Cupcakes Galore

Being deprived of sweets is probably the worst thing that could happen to me. I know, I am well aware there are much worse situations out there, but in a simple sense, if I don't have sweets, then I won't be sweet. Hmph! (At least not as sweet as I could be!) Being at school, it's a given that we are spoiled with the occasional brownies, cookies, parfaits, and soft-serve frozen yogurt. I'll admit I haven't been totally out of sight from desserts, but I don't know how long it has been since I've devoured good-quality, delicious, luscious desserts made with culinary prowess. So I had some free time: it was an absolutely beautiful day after a stormy, rainy day before; the sun was out, there was a gentle breeze, and everything that was happening only meant that autumn was around the corner. What else could make you this cheery? It was finally a perfect day to indulge and go to Sweet Cupcakes.

It wasn't my first time here; for a cupcake shop that's just around the corner from where I reside, there's no way I haven't already checked it out. But I just never gave it a good observation. It's hard to miss: if you see a giant window with the lower border adorned with white, vinyl cupcake stands, you hit the spot! Sweet Cupcakes was extremely aesthetically appealing. Walk in, and be invited to a pretty pink world with the wall-design being exactly the same as their website background; pink and black laces intertwined. Your attention is immediately drawn to the counter: various boxes for packaging, cupcake pillars of various heights, and two creatively set cupcake stands: your stereotypical pyramid stand and a ferris wheel with the cupcakes substituting the booths. "Cute" would definitely be the best word to describe everything. It appeared they had their Fall-themed desserts put out: orange, brown, yellow colors, from pumpkin to apple flavors, even warm spices like spicy ginger. And for those who prefer to stick to the classics, vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet. And if you're looking for something light, you could always order their miniature cupcakes. And all their cupcakes were simple in design: the cake, cloud-like frosting on top, and a small garnish to hint a flavor. So any regular person would probably order one cupcake just for a small treat. Instead, I bought four: eat two, save two. I always prefer to go outside my comfort zone and try new fusions of flavors, so I got their least conventional cupcakes: Chocolate Orange, Red Velvet, Caramel Apple, Molasses Ginger. I think sweets taste better with something hot so I also got a small cup of black coffee. You can also get tea but, I was feeling some caffeine. And if you're in the mood to just lounge and eat, you most certainly can on their pastel-pink booth and square white tables.

Out of the four that I bought, I decided to first dive into the Chocolate Orange; a chocolate cupcake with citrusy orange-infused frosting, with a candied orange peel on top half-dipped in chocolate ganache. The hint of orange really blended well with the chocolate: I've actually never had a chocolate-dipped orange/orange peel before and this "twist" on candy was quite pleasing. The second cupcake I ate was the Caramel Apple; it was a vanilla cupcake but when you bite into it, you feel the bite of apple preserves hidden inside, all sweetened up with caramelly frosting and drizzle. And to emulate an actual caramel apple, they put a popsicle stick poking out from the center. The apples were a fun surprise; natural sweetness combined with gooey caramel. Unfortunately, I would love to talk about the other two cupcakes, but all things in moderation. Those I shall save for tomorrow. I'm super excited to take a bite into the Molasses Ginger cupcake though. And red velvet: classic, who doesnt' love it?

Sweet Cupcakes is really such an enjoyable place. It was nice taking pictures while lip-syncing the oldies playing from the speakers and looking up at the TV and seeing an old classic film. It was like a modern twist on a classic treat. And even if you don't live close to one of their locations (Mass. Ave, Newbury Street, Harvard Square and Downtown), you could always order for an event, party, and even for self-indulging. Sweet Cupcakes usually has you on your toes waiting for the next round of cupcakes to come because every time I've been there, they always have a different theme going on. So I'm eyeing the other two cupcakes right now and I find myself typing faster and faster with intentions of getting my hands on them. With me, you just never know: put a treat in front of me look away for a second and it's magically gone. It's a guilty pleasure!

