Kara's Cupcakes ― Halloween 2010

I'm in San Franciscoooooooo and dang does everyone celebrate Halloween like it's X-mas over here; it's a weekend-long paRTAY! To celebrate the occasion, I'm getting all festive 'n such. Halloween'd-up, bombass-lookin' Kara's Cupcakes right here. I only tried the Chocolate Coconut one, but holy shmack the Smores one is lookin' kinda nice still. I'm told Kara's Cupcakes are known for being super-duper moist... and I can't even disagree with thaT!






...this mini Chocolate Coconut cupcake was so squishy, it practically disintegrated upon contact.

[Pt. I] Life is Sweet: A Cupcake House

I hate to admit we nom nom nommed 'em all down.

A [really bad] Dark Horse Cappuccino with a wimpy layer of foam. Pshh.

The one thing that struck me about the cupcakes at Life is Sweet is that certain cupcakes aren't easily distinguishable from the next. See the cupcake with purple icing? Yeah, it tasted very similar to the White Chocolate cupcake. What up with dat?! When a cupcake shop offers 11 different cupcake flavours, I'd hope each one of 'em stood out on its own, tasting uniquely different from the next. Of the six cupcakes I taste tested, my first pick would have to be Lemon Drop.



With one bite, I immediately experienced an explosion of tanginess, sweetness and sourness in my mouth. The Lemon Drop's lemon curd filling is what hits the spot. I'd rate the Coconut Cupcake 2nd to Lemon Drop, only because shredded coconut exists in the cake part of the cupcake. I'm a sucker for that. And sorry, Dark Horse Espresso Bar, but I'm baiting out your scene. You guys have never made me a crappy cappuccino before. Maybe the barista who made this one was tired. Shmeh.

[Pt. II] Life is Sweet: A Cupcake House

Let's be real. Hands down, I've had better cupcakes elsewhere. But for the sake of fairness, Cousin Lisa and I decided to give Life is Sweet a second shot by tryin' ALL their cupcake flavours. OD'in on SUGAR. Str8 up, the cupcakes I've exxed aren't worth trying. I already talked 'bout the Lemon Drop Cupcake in [Pt. I]. And so the 2 cupcakes that stood out to me were Mint Chocolate and Carrot. Why? Well, the Mint Chocolate Cupcake was just so different, but in a refreshingly positive way. Minty icing contrasts uber well with dark chocolate-y cake. And the Carrot Cupcake was the most moist of all the cupcakes we tried! Full of shredded carrot-y goodness, believe you me. Cream cheese icing wasn't too shabby.

Lavish Cupcakes ― Best Cupcakes in Woodbridge, ON?

[left] Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Mini Cupcake [right] Chocolate Coconut Mini Cupcake

"Purple sprinkles make me so badass."

Quirky and colourful, it's obvious that Lavish Cupcakes are iced with an eye for design. They definitely stand out as being more visually appealing than any other cupcakes I've seen in Toronto. As well, I like how each individual cupcake flavour is distinguishably different from the next (you'd be surprised at how many cupcake shops struggle with this concept). According to the girl at the counter the day we purchased these cupcakes, Lavish Cupcakes regularly rotates their flavours. In a few weeks, we've been told they'll be offering Halloween-y flavours... black & orange icing'ed up cupcakes, perhaps?

Babycake Cupcakes Toronto

—Babycake does not have a bakery retail location
—Babycake cupcakes can only be purchased from Lil' Baci restaurant
—Lil' Baci >> 892 Queen Street East | Mon—Sun | 11:30am—10pm | 416-465-4888
—Lil' Baci receives fresh cupcakes from Babycake on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
—Babycake only carries 3 flavours: Coconut, Chocolate & Red Velvet





I am thoroughly inspired by this concept. Lil' Baci, an Italian restaurant in Leslieville, randomly sells Babycake cupcakes so that Babycake doesn't really need a bakery retail location. Any restaurant owners interested in selling my healthy baked goods? Better yet, any independant coffee shops interested in selling my healthy baked goods? Just puttin' it out there. But back to these cupcakes, the foodisode above says it all. The secret's out! Much love to Cuzzo Lisa for recommending Babycakes and for foodiographing &&& much love to Mercury Espresso Bar for a damn good cappuccino!

