uganda, I had in mind a life in the village, with no real connections to the first world comforts, like cupcakes. To my pleasant surprise, I was wrong. In a small garage corner of Garden City in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, you can find yourself entering a world full of cupcakes. It is called Cupcake Central by the esteemed patron. Needless to say, I was quite surprised and excited. 

It took me seven months from the time I landed in Uganda to finally get a chance to try the cupcakes. The excitement was built up, I had been missing out on my cupcake fix for so long, and I didn’t care if the taste wasn’t exactly right. What really mattered was I was getting my hands on a cupcake, FINALLY!

Cupcake display at Cupcake Central

Sadly, my excitement was crushed due to the quality of the cupcakes served. Now, I only tried the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting (and they sell many different varieties), but I was met with a very dry cake. It felt like the cake was almost stale. This could be attributed to the time of day, as I went to the café in the afternoon. Friends of mine who visited and tried a cupcake in the morning had the same experience, however. The cupcake was topped with a very hard frosting. I couldn’t eat the frosting with the cupcake properly; I had to take separate bites out of both to get a combined taste, which was disappointing all the more. The cake flavor wasn’t very reminiscent of red velvet cake, more like an unsweetened carrot cake or brown break muffin. The icing was very sweet, almost too sweet. The texture, being so hard, took away from the sweet flavor. After a few years without cupcakes, I was hoping to be welcomed by a moist, sweet treat. Sadly, this was not the case.

Price: 4,500 Ugandan Shillings (~$1.60 U.S.)

Cake: Too dry

Icing: Too sweet,too hard

Decorations: Simple

Overall Rating: 2/10 Sprinkles

Red Velvet Inspirations

Since I've been back I've noticed not only have red velvet cupcakes become more popular, but the red velvet flavor itself has become a kind of phenomenon. Much like the hipster movement, it seems that red velvet has taken over every aspect of life...or at least life in the kitchen. I've seen and tasted red velvet flavors in ice cream, tea, and even wine. I thought I'd give my take on it all.

First, let's talk about the ice cream. That was the first exposure I had to the red velvet flavor takeover. I was excited at first, given the description of the ice cream. My first taste was of Ben & Jerry's version. Let me tell you, out of all the ones I tasted, theirs is probably the most rambunctious with flavor. They describe their version as red velvet ice cream with cream cheese frosting mixed in along with chunks of red velvet and chocolate cake. I would taste every bit of that description. Now, I will add this caveat, it depends on the carton. The second time I got this flavor from Ben & Jerry's, the mixture was different in its proportions. It seemed to me that it all depended on what part of the mix you got. Some cartons seem to have more cake and ice cream and less frosting, while others were bursting with frosting. Either way, I'd say it was a win. My second taste was of Blue Bell's version, which was termed to be red velvet flavored ice cream with cream cheese frosting swirls and chunks of red velvet cake. The ice cream itself tasted more or less like vanilla ice cream. I couldn't taste the cream cheese frosting as much, but in the end the chunks of red velvet cake is what won me over. They add a nice change of texture to the whole mix. The last version I tried was Aldi's Belmont. The description was basically the same as the other two, but I had to say it took the cake. The ice cream was a perfect chocolate flavor that wasn't too chocolatey like I've found traditional chocolate ice cream to be. The cream cheese frosting and the cake bits were just perfect, not too over powering but complimentary to the overall mix.

Next let's talk about the tea. I've only tried the Cuppa Chocolate Tea flavor and I have to say, it's a nice change of pace from your regular tea or hot chocolate drink. It's smooth and light like a tea, but has the robust flavor of a hot chocolate. With the addition of the red velvet smoothness, it feels wonderful on a Sunday afternoon. I have to say, I was very impressed. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting, I almost just expected a hot chocolate dazzled up so they could charge more. Let me tell you, it is worth every cent. When I taste the tea, I can imagine I'm eating a delicious red velvet cupcake. I don't taste any frosting, but that's the way I like my red velvet cupcakes, less dressed up.

