Call for Recommendations

As you can tell, I haven't been visiting many cupcake bakeries lately. While my explorations have been vast, I have not found many cupcake bakeries.

I'm calling to you, my readers, to share your favorite local cupcake bakeries. Tell me about them! Share names and locations. Give me a list to work through as I work to revamp this blog.

Thank you!

Haute Cupcakes - Manama, Bahrain

Looks who's back!

Sorry for the second time. Another hiatus, another break from the cupcake life.

Why you ask? Well, it's a long story. Ultimately I was trying to focus on rebuilding my life here in California. Cupcakes took a back seat and inevitably left the car all together. I focused a great deal on my yoga teaching, on my work, and on me. All good things. Now, with many adventures planned for 2018, I'm recommitting myself to the cupcake life.

 

Lucky for me, my sister in law had the same idea. While on holiday in Bahrain, we came across a small cupcake bakery, Haute Cupcakes. According to friends, it was a really good spot. I thought to myself, well isn't this fate?

The entrance to the bakery sets the stage for a very sweet yet classy experience. The bakery is a quant, small looking café from the outside. When you go in, however, it's an onslaught of sugar and festive decoration. There are all kinds of treats available, from cakes, cupcakes, donuts, to macaroons and ice cream.

I immediately found what I was looking for, along with some other treats. The red velvet cupcakes were pretty popular, according to the baker behind the counter. They had a variety of flavors of cupcakes, including some odd ones, like Dorito. I was tempted to get some other flavors, but with time not on my side, I went with my go-to.

The cupcake was dry on the outside, igniting my fear that it wouldn't be great. I was pleasantly surprised at how moist it was in the middle though. There was a nice hint of chocolate flavor. The icing really won me over. It was the perfect cream cheese frosting. There was even a delicious surprise cream filling. The decorations were simple, but lovely. Overall, I was very happy with my re-introduction to the cupcake world.


Price: 1.2 BD/cupcake (~$3.18/cupcake)
Cake: dry outside, moist middle
Icing: perfect cream cheese frosting
Decorations: simple red velvet crumble
Overall Rating: 9/10
Website: Haute Cupcakes

Porto's Bakery - Los Angeles, California

Over the St. Patrick's Day weekend, I decided to take a trip south to Los Angeles, California. I always loved Southern California...the weather, the beaches, the food...literally nothing to complain about! Most of the weekends activities included going to places I had wanted to go to, art museums and the Griffith Observatory. Traffic was definitely a buzzkill and made me realize I did have something to complain about LA! Overall though, everything was great.

On Saturday evening, I was treated to a surprise. I got a chance to go to Porto's, an apparent legend in the LA area. When I got to the bakery/restaurant, the line was out the door...that was just the line to get into the main line I later discovered. Once in the actual line to order, you're greeted with a huge placard listing all the goodies the bakery/restaurant has to offer. They have savory baked goods, sweets, cakes, and meals. To my happiness, they had a section of cupcakes. Of course, they had the famous red velvet cupcake. Clearly I already knew what I was having for dessert.

My excitement was unwarranted however. While the other baked goods I got were delicious (the guava cheese pastry was the best thing I've eaten in a long time), the red velvet cupcake was subpar at best. It was dry, clearly over baked, and there wasn't nearly enough cocoa flavor. I could barely taste any chocolate. The frosting was very good, however it didn't have that delicious cream cheese flavor I was looking for. Overall, I was quite disappointed. I would highly recommend their tres leches cake or the apple strudel over the red velvet cupcake.

Here's hoping my next cupcake adventure proves more rewarding!

Price $1.95
Cake: dry, not enough cocoa flavor
Icing: creamy, not enough cream cheese flavor
Decorations: simple rose petal
Overall Rating: 3/10
Website: Porto's Bakery

Nothing Bundt Cakes - Fremont, California

As the holiday season approaches, so does the dessert season. One of the perks of my new job is that there are many occasions which afford me to try new and delicious local treats.

This week, our office had a holiday party. Not only did we have a lovely array of food and beverages, but the dessert options were pretty stacked. One of the choices was bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes.

What's a bundtini, you ask? I had the same question. Here, my friends, is the answer:

Cute and ideally sized, this is what I like to call the cupcake version of a bundt cake. Of course they had red velvet, so I took this as the universe's way of telling me I need to get back to my adventuring.

