My cup runneth over

Yesterday's planned St. Louis cupcake crawl for my birthday didn't quite pan out as we had expected. As it turns out, most of the bakeries I had found on Google are closed on Mondays. Jilly's, whose chefs won on the Food Network show "Cupcake Wars," is normally open Mondays but was closed yesterday for Labor Day. I can't fault them for that, but, dang it, I was disappointed.

However, The Cup, nestled in the back of a building in the heart of U City, was open and awaiting us after our trip out to St. Louis Mills. We had been to The Cup once before, this past Valentine's Day weekend. I had the most decadent Peanut Butter Cup cupcake that time -- so rich, but so worth the stomachache I endured afterward. That day, Camille's gift to me was a box of a half-dozen cupcakes to go (because I had such a hard time deciding which one I wanted at the shop. Isn't he the best husband ever?)

In February, we brought home two Confettis, a Grasshopper, a Red Velvet, a Strawberries 'N' Cream and a Raspberry Beret. All divine! Especially the Grasshopper. And I loved the Valentine's-themed garnishes. So cute!

This time around, I chose the simple Confetti cupcake, which was yellow cake with vanilla frosting. (After a delicious but heavy mid-afternoon meal at Chevy's Fresh Mex, I just wasn't ready for an overly rich cupcake, much as I would have loved a repeat of the Peanut Butter Cup.)

The Confetti was just right. Although it was jumbo-size, it didn't overwhelm me. The yellow cake wasn't the moistest I've ever had, but it was flavorful, and the vanilla buttercream frosting was light and smooth. The rainbow sprinkles were a nice touch.

I also got to sample my friend Becky's Lemon Drop cupcake -- lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting and a lemon curd filling -- and the flavor's subtlety was just what I look for in any lemon dessert.

Since it was the day before my birthday, Camille snuck off and came back with a to-go box. When I opened it, I found a trio of cupcakes -- a Red Velvet, a Summer Crush (orange) and another Confetti -- with cute little "happy birthday" decorations placed on top along with individual candles. I remember how good the red velvet one was from Valentine's Day,but I've never had The Cup's orange cream, so I'm looking forward to that one a little later.

On another birthday note, I had the privilege of enjoying cupcakes from multiple sources this past weekend. I went to the Villa Maria on Lake Springfield for a Koinonia spiritual retreat Friday night through Sunday afternoon, and while I was occupied with activities on Saturday afternoon, Camille came by with a big box of Hello Kitty cupcakes for me to share with everyone on the retreat. The retreat director surprised me with them that night, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday." What an awesome surprise! Camille knows my love of Hello Kitty AND, of course, my love of cupcakes. It's hard to imagine a better birthday. 35, so far you're not so bad!