Finally, we'll talk about the wine. Now, I have been overwhelmingly disappointed with Cupcake Vineyards, simply because they haven't produced any wine that, to me, screams CUPCAKE! It seems like they used the cupcake term to reel people in. They have a good wine, I'll give them that, but why name the vineyards Cupcake Vineyards? I never understood. I found a bottle of red labeled Red Velvet. I was intrigued. I went into it not expecting much given my previous disappointment. I red the description and it seemed to have more of a black forest cake type taste rather than red velvet (this, according to the description). I wasn't deterred. I decided to go ahead. The wine was smooth and dry, like most reds. I wasn't surprised with that. I was also not surprised to find I tasted no hint of red velvet or black forest. Overall, it didn't live up to the name.

At the end of the day, nothing replaces a good, old fashioned red velvet cupcake.

On with the hunt...

Red Velvet Ice Cream:
-Blue Bunny
-Ben & Jerry's
-Blue Bell
-Dreyer's
-Belmont

Red Velvet Teas:
-Stash
-Cuppa Chocolate Tea

Red Velvet Wine:
-Cupcake Vinyards

For photos, please see my Instagram account: myredvelvet8me

Sweet Tweets Cakery - Tampa, Florida

Sorry for the hiatus in posting, I finally move into my apartment in Tampa. This opened a whole new cupcake avenue for me. So far I've found two cupcake bakeries that have a very good reputation, Sweet Tweets Cakery and Gigi's Cupcakes. I have also heard about a third cupcakery called Frostings Inc., but they are located further away from my apartment. 

One of my friends decided to visit me from Boston for Memorial Day weekend and she is a foodie, kind of like me. While I specialize in cupcakes, she is more open in her foodie ways. She requested that we visit some cupcake establishments during her visit and I was happy to oblige. This gave me a great reason to focus some time on this blog. Since I started working full time, I feel I've been a bit neglecting in my hobbies, but now I'm back in the game!

The atmosphere of Sweet Tweets is fairly laid back. I didn't really feel it was a "stay and enjoy your cupcake" kind of place, it seemed more of a to go establishment. In the display case there was a section for their awards, which was impressive to see. They had won multiple awards for best chocolate cake and best chocolate cupcake. I didn't see any ribbons for best red velvet cupcake, but this didn't deter me. 

From left top clockwise: Red Velvet, Dulche de Leche, PBJ, and Praline

We decided to go with some other fun flavors, like the Dulche de Leche and Praline. There were other fun flavors like Gummi Tweets. 

Red Velvet Cupcake

I have to admit I was pretty intimidated by the size of the cupcake. I know cupcakes are usually big and I try to get mini cupcakes when I can, but this cupcake just seemed bigger than usual. When I took my first bite, I happily noticed the light, airy quality of the cake, making it easy to cut into with a fork. The cake was nice and fluffy and tasted great! The icing was a sweet creamy icing, but it didn't have the anticipated cream cheese flavoring. In the middle there was a little dollop of cream cheese flavoring, but I was disappointed there wasn't more...or so I thought. I kept eating the cake, searching for more chocolate flavor. There was a slight hint, but I felt something was missing. When I got to the middle I was surprised to find a cream cheese infusion! It was a most welcomed surprise! I was slightly disappointed there was not much cocoa in the flavoring of the cake, but overall I have to say this is one of the best red velvet cupcakes I've found since coming back from Uganda.

Price: $3.00/cupcake

Cake: very soft, airy, light, fluffy

Icing: Creamy, smooth, too sweet, no cream cheese flavor on top icing but had cream cheese filling

Decorations: Simple

Overall: 8/10 sprinkles

Website: http://sweettweetscakery-public.sharepoint.com/

Yum Yum Cupcake Truck - Orlando, Florida

One of my favorite things to do is go to food truck rallies. Food trucks are probably the smartest idea since sliced cheese!