The cake itself was delicious. Super moist with chunks of chocolate at the bottom. It wasn't your traditional red velvet, but it was really good. The frosting was creamy, smooth, and had the perfect cream cheese flavor.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the bundtini. Nothing Bundt Cakes is definitely a source of good desserts and I plan to take full advantage of their franchises all around Northern California.

I've also found some local bakeries specializing in cupcakes, so keep coming back for more as I follow the red velvet road.


Price $1.70/bundtini (sold by the dozen for $20.50)
Cake: moist, light chocolate flavor, chocolate chunks in cake
Icing: thick, creamy, good cream cheese flavored frosting
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating: 9/10
Website: Nothing Bundt Cakes

 

fairycakes - San Jose, California

Well, I'm back after another, much shorter, hiatus. Big news everyone, I moved to California!!! Through a series of serendipitous events, I got a job in Northern California. Let the good times roll!

After a few weeks of getting my feet on the ground and re-centering myself, I was able to start exploring the baked goods available here in San Jose. I have to say, Northern California is pretty donut heavy. I think the west coast is pretty much all donut territory. I haven't seen much in the way of cupcake bakeries, at least not as many as I've seen donut shops. I tried not to let this get me down...worse case scenario, I start writing about red velvet donuts, right?

Well, lucky for me I don't have to switch over to the dark side yet. Through another series of serendipitous events, I happened upon a food truck rally in San Jose. One of the trucks just happened to be a cupcake food truck, fairycakes! Oh lucky day!

Also lucky for me, they had red velvet on the menu!

I was pleased with the cupcake overall. I do think it needed a bit more chocolate flavor, but overall the texture and moisture in the cake was great. The frosting flavor was very good, though it was thicker than I usually like.

I tried some other flavors from the fairycakes menu and I have to say, they were delicious. I highly recommend the hazelnut toffee and the salted caramel. The tiramisu is also reportedly delicious!

Overall I was happy with my first San Jose red velvet experience. It definitely left me eager to try out new places!


Price $3/cupcake
Cake: moist, light chocolate flavor
Icing: thick, creamy, good cream cheese flavored frosting
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating:6/10
Website: fairycakes

 

The Hummingbird Cafe - Dubai, United Arab Emirates

On my way back from my yoga teacher training, I had a long layover in Dubai, UAE. I decided to explore the city a little bit, which mostly meant me going to the Dubai Mall for a few hours. I was feeling a little under the weather so I didn't want to eat too much, however when I came across the Hummingbird Bakery I had to indulge in a little red velvet cupcake.

The Hummingbird Bakery had the best red velvet cupcake I'd had in a long time. It was wonderfully moist and the cake had a good amount of chocolate flavor. Also, the frosting had a great amount of cream cheese flavor. It wasn't too sweet but it wasn't too savory. I'm not sure if it's because I was in Africa for so long or if it was because the cupcake was actually good, but I really believe the cupcake was very good. I'm happy to know that in the middle of the desert you can find a wonderful dessert.

Price $3.81/cupcake
Cake: dense, moist, good chocolate flavor
Icing: smooth, creamy, light cream cheese flavored frosting
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating:7/10
Website: The Hummingbird Cafe

Noah de Bari - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

For my 30th birthday I went with a couple friends to DR for a weekend excursion. It was part of my bigger life plan to hit 30 countries by the time I turned 30 years old. Done and done.

During the trip, I didn't plan on actively finding any bakeries, I really just wanted to take in the city and enjoy my time there. The universe, it seemed, had a different plan for me! During our exploration of the colonial zone, we happened upon Noah de Bari, a small, quaint bakery. I was excited initially, because I was looking for tres leches cake and this bakery had it in cupcake form. While I was ordering, I also noticed that they had red velvet cupcakes...how serendipitous!

The cupcake looked pretty good. I ate the tres leches one right away and it was absolutely delicious. I had high hopes for the red velvet cupcake after that.

Sadly, the cupcake did not live up the my expectations. The frosting was very gelatinous, which turned me off. The cake itself was pretty good, it had a nice level of moisture and wasn't too dense. The chocolate flavor level was also pretty good.

Overall, I would definitely chose their tres leches over their red velvet, but if you could get the red velvet without the frosting, I'd take that too.


