Cupcake Sundaes at Cake Mamas

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This summer Cake Mamas is bringing back Cupcake Sundaes. I had never heard of these, so of course I was intrigued. A Cupcake Sundae is a warm cake baked in a large cupcake bowl, filled & frosted with two scoops of ice cream, and topped with a cherry & nuts. Yum!

They say it's large enough to feed four....but I think I could eat the whole thing myself. They are available all summer long at the Cake Mamas store in Glendora for $7.50.

Valentine's Day Lineup at The Cake Mamas

The Cake Mamas has some special flavors for the special holiday that's coming up next week. But don't worry, if you can't get there before Valentine's Day, these flavors will be available until 3/2/13.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake - White chocolate cupcakes, filled with fresh raspberry preserves, topped with raspberry cream cheese frosting, edged in white chocolate curls

Dark Chocolate Raspberry - Chocolate cupcake filled with fresh raspberry preservces, topped with chocolate ganache frosting and a fresh raspberry

X-Rated - X-rated passion fruit vodka cupcake, filled with mango guava filling, topped with X-rated buttercream

Chocolate Port Wine - Chocolate cupcake filled with port wine ganache, topped with port wine swiss meringue frosting

Chocolate Turtle - Milk chocoalte cupcake filled with gooey nutty caramel, topped with caramel buttercream, drizzled with caramel, chocolate, and pecans.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry - Strawberry cupcake, topped with strawberry buttercream, topped with a chocolate dipped strawberry

Pink Champagne - Pink champagne cupcake, frosted with pink champagne buttercream

Review: The Cake Mamas

This was not my first time tasting The Cake Mamas cupcakes. They've been around the cupcake circuit for quite some time now. I first discovered them at Cupcake Camp IE in 2010, where they wowed me with their Autumn Apple cupcake. I saw them just a few months later at LA Cupcake Challenge 2011. A year later they competed and won the Wicked episode of Cupcake Wars. And most recently they won 2nd place at this year's LA Cupcake Challenge 2012 (they actually had my favorite cupcake at the event).

With all of these accolades, I definitely owed them an official visit to their shop. So after racing my first triathlon post-baby (go me!) in San Dimas, I treated myself to some cupcakes at The Cake Mamas in Glendora.

  Normally a rainy Saturday afternoon would keep people away from stores, but when I arrived The Cake Mamas was packed! People were picking up custom orders, others were just stopping by for a treat, and they were also loading up a van for a catering order. There was definitely a good vibe in the air.

I've met Fabiola and Janelle several times before and they have always been super friendly. One funny fact about them is that Janelle is married to Fabiola's ex-husband. They call themselves The Cake Mamas because they are moms of the same kids. I think that's awesome!

Now onto the cupcakes. Too many choices to try all of them, so I had to narrow my decision down to nine. Yes, you heard me: I only picked nine.

Churro: cinnamon sugar cupcake with sweetmilk frosting and topped with cinnamon crunch. Packed with cinnamon flavor. I loved the crunchies on top! Easily one of the favorites of the day.

Samoa: chocolate caramel cupcake, with caramel Cloud Cream, toasted coconut, drizzled caramel, and chocolate ganache. This cupcake competed at the LA Cupcake Challenge this year. The light whipped frosting paired well with the other strong flavors. I enjoyed the caramel center.

Chocolate Salted Caramel: rich chocolate cake filled with caramel, topped with chocolate ganache and sea salt caramel. This was easily my favorite and I remembered why it was my top pick at the LA Cupcake Challenge this year. The creamy chocolate frosting combined with the caramel center and pinch of salt on top makes this cupcake perfect. Winning cupcake for sure!

Guinness Bailey's: chocolate Guinness cake with Bailey's infused frosting. I'm not an alcohol drinker, but I'm always willing to try a cupcake with a flavor I'm not familiar with. The flavor was a bit intense in the frosting (since the alcohol doesn't get a chance to burn out), but I enjoyed the flavor of the cake.

The Good Witch (lemon strawberry rhubarb): light lemon cake, filled with strawberry-rhubarb filling, topped with lemon mascarpone cream cheese frosting. This was a Cake Mamas winning cupcake on Cupcake Wars. Although the strawberry-rhubarb filling was divine, the frosting just wasn't sweet enough for me. BUT it shouldn't be sweet because it is made with mascarpone cheese, that's just my preference.

Chocolate Truffle: chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache, a thick layer of chocolate mousse, finished with dark chocolate curls. I tried this cupcake two years ago at LA Cupcake Challenge and loved it! It's full of all kinds of chocolate. The chocolate curls give it a delicious crunch.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake: The strawberry frosting was creamy and smooth. I loved the special touch of a graham cracker crust. The cake was more dense than a normal cupcake, but that makes sense since it was a cheesecake cupcake.

Thin Mint: chocolate cupcake with mint buttercream, side rolled in Thin Mint cookie crumbs, and finished with a Thin Mint cookie. The smoothness of the frosting reminded me of thin mint ice cream. The mint flavor was perfect (unlike some that taste like toothpaste). One of favorites of the day! 

Green Eggs & Ham: green cupcake, pancake flavored with maple syrup and ham, topped with maple syrup buttercream and ham. I've had many breakfast sweet/savory cupcakes before, so I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this cupcake. Experience proved right! The whipped maple frosting tasted like whipped butter on pancakes. I wouldn't want the frosting to be any thicker or it would be too overwhelming. Surprisingly ham works well in a cupcake.

I can't resist taking pictures of my cupcake carnage. This greeted me at breakfast the next day. Talk about starting my day off right!