TIP: When we purchased these cupcakes, they were given to us fresh out of the fridge. I would recommend letting them come to room temp before eating 'em. A cupcake is meant to be eaten at room temp (this is when the icing's at its ideal texture, no?) ... but hey, whatever floats your boat.

BEST CUPCAKES IN TORONTO? — For the Love of Cake

Thank you, Groupon! Six cupcakes from For the Love of Cake cost me $7, where it would have otherwise cost a whopping $15.90! To celebrate, the cousins and I made it a cupcake date. I didn't dig For the Love of Cake's Maple Bacon Mancake a couple months back, but I luuuuurved their (Ferrero Rocher-y) Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake this time around! In order of taste-testing...

Mochaccino >> huh? where's the coffee flavour at?
Black & White >> icing = floptacular
Strawberry Banana Split >> a floofy disaster of sorts
Chocolate Guinness >> moist, yes
Red Velvet >> not really red but dannng! feelin' it
Chocolate Hazelnut >> rich, decadent, sinful

As per always, I'm on a mission to consume the so-called "BEST" cupcake in Toronto. Suggestions for must-try cupcakeries would be much appreciated. Stanks in advance!

FOOD SELLS

Just in time for Mother's Day, Roots comes out with The Cupcake Collection, a cheery line of pastel-coloured leather purses and handbags to purchase for yo' mama. Aww, how sweet. I'm an avid supporter of Roots and all, but the cupcakes serve no purpose in this ad whatsoever. And naming this collection The Cupcake Collection just 'cuz the line's bags are all pastel??! Lame. Whatever happened to creative, meaningful advertising? I guess SEX FOOD SELLS. Please, multi-million dollar companies, refrain from using images of food in fashion advertising if you can't do it well. Sheesh, marketing techniques.

my 1st cupcake party!

I recently hosted my very 1st cupcake party! This is the e-vite I designed for the event [see above]. The image of 3 cupcakes [above left] is one of the first screenprints I ever created.



I baked Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing, Anh made Vegan Coconut Lime Cupcakes, and Sabrina made Chocolate Cappucino Ice Cream Cupcakes [see above].

CRAZY for COFFEE CUPCAKES!

Iron Cupcake Toronto: April 11, 2010



At the Iron Cupcake in March, the secret ingredient was beer. This month, it was coffee! The collage of photos above showcases the coffee cupcakes submitted by 19 participants in total. And the drumroll please.............................................................................

Judges' Winner: #19 "Don’t Forget the Bailey’s"
Baker: Linda Jolicoeur | Coffee: Rich Dark Roast

People's Choice Winner: #14 "Coffee Date"
Baker: Toni Akam | Coffee: Instant Espresso

Fortunate enough to sample both winning cupcakes, I actually voted for #14 in terms of coffee flavour. #14 had that moist texture one simply expects of a cupcake, and the taste of mocha was clearly evident. The coffee flavour in #19 on the other hand, was overwhelmingly evident. Even I, one who drinks her coffee black, found the judges' winning cupcake to be a tad bold. Furthermore, #14's icing was smooth and palatable on the tongue, while #19's icing was not smooth and somewhat grainy. What can I say, icing's kinda a big deal.

For the Love of Cake, the bakery that hosts Iron Cupcake Toronto, held a wicked fun activity at the event! 4 audience members were challenged to decorate 4 cupcakes each in 5 minutes flat. This guy Tom went crazy with the icing on his cupcakes, but of course he won the challenge. Colourful and oozing with sprinkles, Tom's best cupcake is shown in the photo collage above, inserted where #15 would have been (#15 unfortunately dropped out of the competition). The next Iron Cupcake is on May 16, and the secret ingredient is ———>

chocolate cream cheese muffcakes

Ingredients: whole wheat cake & pastry flour, cream cheese, brown sugar, butter, eggs, buttermilk, bittersweet chocolate, chocolate chips, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt.

