Valhalla Bakery - Orlando, Florida

I finally got a chance to try the red velvet goodies from Valhalla Bakery in Orlando, Florida. I found out about the bakery through a friend who had Valhalla Bakery do her wedding cake. Valhalla Bakery just recently purchased a storefront which should open soon. Valhalla is otherwise found at local markets in Orlando as well as foodie events.

I had to have Valhalla send me their goodies because we could never seem to link up in Orlando. I always ended up missing them for one reason or another. However, I will say this, the wait was worth it!

Red Velvet Cupcakes & Brownie

I tried the brownie first, it seemed the easiest thing to tackle right away. It tasted amazing! The ingredients include red velvet Oreo cookies and let me tell you, you can taste every bite. That plus the red of the brownie ingredients make this brownie top notch, and that's saying a lot coming from a non-brownie person.

The cupcakes were also delicious. The cake had the perfect amount of chocolate flavoring. The cake was moist, light, but also had the spongey quality you generally want in a cake. The frosting was creamy and sweet, however I didn't taste the cream cheese flavor. I really enjoyed the cupcake in a cup idea, I think all the places that has used this idea has been a win in my book.

Overall I really enjoyed Valhalla's red velvet treats. The only issue I had was the amount of frosting to cake ratio. I would have liked more cake in the cup. I can't wait to see what other red velvet treats Valhalla Bakery has in store for me. They mentioned a red velvet pie and I can not wait to try it! And to think, they're all vegan.

Let the journey continue...

Price: $6 per double down cupcake; $4 per brownie
Cake: light, fluffy, moist, chocolatey
Icing: creamy, cream cheese based
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating: 8/10
Website: Valhalla Bakery

Addendum: So the fine bakers at Valhalla Bakery explained to me that since the cupcakes are vegan, the taste won't be exactly the same. They had to use vegan substitutes or completely remove traditional flavors because they weren't vegan friendly. I think this really explains the setbacks I found in the cupcakes. I imagine if I were used to a vegan diet I may be more satiated by the flavors. Hopefully this helps you all in your Valhalla Bakery indulgence!

Sprinkles Cupcakes pt. 2

I recently visited Las Vegas for a weekend and had the chance to visit the Sprinkles Cupcakes on the strip. I have been to the Sprinkles Cupcakes in La Jolla, California, and have had cupcakes brought to me from the Los Angeles location. I have to admit I wasn't impressed with their red velvet cupcake. Their other varieties were very good, but I felt the red velvet was lacking (see previous post: Sprinkles Cupcakes)

Sprinkles Cupcakes & Ice Cream - Las Vegas, NV

As you can see, the store is a great addition to the strip, full of color and life, it fits it quite well. I decided, in addition to getting my usual red velvet cupcake, I would try the red velvet ice cream with the red velvet waffle cone as well as explore the Cupcake ATM!

The red velvet ice cream was very good, especially compared to the store versions I've tried in the past. I think it helps that its a vanilla based ice cream with red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting mixed into it. That not only blends the flavors really well, but also allows each flavor to be picked out of the mix.

Cupcake ATM at Sprinkles Cupcakes in Las Vegas

I was so excited to be able to check out the Cupcake ATM, FINALLY! I had hopes of trying it out in Atlanta the last time I was there, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Either way, I got to experience it now. I have to say, it's much cooler than I anticipated. It's also really user friendly. From the beginning, the screen uses images as well as labels to identify the cupcakes or cookies you'd like to purchase. Then all you have to do is swipe your credit or debit card and behind the door your treat awaits. The fact that this is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week makes it a cupcake or cookie lover's dream come true!

Honestly, I've had my issues with Sprinkles Cupcakes, as I've had with most other national chains, but I have to say they've been really innovative in the things they've come up with. Not only were they the first bakery exclusively dedicated to cupcakes, but they've been able to expand their market to cookies and ice cream and excel at it! Props to you, Candace Nelson, for coming up with something that'll be with us for many years to come.

