Quite the updating to do on the Cupcake Challenge…First up: The Cup’s delicious “cups”…
Pumpkin Harvest
Source: The Cup
This cupcake was perfect. In every way. I LOVE anything with a “creamy cinnamon” flavor. Cinnamon ice cream, cinnamon cream cheese, and yes, cinnamon buttercream. Seriously. The frosting was delicious and I could have eaten a whole bowl of it. Add that to a pumpkin spice cake and chocolate pumpkin bark and you’ve got one of my favorite triple combinations ever. I know I always say The Cup’s cupcakes are so moist, but this one was the moistest (is that a word…?) yet! Amazing. The texture, the flavors, and the way it gave me “Fall warm & fuzzies”…perfection.
Monster
Source: The Cup
This scary cupcake was my post-marathon treat at work. One of our student-workers ran the RnR half marathon (we even ran into each other between Mile 1 & 2!) and we promised each other we’d celebrate with a huge cupcake when our race was over. So we did. My selection was this magic wonder. Mint chocolate chip cake! I didn’t even know this creation was possible. My favorite beyond favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip. And now, my favorite beyond favorite cupcake flavor is mint chocolate chip. I’m usually cautious about mint-flavored sweets because it can sometimes taste too artificial…and gross (obviously). But not this bad boy. The green vanilla buttercream & chocolate buttercream gave perfect hints of sweetness to the mint chocolate chip cake. The good news about this one is that it comes back in March as the Mint O’Malley. So I won’t have to wait THAT long for it’s return. YAY!
Pineapple Upside Down
Source: The Cup
Oh this one… I probably shouldn’t have eaten it. Because of IC, pineapple is SADLY (seriously, so sad) on my list of restricted foods. And not “oh, this only SOMETIMES bothers my bladder”…ALL THE TIME. Pineapple is my #1 “no-no” food. I could just look at it or smell it and I swear my bladder starts to hurt. But some foods that bother me “raw” (like onions & tomatoes) are just fine once they are cooked (isn’t chemistry fun?). So I thought I’d be safe with this one because the pineapple in the cake would be baked. And it was. Baked, that is. Just not “safe”. But aside from my physiological response to the delicious wonder that is pineapple it was a decadent sweet treat. I’m almost positive I ate this in about 5 bites. I microwaved it and made the “caramelized pineapple & brown sugary” bottom extra gooey. Brilliant. If I could, I would get this one again and again. As much as I love frosting, it was refreshing to just have a drizzled glaze on top. YUM! This cupcake reminded me of holidays with my family. Somehow pineapple upside down cake always makes it on the dessert table. Good memories!
Next up: Jilly’s Cupcake Bar “cups”…Disclaimer: I didn’t eat ALL of these cupcakes. My sweet tooth has vanished (if that’s even possible), plus these are HUGE, so I could only manage a few bites of each. Amazing bites, of course!
Caramel Apple (October Flavor of the Month)
This one was a delicious “breakfast cupcake”. Vanilla cake stuffed with cinnamon baked apples…topped with caramel buttercream, caramel drizzel, nuts, and a chocolate straw. Seriously. Perfect with a cup of coffee. So moist with a sweet/spice flavor from the apples. I mean, really, who DOESN’T love caramel apples? Genius, Jilly. Genius.
S’murtle
ADORABLE! Turtle + S’more = S’murtle. DUH! When you got a bite with EVERYTHING together it was bliss. Chocolate cake with homemade marshmallow fluff, topped with chocolate ganache, caramel drizzle, pecans, AND mini marshmallows. Every kid’s dream! This certainly filled my chocolate craving just by looking at it! This was also ideal with a cup of coffee…and girl talk. Lots of girl talk! 🙂
Space Monkey
Not gonna lie, I was skeptical of this one. I’m leery of banana-flavored things the same way I’m leery of mint-flavored things. I’m worried it will taste “fake”. I’m glad I risked it with this one! Banana-toffee cake (brilliant) topped with a caramel swirled cream, cheese icing, Astronaut ice cream, and a chocolate star. I was sold with the cream cheese frosting. I’m a sucker for cream cheese frosting. The Astronaut ice cream was a cute addition and made this cupcake even more fun than the name! This one was a Cupcake War Cupcake Winner on The Food Network! Too cool, Jilly! Way to put St. Louis on the map!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
So I KINDA cheated with this one. My friend bought it and I had a bite or two. So I didn’t have a bite with EVERYTHING in it…but I thought I’d cross it off my list anyway!
Pumpkin cheesecake cake with cheesecake AND Dulce de Leche caramel filling. Um, please excuse me while I drool. Topped with pumpkin AND vanilla buttercreams, cinnamon (sucker!), nutmeg, and candied pecans. YES and YES! Amazing combinations in one cupcake. This needs to be on my plate for Thanksgiving. And this is all I will need to eat to be happy!
Bee Sting
I think this one was “my” winner. As much as I love chocolate, coffee, mint, and cinnamon flavors, my heart belongs to tart fruit flavors. This was so light and refreshing. Vanilla cake filled with honey lemon curd. Topped with Lemon cream cheese frosting (again, CREAM CHEESE!), toasted almonds, and white chocolate bark. This reminded me of summer vacation. Then I remembered I was wearing a scarf and a coat when I ate this and I was slapped across the face by Reality. *sigh*. But congrats, Bee Sting. YOU are my favorite 🙂
And there you have it. Hopefully I burn these off in CrossFit. GOOD GRIEF. Also, all the cream cheese frosting did not do wonders on my tummy. The no-dairy diet has returned. And I’m sad about it.
That's Just Awkward... 