Price $4.78/cupcake
Cake: moist, good chocolate flavor
Icing: gelatinous, not great
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating:4/10
Website: Noah de Bari

Wright's Deli - Tampa, Florida

Hello dear friends! I had to take a sabbatical from my red velvet cupcake hunt to accomplish some other life goals. I'm happy to report I finally acquired my yoga teacher's certification! Yes, not only am I completely obsessed with cupcakes, but I am also a certified yoga instructor. Big day! The process took a lot of my time and focus and during that time I really had to concentrate on eating and thinking healthy. That left little room for cupcake adventures.

Good news, now that the work is done, I'm back! The next few posts are some back logged adventures I haven't written up yet. Please enjoy while I return to frolicking about looking for the best red velvet cupcake out there!

During a work training, I got to try the red velvet cupcakes from Wright's Deli. I had huge expectations considering all my friends said great things about Wright's Deli. I have to admit though, I was pretty disappointed.

Image from Google Images

The cake was pretty dry, thought there was a decent level of chocolate flavor. The frosting was not a cream cheese base, at least not to my taste buds. It had more of an almond/amaretto flavor to it.

So I reported my disappointments to my friend who highly recommended Wright's cupcakes. He seemed surprised by my disappointments, but said I should try their cake rather than their cupcakes. While I don't really understand why one would be different, I suppose the size of the baked good could lead to differences in heat distributions.

Either way, Wright's definitely isn't at the top of my recommendation list. Their lunch menu, however, is delicious!

Price $3/cupcake
Cake: dry, good chocolate flavor
Icing: smooth, creamy, almond/amaretto frosting
Decorations: simple
Overall Rating:5/10
Website: Wright's Deli

Cupcakes and Cocktails - Epicurean Hotel

Christmas was always another holiday that wasn't consistently celebrated when I lived in Orlando. Of course, when I was younger we celebrated every year, giving gifts and having lots of family over. When I was in high school though it seemed that the level of celebration started dwindling every year. Once my brother and I were in university, it became more of a vacation for our family to get together rather than actually celebrating Christmas. Unlike Thanksgiving, I do love all the wonderful Christmas flavors. Eggnog, hot cocoa, gingerbread, and all the other wonderful Christmas and holiday flavors were always my favorite part (you know, besides the gifts). I couldn't wait to see what Chef Beth had in store for the December Cupcakes and Cocktails class.

Menu
White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Hot Chocolate Cupcakes:
hot chocolate cake, peppermint bark, peppermint buttercream

The most exciting part of the December class had to be the hands on component. We got to make our very own peppermint bark! 

Peppermint Bark station

Melting the semi-sweet chocolate

Melting the white chocolate

The final product!

The making of the peppermint bark was so much easier than I expected. I had tried making my own a few times and it was quite the ordeal. I never perfected the double boiler technique, but with the tips from Chef Beth, I think I can do it at home now! After the hands on portion, we sat back at our seats to watch Chef Beth demonstrate the hot cocoa cupcakes with peppermint frosting.

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting 

 Even though the cupcakes didn't have alcohol in them, they were amazing. Peppermint is by far one of my favorite holiday treats and being able to not only make my own but to make a cupcake version was a delight. The cocktails during the class were a delight too. They had white chocolate martinis and spicy milagro hot chocolate. It was a wonderful night to kick off the holiday season, even if the weather here in Tampa makes it feel like summer!

This was by far one of my favorite classes, with the hands on component and the addition of white chocolate and peppermint bark...there was no way I wouldn't love this class! I look forward to celebrating my birthday month with Chef Beth, I can't wait to see what she has in store for us in the new year!

Cupcakes and Cocktails - Epicurean Hotel

I'm not a huge Thanksgiving person, I never have been...maybe that's why it took me so long to write this post (okay, it's more likely because I got caught up with work and vacation time). Thinking back on when I was growing up, I can't really remember too many traditional Thanksgiving dinners. It wasn't because of the stereotypical "reaping of the earth/killing of the natives" defense that many Americans use, I think it was more so the fact that as Indian Americans, we never really incorporated Thanksgiving as one of our traditions. Of course, we loved having multiple days off for a long weekend and spending time together after my brother and I left for university was always nice, but ultimately the "Thanksgiving dinner" part never was a traditional part of holiday for us.

So when I heard Chef Beth was doing a Thanksgiving themed Cupcakes and Cocktails class, I was a little nervous and a little excited. I was nervous because for me, Thanksgiving seems very meat heavy and some of the flavors aren't necessarily flavors I'd chose as my first pick for cupcakes (i.e. turkey, green beans, stuffing). I was excited though, because I knew Chef Beth would put a wicked twist on any or all of these flavors, making it fun and cupcake friendly...and I wasn't wrong!