So we all love desserts: what's your favorite dessert? And if you're a huge fan of cupcakes like I am, what are some of your favorite cupcake shops?

The Cupcakory

When you go to a university that is stretched out all long one long street, there are plenty of pros and cons that come along with it. The only thing I consider a con when it comes to Commonwealth Avenue is the distance between classes and housing. But my oh-so adventurous self is already so used to strolling around aimlessly, so a fifteen minute walk from here to there isn't so bad anymore. I think there are many pros, from having the thrill of going to a huge urban university to being able to grasp a collegiate culture. But best of all, the endless options you have for food! Now, I could either utilize my meal plan at a dining hall or go to a well-established restaurant or fast food joint. But when you are class-free (or stress-free) for the day, cheerfully strolling along to relaxing acoustic music on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, you can't help but maybe spend a couple of dollars and treat yourself! And that's exactly what I did: I treated myself to a classic, well...treat! Knowing the hustle and bustle at BU, many food trucks actually settle in from time to time around noon to 3 p.m. So I happened to pass this smaller, cute, pastel-yellow truck and I couldn't help but stop to see what it had to offer. The first word that popped up in mind was simple; simple colors, simple designs, and simple desserts. If this truck could transform into a house, I honestly would imagine it to be a peaceful suburban house where grandmother just laid a warm pie out to cool on the windowsill. Perhaps the time period would be between the 70s and 80s? I'll stop from getting ahead of myself...

I think The Cupcakory truly understands cupcakes. Their top priorities are "quality and taste": to use the best combination of organic ingredients to create original cupcakes. They're also simple when it comes to design as well; a classic cupcake with a swirl of buttercream frosting on top. No embellishments. Oddly enough, its actually more attractive to true dessert lovers! Because of the minimal colors and garnishes, it forces you to focus more on the taste and flavors of the entire cupcake rather than the physical appearance. And let me tell you, these cupcakes are so moist and the frosting is so creamy. There aren't an insane amount of choices, about 6 to 8 kinds to be exact. But they usually keep their original favorites, double-vanilla and double-chocolate, and alternate the ones made with more culinary prowess. I ordered three cupcakes in total: Nutella cupcake, Salted Caramel, and Lemon-Ginger. I figured since I've obviously had an everyday vanilla and chocolate cupcake before, I should go for something finer. The nutella cupcake was basically your twist on a chocolate cupcake, but instead of chocolate frosting you have nutella-infused cream. Like I said before, who doesn't love nutella? The salted caramel cupcake had its flavor in the buttercream. This was actually the first time I've had something salted-caramel flavored that wasn't actually caramel with a sprinkle of sea salt on top. Since the buttercream had both flavors evenly blended throughout the buttercream, it was a delicious balance between sweet and salty. And for my favorite out of the three: the lemon-ginger cupcake. Excuse me if I'm incorrect, but it seemed like the flavor was both in the cake and the buttercream. The buttercream had both lemon and ginger but the cake itself tasted more like a lemon cake. The lemon really cut the ginger flavor and I thought that was a great idea because ginger could easily become overpowering. It's kind of weird because as I'm typing up this post, I can taste bits and pieces of ginger somewhere in my mouth. It's awesome: everlasting dessert! 

So all-in-all, you could make some generalizations: the cakey-part is simple, the flavor is mostly in the buttercream, and when it comes to sweetness, it is perfectly mild. Oh and one more thing: each time you take a bite, it's impossible for the cream not to smear a bit on your upper lip. But don't worry, it's all part of the fun; just lick it off! If you happen to be having a ridiculously happy day like I was, why not treat yourself to something good. If you ever happen to past by The Cupcakory, stop on buy and get yourself a cupcake! And it's purely a moment for you to savor all of that sugar because I think we could all agree that a simple cupcake with some good buttercream on top can, more or less, fit into your mouth. I walk past quite frequently so, I wouldn't be surprised if I bought a cupcake maybe one or twice a week. That's not so bad right? So what's the best cupcake you've ever eaten? Comment below and share your stories!