After a bit of catching up at Coffee Underground, we made our way to the bakery. Being the outsider art girl I am, I was immediately won over by the decor. There's a piece hanging on the wall over the counter of a giant cupcake totally made of flattened bottle caps, commissioned by a Charleston artist. Worth the trip just to check this thing out. They have great merchandise for sale, too. Nice t-shirts, Tervis cups (it's a personality quark: I must have a cup in hand) and great big mugs with their logo on them. Love big mugs!
The menu had some flavor surprises: Watermelon and Mandarin Orange Chocolate, but also chocolate and vanilla standards. We picked three and sat down under a piece of work completely made of cupcake sprinkles.
We started with the Red Velvet cupcake, which seems to be the hardest for bakers to pull off. The cream cheese icing was great. The cake didn't have that overpowering red food coloring taste that I often get with this flavor. Probably best I've tried so far in the Upstate... so if you're a Red Velvet fan, this is your place.
The Mandarin Orange Chocolate and White Chocolate Raspberry were both beautiful, but way too sweet. We weren't blown away by the recipe they used for the chocolate cake... very similar to box mix from the grocery store. The White Chocolate Raspberry had fresh raspberries in the batter, and though it was a nice touch, the cake surrounding it was just okay. We each had a couple of small bites of the last two and then called it quits. I boxed the rest for my mini-critic.
I keep seeing this in bakery after bakery: beautiful cupcakes and no brains! It's like cookie cutter cupcakes are springing up all over the country. I'm looking to be blown away, people! Wowed!
Though I wasn't impressed, my daughter, fork in hand, raved over the orange and raspberry cakes in the car after school. The kids coming in while we were at the bakery were equally excited.
If you're looking for a pretty cupcake and lingering sugar high, this is your place. (They have gluten free options available, so that's a plus.) Their background story is pretty interesting. I'd recommend checking out their website. I'd go back again with friends...without my great expectations.
1 comment:
I loved spending part of the day with you, Nichole, and appreciated being on the "Tasting Team." Cupcakes are such delicious tasty treats and bring back good and nostalgic memories. mmmmmmm
Post a Comment