Bittersweet and artsy cupcakes

This past week was the last at the SJ-R for my coworker and fellow cupcake taster, Jayette Bolinski. Saying goodbye is never fun, but she went out in sweet style on Friday by treating the newsroom to several dozen cupcakes from one of our favorite bakers, TL Cuppycakes. The cupcakes Tracy of TL created for Jayette were, of course, newspaper themed, answering the question, "What is black and white and read all over?"

Photo courtesy of TL Cuppycakes

The chocolate cupcakes with thick red-and-white vanilla buttercream frosting and a light, red-dyed filling, were EATEN all over the newsroom. It was my first time trying a simple chocolate-vanilla cupcake from Tracy, and I loved it so much that I ate two. I just couldn't help myself! She's every bit as talented with classic flavors as the more elaborate ones she creates. 

If the two TL cupcakes weren't enough, I arrived home from work Friday night to discover that my husband, Camille, had brought home eight cupcakes from a bakery called Sweet Art in St. Louis, a place that I had heard about but never tried. As it turns out, Sweet Art specializes in baked goods made from scratch, with no preservatives. 

Here's the selection Camille brought back: 

Sweet Art's cupcakes are most definitely artistic and beautifully decorated. Of course, I couldn't resist trying just one right away, so I went for a red velvet, since he had brought back two. (The red velvets are the ones with the heart-shaped candy garnishes.) My first impression upon biting into the red velvet was that the cake was a bit on the dry side, although it had a good flavor. The cream-cheese frosting was at the same time light and creamy, and it was quite delicious. 

After the red velvet, I had to shore up my self-control (or what was left of it) and stash the rest away in the freezer. I'm sure it won't be long before I sneak in for another, though. Let's just say it's inevitable!

Cupcakes falling from the sky!

I can't think of a much sweeter surprise than an unexpected cupcake. Well, except maybe TWO unexpected cupcakes. It turned out to be that kind of Friday after I received a surprise text from Tracy of TL Cuppycakes, offering to bring Jayette and I a pair of selections from her menu -- Yes, I Like Pina Coladas and Cupcake in Paradise. Yep, pina colada and margarita. 

I recently mentioned to Tracy that I wanted to try more of the flavors off of her menu, as well as the new flavors she often creates. She must have been recalling that when she set aside these two while making up an order for someone down the street at the Capitol, and I'm so glad she did. These were both outstanding!

Cupcake in Paradise and Yes, I Like Pina Coladas; 

photo courtesy of Jayette Bolinski

We tried Cupcake in Paradise, the margarita cupcake, first. We were dazzled by the moist, lime-infused white cake, which we felt had just the right amount of lime so as to be flavorful but not overwhelming. (Tracy said she used a lime-flavored drink mixer in the batter.) The vanilla fluff filling was light and cool, and the lime buttercream frosting was outstanding. The lime wedge was the perfect topper. One standout quality to the cupcake was the fact that it truly tasted like the drink -- all the way down to the hint of saltiness, like you'd find around the rim of a traditional margarita. So cool!

Yes, I Like Pina Coladas was superb as well. Tracy mixed bits of pineapple and coconut into the yellow cake batter, which made it extra-moist. She also filled it with a light coconut cream and topped it with vanilla buttercream and toasted coconut shavings. Her garnish was a drink umbrella, which definitely added to the charm factor. This cupcake also tasted like the drink after which it was modeled. All we needed was our towels, bathing suits and a nice, sandy beach!

We agreed that we would love to repeat these sometime. I wouldn't mind trying them along with their namesake drinks. Hmm, I think I need to work on that!