Red Velvet's Star on the Strip

Kimberley's Bakeshoppe

The other day I was minding my own business at my local grocery store when I noticed in the refrigerated section single, individually packaged cupcakes. I normally don't buy the store pre-made cupcakes because I don't consider them to have specialties in baking or baked goods, but these cupcakes seemed to be delivered to the store from another company.

I did some investigating online and found out the company, Kimberley's Bakeshoppe, was an online bakery which ships to various grocery stores and small markets. I decided to go back and give the red velvet variety a try.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Even though they were refrigerated, the cupcakes tasted very fresh. The frosting was creamy and soft, and wasn't overpowering in cream cheese flavor. The cupcake was soft and moist, though a little dry. I attribute that to the refrigeration.

The only complaint I had was the filling. There seemed to be an icing filling but it was a bit too sweet and took away from the overall taste. If the cupcake hadn't had the filling I think it may have really been comparable to the best cupcakes I've tried.

Well, let the hunt continue...

Price $2.50
Cake: soft, moist, airy, a little dry
Icing: creamy, smooth, not too cream-cheesy
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating: 8/10
Website: Kimberley's Bakeshoppe

Red Velvet Inspirations pt. 2

Lately I've been noticing a great deal more goodies dedicated to the red velvet flavor. I've noticed commercials for milkshakes at Steak n' Shake as well as custard flavors at BurgerFi. The most prominent advertising had to be the announcement of the Red Velvet Oreo. I hadn't seen a commercial for it on television, but I had seen rumblings of it on Facebook and other social media. I was excited when I finally found them at the local grocery. Another finding I just happened upon was a red velvet pancake mix. I think this was an attempt to break into the Valentine's Day market, but I'm okay with that.

So here goes, yet another installment of red velvet inspirations!

Red Velvet Oreo cookies:

I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. I used to love Oreo cookies when I was younger and every once in awhile still partake (especially when I notice flavors like birthday cake). I got supremely excited about the upcoming red velvet flavor and hoped it would live up to my expectations, though I didn't let my hopes get too high. Let me tell you though, they are delicious! The cream cheese flavored creme is on point and the cookies are a red velvet lovers dream come true. If I closed my eyes and ignored the crunch, I'd swear I was eating my dream red velvet cupcake.

Even when you just open the packaging for the first time, you can smell the glorious, decadent cake. It's a trip for your senses! I have to say, I highly recommend this to all red velvet lovers.

Red Velvet Pancake Mix:

I happened upon this at the grocery store. At first I wasn't going to succumb to the Valentine's Day ploy, but then I thought I should try out this mix considering the epic fail of red velvet pancakes I've tried in the past.

The mix was a deep shade of red and smelled delicious. I was really excited to try out the pancakes.

Of course I had to try to make the pancakes in the shape of hearts. The batter was a delicious chocolatey batter. 

My heart shapes may have failed, but the flavor did not. Much like the red velvet Oreo cookies, eat bit was like a red velvet cupcake in my mouth. All I needed was a cream cheese whipped cream to make the dish perfect.

All in all, these various red velvet inspirations were amazing. They had the flavor combinations and really brought forth the red velvet cupcake experience. I highly recommend them.

More to come, until then, enjoy your own red velvet inspirations!

Carasid - Goa, India

Here's one last throwback from my travels after my Peace Corps service:

When I decided to go to Goa, I never thought cupcakes would be part of the vacation...heat that smacks you in the face, yes. Fresh fish, yes! But not cupcakes...unless they were fish cupcakes. Not too appealing in my head.

Well was I sure surprised when I found not one but ten bakeries! Unfortunately one I visits had no cupcakes but another, Carasid did! They had small cupcakes, somewhere between mini and regular sized.

They weren't designed very fancy but they were nice. The red velvet was decorated with a thick swirl of buttercream frosting. The flavor was very sweet and heavy on the cream cheese flavor. The cake itself was a bit dry and lacked the chocolate flavor I so craved. The frosting was a bit overpowering for the cake, even though the cake was more or less a vanilla cake. The overall taste was okay thought it left me wanting something more. Sadly the only thing I had more was heat and humidity.