Adapted from an original recipe for cupcakes, I call these babies muffcakes: 1/2 cupcake, 1/2 muffin. I gave two muffcakes to a nutritionist friend of mine, and she deemed them "so moist and just the right amount of sugar! Any sweeter and I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much..." Wa-hoooo! TIP: Nuke 'em in the microwave for 30 seconds, they'll ooze chocolate-y goodness as if straight outta the oven! E-mail me if you'd like the recipe.

For the Love of Cake Toronto — Maple Bacon Mancake

With all the hype over MANCAKES, it was necessary for me to try one of these bad boys. Split open before you is the Maple Bacon Mancake from For the Love of Cake. Classified as "4D," the (1) cake is maple & bacon flavoured, (2) topped with maple frosting, (3) sprinkled with bacon bits, and (4) injected with an ooey, gooey, blueberry filling. In all honesty, I found the cake and the icing to lack a satisfying amount of maple flavour... and the bits of bacon not as fresh-tasting as they could have been. The food writer at Eye Weekly begs to differ.

BONKERS FOR BEER CUPCAKES!

Iron Cupcake Toronto: March 14, 2010



Toronto's very 1st Iron Cupcake Competition was a smash hit last Sunday! Similar in concept to FoodTV's Iron Chef, in celebration of St. Patty's Day, the secret ingredient was indeed beer! Hosted by For the Love of Cake (the cake/cupcake shop known for introducing Mancakes to Toronto), the event ran oh so smoothly.



Bakers from all walks of life showcased their cupcakes to be judged on taste, presentation, creativity and use of the colour green. Meanwhile, us cupcake aficionados merely grazed the room gawkin' at cupcake after cupcake, snappin' pics, minglin' with one another and lickin' cupcake crumbs from our mouths. Can't forget to mention, Raaw provided cups of hot green tea that supplemented our sweet samples exquisitely. Lovely way to enjoy a lazy Sunday, wouldn't you agree?

THE WINNERS



People's Choice Winner: "Morning After St. Patty's Day"
Baker: Allison Davey | Beer: Smithwicks & Guinness

Each person that attended the event (unless you were a judge) was given 4 mini cupcakes to sample out of the total 16 in the competition. Unfortunately, as a result, I was unable to sample either of the two winning cupcakes! Boo-urns. But in terms of presentation, the "Morning After" deserved to win, hands-down. Playful. Conceptually strong. And just hilarious! See the green pretzel on the cupcake's head? Yeah, it looked ten times more delectable in person.



Judges' Winner #15: "Erin Go Bragh"
Baker: Brenda Robinson | Beer: Guinness

As previously stated, I was unable to sample this cupcake, but I'll live. In my eyes, this cupcake just ain't as conceptually strong as the "Morning After" cupcake. Visually, it doesn't have as much flair, quirkiness or character as the People's Choice Winner... but I guess taste prevails above all. Why does Bobby Flay suddenly come to mind? In any case, much love to all those who were balls-y enough to bake with beer at Toronto's 1st Iron Cupcake! Who's in for next month's Iron Cupcake? _______ is the secret ingredient for April 2010!

Swirls Cupcakes Toronto — Red Velvet & Raspberry Vanilla

---------------------------------->>>WITH THE ESS ON MY CHEST!!! $8.00 for 12 cupcakes @ Swirls Cupcakes, haha to the unfortunate suckers who missed out on the WagJag deal.

Red Velvet Cupcake (crm chz icing)
       —yup! hint of cocoa
       —rich, dense-ish cake-y texture
       —lite, crm chzzy icing; simply luscious!

Raspburry Vanilla Cupcake (raspburry buttercrm icing)
       —kinda-too-sweet-for-me vanilla cake
       —cake could have been lighter & fluffier & airier
       —raspburry icing saves the day