When I saw the menu I got even more excited, because not only was there no turkey in the cupcakes, but the flavors Chef Beth used were flavors I generally enjoy! I always forget about the desserts on Thanksgiving, I won't lie.

Menu:
My Little Sweet Potato cupcake
Mom's Pecan Pie cupcake
Chocolate Malt cupcake

During the class, I enjoyed Chef Beth's reminiscing about her family and her dedication of each cupcake to one of her family members. It was really great to get to know a little more about Chef Beth.

Banana Banshee paired with the Chocolate Malt Cupcake

Buffalo Trace toasted pecan whiskey sour paired with Mom's Pecan Pie

The class was one of the best yet. The cupcakes were delicious and inventive and the cocktails were delicious. My favorite cocktail of the night was the Banana Banshee which was paired with the Chocolate Malt cupcake. It tasted like a spiked banana chocolate shake, it was delicious. The chocolate malt cupcake also had to be my favorite cupcake. I had never had a chocolate malt let alone a chocolate malt cake and let me tell you, it's something to try! The cake was moist and delicious and the malt added a delicious chocolate flavor reminiscent of a delicious childhood.

This was probably my favorite class not only because the cupcakes and cocktails were delicious, but I felt like it made me a little more interested in Thanksgiving, it got me thinking of all the things I'm thankful for in my life, my friends, family, and coworkers.

I think this is the start of a new tradition, Thanksgiving cupcakes annually? Sounds good to me!

The best Christmas tree outside Epicurean Hotel

Cupcakes and Cocktails - Epicurean Hotel

October is one of my favorite months out of the year because of Halloween. It has always been my favorite holiday. I don't know if it's the absurd amount of candy I get to eat almost guilt-free or the awesome costumes everyone gets to dress up in, but this day is dear to my heart.

I was very excited to hear about the October edition of Cupcakes and Cocktails, because Halloween cupcakes are especially my favorite. Seeing cupcakes with brains or eyes decorated on them just makes it all the more fun!

Chef Beth came up with an amazing menu for the October class:
Hard Apple Cider Cupcakes with Whiskey Caramel Apple Filling and Whiskey Buttercream
Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes with Pumpkin Buttercream

Cupcakes with paired cocktails

Now I have to admit that at first I was a little disappointed that Chef Beth went with the stereotypical pumpkin flavor for October. With all the hype around pumpkin spiced EVERYTHING, I was hoping to get away with that. Let me tell you though, *SPOILER ALERT* she did this pumpkin flavor right! It was nothing like all those pumpkin spiced lattes and what not...it was a delicious tribute to the pumpkin, almost like a pumpkin pie in a cupcake!

Once I got over the pumpkin judging, I was really looking forward to the cocktails. Fireball Whiskey and apple cider is my favorite combination. The cocktail (and the cupcake) did not disappoint. It was the start to a glorious trio of cocktails. The candied pecan old fashion and the bourbon spiked hot chocolate were wonderful cocktails that I fully intend on having at home when it finally gets "cold" here in Tampa.

My favorite cupcake of the night was obviously the Hard Apple Cider cupcake. It was a deliciously spiked apple pie in my mouth, without the crust. That wasn't a disappointment though. The pumpkin and chocolate cupcakes were following right behind. I decided after the initial tastes that these were cupcakes I wasn't going to share...sorry friends!

I really enjoyed the decorating part of the evening. I finally learned how to do the spider web design everyone does so well, though I apparently still need some practice. Interestingly, when I was decorating my own cupcakes, I forgot to fill the apple cupcakes with the filling (which is also the garnish), so I decided to fill the pumpkin cupcake with the spiked apple filling. It turned out to be a delicious mistake! The two flavors combined was a treat to my tongue! 

Another huge shout out to Chef Beth for a wonderful night of drinking and decorating! I can't wait to see what November and December have in store for us. You always keep me guessing on what you're going to put on the menu and I am always pleasantly surprise!

Dough - Tampa, Florida

I decided it was time for me to do some more exploring around Tampa Bay to see what bakeries I have been missing out on. There are a few around South Tampa that I have seen but have been lazy about visiting. One of them was Dough, the bakery of Datz, a Tampa staple.

The Dough website suggests that daily there are regular cupcake flavors available, including red velvet. I had visited the bakery once before and it was out of red velvet, so this time I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Lucky for me, I was!