My search for a true red velvet cupcake continues in Mumbai...

Price 120 rupees

Cake: dry, no chocolate flavor

Icing: heavy on cream cheese frosting

Decorations: none

Overall Rating: 4/10

SmallCakes Cupcakery

I had never heard of SmallCakes Cupcakery until recently. I was driving around my neighborhood when I saw a sign that said "SmallCakes Cupcakery, COMING SOON!". At first I thought it was going to be a small, local shop similar to Sweet Tweets Cakery, but I was wrong. I searched for the bakery online to better prepare myself for my inevitable visit and I was a little disappointed to see that it was a national chain, like Sprinkles Cupcakes and Gigi's Cupcakes. Lucky for me, I had some time to come to terms with my disappointment because there wasn't a tentative date online for the grand opening. I put the cupcakery in the back of my mind and continued along with my other cupcake ventures, among other things going on in life.

A few days ago, while driving by the upcoming location, I noticed that the "COMING SOON" sign was taken down. I wondered to myself, has it open already? I decided to take a closer look so I looked in and noticed there was still some ladders and other construction type things happening. When I got home I looked up the location online and found that the opening was only a few days away. My disappointment was completely gone as excitement replaced it.

A few days after their opening, I finally got a chance to visit the new cupcake bakery. They have various daily regular flavors along with three to four specials that rotate each date. They have about ten specials that rotate out each month.

Red Velvet Cupcakes display at SmallCakes

Happily I found that red velvet was one of their regular flavors. I decided to also get the peanut butter cup cupcake as well as the tuxedo cupcake, which was a chocolate almond cake with almond buttercream frosting.

Red Velvet, Peanut Butter Cup, and Tuxedo Cupcakes

The red velvet cupcake was not disappointing. I was happy about this because I have been tremendously disappointed with other national cupcake chains. The cake was moist and chocolatey. Ironically, it was almost too chocolatey. The cupcake had a slight bitter taste, as if they used dark chocolate cocoa. The frosting was creamy and had the cream cheese base traditionally paired with red velvet cake. The frosting was a bit too sweet for my taste though. The decorations were simple. I chose the variety adorned with nuts, however there was a nut-free version. That was simply decorated with the frosting, no other decorations.

Red Velvet Cupcake

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. The other cupcake varieties were delicious and I will happily return to try their rotating flavors. Sadly, I did not find the red velvet to rule them all, but I will not let this bring me down!

Onwards and upwards to find the true red velvet!

Price: $3.75/cupcake
Cake: light, fluffy, moist, dark chocolate, too chocolatey
Icing: too sweet, creamy, cream cheese based
Decorations: simple, allergen friendly
Overall Rating: 8/10
Website: SmallCakes Cupcakery

Bisou Bake Shop - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Here's another throwback to my travels throughout Southeast Asia:

When I hit the town of Kuala Lumpur, I was surprised by the stark difference compared to Thailand. After traveling for months it was nice to end the vacation in a city that was put together and organized. I hoped the upgrade would also apply to the baked goods.

I met up with a good friend who took me to Bisou bake shop at the mall below the Petronas towers.The mall itself was glamorous making me hope for a really good treat. The bake shop was a small kiosk but was shined with elegance. There were traditional cupcakes like red velvet and chocolate as well as fancy, different flavors like pink lemonade and cotton candy. I was a little overwhelmed with the elegance if the decorations.

Red Velvet Cupcake from Bisou Bake Shop

I got the traditional red velvet and was welcomed by a small cupcake with smooth, creamy frosting. The frosting was a cream cheese tasting frosting but without a very strong cream cheese flavor. It was nice and did not overpower the cupcake itself. The cake was light and fluffy, not too dense and very moist. I was happily surprised to find a stronger chocolate taste! Finally an almost true red velvet cupcake.

Red Velvet Glory!

Price: 5 RMH ($1.50)
Cake: light, fluffy, moist, chocolatey
Icing: smooth, sweet, cream cheese
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating: 8/10
Website: Bisou Bake Shop