You can't go wrong with The Cake Mamas. Lots of cupcake choices, delicious cakes and frostings, attention to detail, and great prices ($2.50 for normal cupcakes and $3.00 for specialty). One thing worth noting is that they told me that their frostings are not typical American buttercreams. If you're hoping for an extra sweet frosting like Sprinkles, you won't find it here. I thought their frostings had just the right amount of sweetness that paired perfectly with their cupcakes. Thumbs up for The Cake Mamas!

The Cake Mamas

865 W. Route 66, Unit C

Glendora, CA 91741

www.thecakemamas.com

Facebook: The Cake Mamas

Twitter: @thecakemamas

LA Cupcake Challenge 2012: The Competitors Part 1

18 competitors, some new, some familiar, some winners, some TV stars. Here's the rundown of each competitor and cupcake. I've broken them down into four posts, so it's not overwhelming to see them all at once.

[Desi]gn Cakes & Cupcakes

Riverside, CA (cater)

3rd place winner of Sugar Rush cupcake competition 2011

Buffalo Chicken: Maybe it was because it was the only savory cupcake I ate, but I loved this cupcake. The buffalo chicken that topped the cupcake was awesome!

Churro (not judged)

Bake You Happy

Valencia, CA

Winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars

Chocolate Cherry Licorice: cupcake created on Cupcake Wars. I tried a similar cupcake from them last year and loved it. Still a great cupcake!

Spiced Chocolate: Great cake and great frosting. Loved all the chocolatey goodness!

Butter Sweet Minis

Los Angeles, CA (cater)

Red Velvet: Their cupcakes looked the yummiest! I was excited to try them and they didn't disappoint.

Mint Chip: I liked the flavor combination of the mint and chocolate. Yum!

The Cake Mamas

Glendora, CA

Winner of Cupcake Camp IE 2010

Chocolate Salted Caramel: The butter toffee that topped this cupcake was to die for! I wish I could eat this cupcake every day!

Girl Scout Samoa: tasted just like the cookie. I wish the frosting would have been less whipped and more creamy, but otherwise great.

Cupcake Wars: Wicked

Red Jett Cupcakes (Fort Worth, TX)

Frostings (Richmond, VA)

The Cake Mamas (Glendora, CA) **WINNER**

I fell in love with their Autumn Apple cupcake at Cupcake Camp IE in 2010. They were also at LA Cupcake Challenge last year. I can't wait to visit their shop this year!

Blondies Baking Company (North Beach, MD)

LA Cupcake Challenge 2011: The Competitors, Part Two

The cupcakes keep coming. I was almost overwhelmed by how many cupcakes there were at this year's LA Cupcake Challenge. Key word: almost.

My Delight Cupcakery
www.mydelightcupcakery.com
Twitter: @My_Delight
Facebook: My Delight Cupcakery
Ontario, CA

I reviewed My Delight Cupcakery just a week before the LA Cupcake Challenge. I fell in love with their unique flavors, moist cake, and delicious frostings. Last year they placed 1st for Best Original and 2nd for Best Overall. They certainly didn't disappoint at LA Cupcake Challenge this year, as they won 1st place in all three categories! Congratulations are well-deserved!

11: Red Velvet
Even though I knew this Red Velvet was amazing, I was still impressed at how well it stacked up against the competition. Perfect cream cheese frosting!

27: Late Night Breakfast

This chicken & waffles cupcake was the talk of the afternoon. Although I've eaten a chicken & waffles cupcake before, this one was delicious. The maple syrup frosting was a bit greasy for me, but I loved the flavor combination of this cupcake.

And who wouldn't love this display? Yum!

Jus Minis

www.jus-minis.com
Twitter: @jusminis
Facebook: Jus Minis

Last year Jus Minis took 2nd in Best Original and 1st in Best Overall. Like My Delight Cupcakery, they matched their performance from last year. Although they got a 2nd and 3rd this year, I think their cupcakes deserved better.

24: Josephine
I loved the flavor combination of this vanilla cupcake, filled with caramel, topped with Nutella frosting, caramelized d'anjou pear, and a phyllo agave crisp. Several of these ingredients were unique, which made this cupcake one of my favorites of the day.

Fresh pears make a good display. I like how Jus Minis assembles their cupcakes at the event. They did this last year with their caramelized bananas. I think this makes the cupcakes more delicious.

10: Red Velvet
Not just an ordinary red velvet, this one was filled with cheesecake, topped with cherry compote cream cheese frosting and graham cracker crumbles. Yum!

Hansen's Cakes

08: Bridal White Cake

www.hansencakes.com

Twitter: @hansencakes

Showrooms in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Tarzana

Hansen's used the same exact boring cupcake as last year. I have no idea why so many people voted for this cupcake as Best Traditional. Because you can find it at every wedding? Blah.

I learned that Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom used Hansen's Cakes for their wedding cake. Maybe that's why everyone voted for them.

The Cake Mamas
www.thecakemamas.com
Twitter: thecakemamas
Facebook: The Cake Mamas
Glendora, CA

I met The Cake Mamas at Cupcake Cake IE last fall. Their Autumn Apple cupcake won for Tastiest Cupcake.

34: Cookies N' Cream
So much Oreo in this cupcake...I loved it!

14: Chocolate Truffle
Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. I especially liked the mousse frosting.

Blue Cupcake
www.bluecupcake.com
Twitter: @blue_cupcake
Facebook: Blue Cupcake
Sold at Century City Farmer's Market, Carmela Ice Cream, and Boba Loca Coffee

Blue Cupcake won 2nd place in Best Traditional last year. I chose them as one of my favorites.

02: Chocolate S'mores
I like that they toasted the masrhmallow frosting to make it more authentic.

16: PB and J

Although I've had PB & J cupcakes before, this one was outstanding. Blue Cupcake is on my list of favorites again this year.

Check out the first group of competitors here.
See the winners of the 2011 LA Cupcake Challenge here.