Where It All Began

This cupcake blog couldn't have come at a better time - I had the great good fortune of being to visit Cupcake Ground Zero, Sprinkles, the first cupcake bakery in the whole entire world, located in beautiful Beverly Hills, while I was on vacay in sunny California. Big ups to the Fuertes, who heard about CASHRN and thought a trip to Sprinkles would be perfect. I feel sort of bad for the other Cupcakers, who didn't get to experience the magnificence of Sprinkles - sorry, suckas.

Starting top left and moving clockwise: I tried the Black and White, and guest Cupcakers NateDogg, Senor and Senora had the Chocolate Coconut, Red Velvet and Cinnamon Sugar, respectively. I had a little milk with mine, which is how all cuppies should be eaten, I believe.





Sprinkles didn't let me down... how could it? The frosting-to-cake ratio was pretty much perfect, and each was good by itself (certainly the mark of a good cupcake), but the two together were a little bit of heaven in my mouth.






Had to use a fork. Always a good sign.








Mmmmmm.

Sprinkles locations are popping up all over the country, slowly but surely, so I cast my vote for a new store in Nashville. You're welcome, Jenny!

Black and White cuppie from Sprinkles - A-

Cupcakes 101: Cupcakes in My World

Full disclosure: this isn't my first cupcake taste test. Back in January, I had the mother of all cupcake taste tests - a full baker's dozen split three ways, cutting each cupcake into three parts, each of us tasting the same flavor at the same time. It was mammoth, and quite frankly, a little sick. (and I lied - we maxed out at eight cuppies, and the other four found a good home at work the next day.) I'm hoping this test will be easier on my guts.

We started the Wacky Wednesday Cupcake Challenge last week, when we discovered that our local Cupcake Station had a buy-two-get-one-free offer on Wednesday. Apparently, they call this Wild Wednesday, but I call it Wacky Wednesday. (sort of like how I call the generic Mexican restaurant in town El Rancho Grande, even though it's really called something else.) Anyhoo, last week I had the Chocolate Lovers cupcake - your basic dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting topped with chocolate shavings. But damn, this cuppie was GOOD. Rich and sweet but basic, if I could only eat one cupcake for the rest of my life, this would be the flavor I'd choose. Yes, I say that after week one. How can you go wrong with chocolate cake and chocolate frosting?

Next up, consumed just today, was the Cookies and Cream cupcake (featured in the front of the picture above). I don't remember having a CaC during the January mega-taste, and I tend to like my cupcakes on the simpler side, so I thought CaC would be a solid choice. And it was good, nothing compared to the Chocolate Lovers, but oddly had a faint taste of banana to it. Perhaps this one just sat in the case next to a banana cuppie, or maybe I was having a little stroke, but the undertaste turned me off a little. Passable, but not phenomenal.

Chocolate Lovers - A
Cookies and Cream - B-