Casinos, Cheers, and Cupcakes

Reno, NV

Shop: Batch Cupcakery //www.batchcupcakery.com/#home

Cupcake: Butterscotch

Review:

To Be Continued...

A nice reminder

True That.

Cali Cakes

Long Beach, CA

Shop: Sweet and Saucy http://www.sweetandsaucyshop.com/

Cupcake: Candy Bar, Red Velvet Lollipop

Review:

to be continued...

Under Construction

More posts to come, and possibly some edits.  Thanks for loving cupcakes.

in Gettysburg, PA during Halloween

Southern Sweets Part II: For the Fruits

The line to get cupcakes

Memphis, TN

Shop: Muddy's Bake Shop

Treat: Chocolate Chimp (chocolate cupcake with banana icing) ; 

Tomboy (chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing)

Review: These two cupcakes are some of the more unique flavors I have seen.  Overall, Muddy's has a spectacular variety and something to fix every craving, from fruity to minty.  Also sampled at Muddy's (by our group) was the Pucker Up (sweet and tart lemon layer cake with lemon icing) and Orange Cream.  Talk about a fruity experience!

Daily Selections

Delta Gamma selections for the day

As you can see by the line, Muddy's is quite the popular spot in Memphis.  See review for Muddy's, below, for my cupcake story in Memphis.  

During my visit with the Delta Gamma's they hosted a retreat for the newest members.  Of course, I recommended they have treats...  It was a great success and they not only interacted with upperclassmen in Delta Gamma but they also created a new DG "stroll"!

Cupcakes for new member retreat

Batters 'Up

Memphis, TN

Shop: Gracie Bleu Frozen Yogurt http://graciebleuyogurt.com/

Treat: Cupcake Batter Frozen Yogurt

Review: Better than any cake batter yogurt you've ever had.  It's not quite as creamy, a little more sweet, and it really tastes like a cupcake.  I decided to garnish with oreo bites and strawberries.

If I learned one thing about the American South it's that they don't do anything lightly.  Football, blues music, BBQ, yeah.... they're not kidding around.  When I visited Memphis I took this same approach- I went all out in trying the cupcakes.  I wasn't particularly in the mood for fro-yo, but when we walked in and they had the Cupcake Batter flavor I couldn't believe my eyes!  Memphis gave me surprises at every corner.  Some things in the South may be overdone, but that list does not include soulful music and well made food.

Southern Sweets

Memphis, Tennessee

Shop: Muddy's Bake Shop

Cupcake: "Prozac" and "Capote"  

I came home from dinner one night to find two adorable and fluffy cupcakes waiting for me.  A few Muddy's Bake Shop regulars selected the Prozac and Capote cupcakes for me to try. 

Cake: Capote (Chocolate cake with white buttercream icing and white sprinkles)

Review: amazing.  The Capote was mostly flavored by the frosting, which was a delightfully smooth buttercream.  It was delicious in every way and the frosting made the cupcake go down smoother than the sweet tea I had the day before.  The actual cake was soft and moist. The most difficult thing about this cupcake is, because it's so soft, I had to handle it very delicately.  The cake didn't crumble but was vulnerable to falling apart.  It is the kind of cupcake that you want to take in all one bite, anyways, so I didn't really have any breaking problems.

Cake: Prozac (chocolate cake with smooth chocolate buttercream icing)

Review: same as above but with a lot more flavor in the cake.  It had a hint of coffee that kept sneaking out, and ultimately this is one of the better flavored cakes that I've had.  The combination of flavorful cake and frosting was a little overwhelming, but then again I was on my second cupcake of the night.  This frosting was so creamy and smooth that they should have named it The Fonz.

No stories for now... there are more Muddy's Cupcakes to come...

Capote and Prozac

Care Free Cupcakes

Long Beach, CA

Shop: Starbucks on Rodondo Street

Cupcake: Red Velvet mini

Review: The Red Velvet sandwich cake was really great.  Not rich or filling, but very creamy.  The frosting overpowers the cake in flavor by just the right amount.  

I grabbed a pic and sent it from my phone to my computer, and the image was damaged in the process.  I ate the cupcake too soon for another picture, but I like how the photo turned out anyways

I have realized that I can't move to California for a few reasons: 

1. I am far too relaxed here
2. The food is way too delicious
3. I'm not nearly as stylish as most residents (or tourists for that matter)

I really mean it, it's too relaxing here and I am almost never in a productive mood.  Does that change with time and after becoming jaded to the nice weather and ocean view? Probably, because there are a lot of successful people in LA.  But there are some things I really like about it, too.  Not every neighborhood is safe and clean, which keeps people on their toes.  Everyone is pretty darn friendly, but they're not trying too hard and becoming overly friendly.  People on the east coast are known for for being rude and short, I think because they don't want be friendly just for the sake of being friendly.  People in the south are known for being polite and inviting, probably because they do want to be friendly just for the sake of being friendly.  And people out west don't care about much except looking cool and living the good life, mostly because they just want to live the good life.  They're also conscious of their environment and humanitarian needs and actually work towards solutions.  How many cities in the mid-west have curb-side composting and recycling?  Not nearly as many as there are out west.  The west is home to some of the most world-conscious companies: Starbucks, Nike, American Apparel, and Toms Shoes.  And speaking of Starbucks... here's where cupcakes come in.  After a few morning meetings and a DG lunch date I took a trip down Rodondo Street to Starbucks.  Grabbed a cup of Pike's Place Roast and a table, and to my delight they were giving out (you guessed it) free cupcakes.  In honor of their 40 years as a business they have special days when they give out free "petites" treats, and I just happened to catch this one.  

Moral of the story is that sometimes we (or I) try hard not to like things just because it seems too easy.  Take music for example: people feel cooler when they discover lesser known bands and artists, while the rest of us listen to Top 40.  It's like we take the easy way out by listening to Top 40 radio, but really we just listen because that's the most popularly enjoyed music out there!  Like music and free cupcakes, sometimes California is too good to be true.  I keep trying to find reasons why I shouldn't live here, but my excuses are running out.

You've Got to Fight For Your Right

Appleton, WI

Shop: Harmony Cafe www.harmonycafe.org/

Cupcake: Chocolate With Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Review: More frosting than normal, so be ready for a rich experience.  The cake's consistency was medium, not soft and not firm.  It wasn't overly dense, either, and I think anything denser would have made it too rich of a cupcake overall.  The chocolate Ganache frosting tasted like a hot chocolate and marshmallows in cream form.  

My visit in Appleton fell during the Wisconsin Union rallys and protests.  I actually attended a rally on campus with some collegians and walked around through the rally in Madison during the days before the final House vote.  The state was politically charged, as was the Harmony Cafe that is run by Goodwill of Wisconsin.  Just looking around the shop you were welcomed with open minds but warned against any bigotry or stereotyping.  People come to Harmony Cafe for coffee, to study, to socialize, or for social action group meetings.  I don't really have words to explain Appleton and Lawrence University in general, but overall I felt like this community was fighting for their rights and spreading kindness.  The cupcake really had nothing to do with rights or equality, but I enjoyed it redardless.