Brain decorated red velvet cupcake

The cupcakes were decorated for Halloween, which I loved! The red injector contained sweet red liquid (a sugary syrup) that created the illusion of blood. It was great!

 

The cupcake itself was delicious! I seemed to have found a rival to Georgetown Cupcakes right here in Tampa! The cake was dense and moist and had the absolute perfect amount of chocolate flavor. The cream cheese frosting was also perfectly smooth and delicious without overpowering the cupcake's flavor!

I'm happy to know that I don't have to go far for the perfect red velvet cupcake. Now I wonder how the rest of these bakeries in Tampa will stack up!

Price $4/cupcake
Cake: moist, dense, perfect chocolate flavor
Icing: smooth, creamy, cream cheese frosting
Decorations: brain for Halloween with red sugar/sweetener to add as blood
Overall Rating:10/10
Website: Dough

Cup n Cake Café - San Francisco, California

I recently got to take a trip to California for a couple weeks. Most of the journey was me and my friend driving up the coast from San Diego then driving back down through Yosemite and Sequoia National Park. We had various stops along the way. One of the main stops was in San Francisco. We got to spend two days there, during which we explored the city as well as the surrounding areas. The focus of my vacation was to relax and get away from the stress of every day life. Finding cupcakes wasn't a large focus during the trip. 

While in San Francisco, however, I happened upon a café kiosk that was selling cupcakes. I thought, I might as well stop and see if they have any red velvet cupcakes while I'm here. Lucky for me they did...and lucky for me I chose to stop and get one!

Cup n Cake Café Kiosk

The kiosk was on the pier near one of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge. I got the cupcake and proceeded on my merry way towards the view and the sites.

Mini red velvet cupcake

I'm really glad I chose to get the mini red velvet. The cupcake was very moist, thought the top was a little hard, almost over baked, and it had a hint of chocolate flavoring, but not as much as I would like. The cream cheese frosting was very good. It was smooth and creamy. Overall, the cupcake was very good. I am interested to go back and try the regular sized cupcake to see if there is any difference. Sometimes when bakeries do mini cupcakes, the taste can change as well as the consistency of the cupcake itself. I would be interested to see if the regular sized cupcake is better. 

I'll have to wait until the next time I'm in San Francisco to find out!

Price $3.50/cupcake; $1.95/mini cupcake
Cake: moist, dense, good hint of chocolate flavor
Icing: smooth, creamy, cream cheese frosting
Decorations: simple red flower
Overall Rating:8/10
Website: Cup n Cake Café

Cupcakes and Cocktails - Epicurean Hotel

In September, I was able to attend another Cupcakes and Cocktails class at the Epicurean Theater. I have to say, this one may have been one of my favorites. I'm not hating on the red wine red velvet, that was and always be my favorite class, but this one paired something I don't usually like with something I love, beer and cupcakes! I know what you're thinking, why would that make it one of your favorites? Well, I was a bit reluctant as well. I looked at the menu and thought to myself, well, at the very least I'll know what not to make, right? In fact, this class showed me what I surprisingly LOVED!

Menu:
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Pretzel Crust & Peanut Butter Butter Cream
Blue Moon Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Framboise Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

Cupcakes & Cocktails

At initial glance at the menu, I thought I wouldn't enjoy the cocktails as much. I'm not much of a beer drinker anymore and the fact that there was a stout on the menu concerned me. However, I have to say that the chocolate stout float the bartender, Roger, came up with was absolutely phenomenal! It was my favorite drink of the night and it was definitely my favorite cocktail recipe so far! The other two cocktails were pretty good too, showing that with a little ingenuity, beer isn't that bad!

My decorating skills are improving

The cupcakes also turned out to be much better than I expected. I knew I wouldn't be able to taste the beer too much, so I figured I'd enjoy the cupcakes for the most part. However, I had no idea that I may find a replacement for my love of red velvet. I know, I know, it's pretty much blasphemy, but I have to say that the chocolate stout cupcakes were to die for. I barely tasted the beer, in fact it added an even richer chocolate flavor to the cupcake. That, plus the peanut butter frosting, which is one of my favorite combinations, just won me over.

The other two cupcakes were also very good. I find myself enjoying fruity cupcakes much more with each class. I'm usually a traditional chocolate or vanilla kind of girl, but I've learned to really appreciate the great flavors that fruits can add to a cupcake.

Overall, it was another wonderful night. I really look forward to the Halloween edition of this class in October. With the hint of Fireball whiskey, it promises to be an event to remember!