The first time I went to one was in 2011, just before I was leaving for my Peace Corps service. The even had some great food trucks, including trucks serving crepes, Korean BBQ, and burgers. There was also one for CUPCAKES!

I promised myself when I started this blog I would track them down and try their red velvet. They are a fun spin on the traditional cupcake bakery.

According to their Facebook page: "In 2010, the pair quit their 9-to-5’s and pursued their passion. With only memories of baking with parents and grandparents, Alex and Joey started baking for private parties and farmers markets.

As Orlando fell in love with their cupcakes, they needed to get their made-from-scratch cupcakes from the kitchen to the customer. The only logical way? A food truck!

The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck made its debut at the first Food Truck Bazaar in March 2011 and has since been embraced by the local community. It can be found each week at various Food Truck Bazaars, the University of Central Florida and even Walt Disney World!"

After doing more research over the two years I was in Africa (yes I was obsessed, and I did research on other cupcake bakeries too) I wanted to go back and taste their decadent cupcakes more and more.

Luckily, the opportunity came when I found the truck's schedule for events throughout the week. I went with a couple friends on a Thursday and was happy to taste their red velvet cupcake.

The red velvet is very classic in color and look. The cream cheese frosting was near perfection. It was a mix of creamy and sweet with a little bit of the savory flavor cream cheese tends to have. The cake was moist, fluffy, and airy. The texture and consistency was perfect. Alas, I did not taste any chocolate. I took a few bites of the cake alone to no avail. The cake had a hint of cinnamon to it, which was unique to any other red velvet I had tasted before.

I guess I ought to give the truck props for giving its own spin on the classic red velvet.

Red Velvet Cupcake (photo by Yum Yum Cupcake Truck)

While I was let down by the red velvet, I was very much intrigued and impressed by the "Smut" cupcake. It is basically a conglomoration of everything you'd find in the junk food or cookie aisle at a grocery store. Topped with marshmallow, sprinkles, oreo crumbs, and a fluffy marshmallowy frosting, the cake is chocolate with a fudge center with an Oreo cookie and chocolate chip cookie base. It looked hard and burnt but it was absolutely delicious.

Smut Cupcake (photo by Yum Yum Cupcake Truck)

The layers came together to make the perfect indulgent cupcake for those cheat days.

Inside of Smut Cupcake (photo by Yum Yum Cupcake Truck)

So, my search continues. I'd have to say though, if I weren't in search for the chocolate, this cupcake make have taken it all!

Price: $2.75/cupcake
Cake: very soft, airy, light, fluffy
Icing: Creamy, smooth, not too sweet, not overpowering in cream cheese taste
Decorations: Simple
Overall: 7/10 sprinkles
Website: http://theyumyumcupcaketruck.com/

Sprinkles March Madness Cupcake Bracket

March Madness is probably one of my favorite times of year. Now I'm not very much into sports. I'm more of a sports fan in waves. In fact, it usually isn't until the playoffs or during some kind of tournament that I actually pay attention. It's not to say that I don't enjoy watching sports, I just don't have time to keep up with my favorite teams. I have favorite teams in almost every sport, basketball, American football, international football (a.k.a. soccer), cricket, etc. These also include college or university teams. So, when March Madness rolls around, I get excited! This year was especially exciting because my alma mater, Mercer University, made the cut! We even beat Duke and made it to the second round. Unfortunately, we didn't beat Tennessee. I'm still proud that Mercer pulled the biggest upset for March Madness 2014.

In honor of March Madness, various organizations and groups have made their own version of brackets. The CDC posted a health related one, which is still going on. Hand-washing is apparently in the running for a two-time win. Sprinkles Cupcakes also decided to make its own bracket to find the ultimate cupcake champion.

Bracket Image from Sprinkles Cupcakes Facebook Page

So fans on Facebook and Twitter could vote in and decide who won the big cupcake bracket! Obviously I voted for the Red Velvet.

Guess who won...

Bracket Image from Sprinkles Cupcakes Facebook Page

Happy March Madness!