Spring fever (and frosting)

When I stepped out my front door this morning and realized it was so warm at 8 a.m. that I didn't need a coat, I knew it was going to be the perfect day to sample a set of spring-themed cupcakes from TLCuppycakes. I had made arrangements for owner Tracy Cowee to drop them off, and she arrived mid-morning with the five springy cupcakes, including two brand-new creations for the Easter season.

Tracy's presentation never disappoints. This quintet was such a treat for the eyes that I hated to destroy them by eating them. 

Since I had ordered a quintet, I recruited my coworkers and fellow tasters Kathy Rem, Jayette Bolinski and Robin Desai to help me sample them. 

First up was the What's Up Doc. (You might be able to guess that it was carrot cake.) This one wasn't our favorite of the bunch. We thought the cake was on the dry side, although the spicy flavoring was just right. We loved the delicate cream cheese filling and the cream cheese buttercream frosting crowned with a cheery swirl of orange. Had the cake been moister, this one would have been a hit. 

The Sunshine Superman, a sweet-and-sour concoction topped by a fresh lemon slice, perked us up. The light lemon filling perfectly complemented the tangy lemon cake, and we loved that the flavor was obviously natural -- no artificial lemon in this cupcake. The subtle vanilla-lemon buttercream frosting was, literally, the icing on the cake.

My favorite of the day was also the simplest -- White Wedding Day, a white cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and little white candy "pearls" as a garnish. The cake was incredibly moist, and the addition of a light vanilla filling earned it extra points on our yum meter. The buttercream frosting was luscious. (A great comparison cupcake for the White Wedding Day is Cafe Moxo's I Do!, which I tried a couple weeks ago. I loved everything about it except the oversize, overly crunchy "pearls" used as a garnish. The smaller, softer "pearls" on the White Wedding Cake were so much better.) Overall, we felt this one was perfect, with just the right amount of vanilla flavor throughout, and would be the ideal choice for a tower of wedding cupcakes. When I finished my quarter, I wanted to steal Kathy's just to prolong my taste buds' delight a bit more.

We had decided to save the fanciest cupcakes for last, but we couldn't resist the Cadbury Cream Egg any longer, so we attacked that one next. (Robin had been looking forward to it all day.) We loved the idea and appearance of this one, but the taste experience didn't quite match up to the vision for us. The chocolate cake and vanilla cream frosting were good, and we liked the egg-white-and-yolk effect of the frosting and the mini-Cadbury egg perched on top. The problem was that the Cadbury egg baked into the cake remained hard and didn't blend well with the cake and creamy filling. The effect of the baked-in chocolate egg reminded us of the Rolo cupcake we tried from TL earlier this winter. The chewy Rolo inside the cake didn't soften and made biting into the cupcake a bit awkward. We did, however, love the creativity of both the Cadbury and the Rolo, and we salute Tracy for her adventurous baking spirit. 

The final cupcake turned out to be the grand finale: The Coconut Creme Bird Nest. This one charmed us immediately with its green-tinted coconut and pastel candy eggs. In this case the taste exceeded our expectations. The white cake and vanilla frosting each delivered a subtle taste of coconut, and the thorough placement of flavor left us thoroughly impressed. Some of us crowned this one the winner among the five, although it was second place for me, after White Wedding Cake. 

Our TL Cuppycakes group tastings are becoming a tradition, and it's one that I hope we can continue until we make our way through the TL menu. To browse the choices, visit http://www.tlcuppycakes.com/Flavor-Menu-and-Ordering.html.

Simply sensational

Whew! It's been a busy long weekend. I'm lucky enough to be off work this Presidents Day and have a chance to catch up on my cupcake reviewing. I designated this past Friday as a cupcake day so I could sample a couple of Cafe Moxo flavors that are only available on Friday or Saturday. I liked the idea of trying the I Do! (white cake with vanilla frosting and wedding-inspired candy "pearls" -- Friday and Saturday on Moxo fall/winter seasonal cupcake menu) and the Chocolate Bombe (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles -- available Fridays only) at the same time since they're basic flavors with a sort of yin-yang relationship.

These are both visually pleasing cupcakes, and I love them as a pair. (I had been waiting all week for my cupcake fix, so I didn't feel a bit guilty for polishing off both in the same sitting.)

I tried the I Do! first, and I was delighted to find that it was freshly baked with soft, moist cake and Moxo's light, fluffy frosting. The only aspect of this one that I wouldn't say "I do" to again is the hard, crunchy candy "pearls" Moxo used as a garnish. They resembled tiny jawbreakers. I would warn anyone who has sensitive teeth or fillings to bite into this one with great caution (or even scrape off the "pearls" altogether). Sometimes less is more, with wedding dresses and wedding-themed cupcakes.

The Chocolate Bombe was equally delicious, without the hazardous garnish. Like the I Do!, the Bombe featured fresh cake and airy frosting. I loved the delicate chocolate flavor of the Bombe's icing -- it wasn't too rich or too chocolatey. In fact, it was perfectly subtle. I generally prefer milk chocolate over dark or overly fudgy chocolate, and the moussy quality of Moxo's chocolate frosting hit my sweet spot. If you want a chocolate cupcake without a pack of Rolaids, the Chocolate Bombe is for you.