I Take Sweet Revenge Cupcakes as Payment

My favorite cupcakes from New York City are from a place called Sweet Revenge. So when a friend came to stay with me for a few days, I might have suggested that I take payment in cupcakes. But not just any cupcakes, Sweet Revenge cupcakes.

And she came through! Four fresh, delicious cupcakes from Sweet Revenge delivered to my house. Could I be any luckier?

It didn't take me long to dive in. I grabbed a fork and took a few bites of each one. Sweet Revenge, Pure, Dirty, and Crimson & Cream. Looking at these photos, I wish I had them right now. Even if it were just a few crumbs.

The next time you are in NYC, you MUST visit Sweet Revenge to grab some cupcakes.

Sugar Cookie Crack

Yes I love cupcakes, but I also LOVE sugar cookies. But don't get confused, I don't like ALL sugar cookies. The frosting has to be just right.

One of my newest friends, Jen (aka: Pink Cupcake Girl) brought my some sugar cookies from Cookie Connection in Roseville, CA. I blame her for getting me hooked!

Perfect frosting, perfect cookie consistency. Sooooo delicious!

And even better news, they sell online! I just found out for every dozen cookies they sell online, they donate $7 to Liberia (Orphan Relief Network). Love people who are making a difference.

So if you're ever in the Roseville, Sacramento, or Woodland area, you MUST stop in to Cookie Connection!

Panera Bread Debuts Cupcakes

Last night I got an email from Panera Bread introducing CUPCAKES! There are three flavors available -- red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla. Of course I'm excited but it's hard to expect much from a restaurant that specializes in delicious soup, salads, and sandwiches. Are you excited?

Review: Dolcissimo Bakeshop

In December I reported that Dolcissimo Bakeshop had returned to Orange County. I was so excited to find out it was only a few miles from my house! And then Daniel, the owner, invited me to come in and try out their treats. I couldn't have gotten there quicker!

Dolcissimo Bakeshop is located at the food court at Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, CA. I reviewed Dolcissimo when they were located in Costa Mesa over four years ago. I couldn't wait to go back and try out their expanded menu.

Good thing I have a large stomach and big sweet tooth because I went home with 6 cupcakes, 12 macarons, and 1 cheesecake in a jar. Today was my lucky day!

Let's start off with the cupcakes! Dolcissimo had a decent variety of cupcakes. There was about 10 flavors to choose from. I got Red Velvet (of course), Chocolate Fantasy, Strawberry Lemonade, Snickerdoodle, Diva, Chocolate Chimp. They have a revolving menu, so each day you can find different flavors.

Let me start with my favorites. Chocolate Fantasy was super chocolatey and oh-so delicious. I love that they used a milk chocolate frosting to keep it a bit lighter. Strawberry Lemonade had pieces of real strawberries in the frosting. And Snickerdoodle had a great cinnamon flavor in both cake and frosting.

Red Velvet did not wow me. The cake was gummy, and the cream cheese frosting was way too sweet and not tangy enough. The frosting on Chocolate Chimp was stiff and hard. That's probably from sitting out all day. Diva, a standard chocolate vanilla cupcake, was pretty standard.

Overall, the cupcakes were just ok. I like for a cupcake to stand out, to be memorable, to make me want to eat it again. These cupcakes lacked that quality.

Next up: the macarons. I got one of each flavor (12). The macarons had a good crunchiness on the outside and the fillings were excellent too, but there needed to be more filling! The proportion was a bit off. Besides that, these were delicious.

Last, but certainly not least: the cheesecake in a jar. There were four flavors to choose from and I went home with the caramel cheesecake. The night I opened the jar to taste it, I only planned on taking a bite. I was already full from all the cupcakes and macarons, but I wanted to taste this while fresh. Only one bite. Well, just two bites. And before I knew it, the entire thing was gone!

I am a big cheesecake fan and this one definitely lived up to my standards. Plenty of graham cracker crust at the bottom. The jar wasn't too deep that I couldn't get a scoop of the caramel, cheesecake, and crust together. These were so perfect that I have already been back twice to get more!

Dolcissimo has definitely upped their game since I last reviewed them four years ago. I am happy that another cupcake shop has opened in Orange County, but I was a bit disappointed by the cupcakes. They were ok, but not memorable. BUT I will visit them frequently for their macarons and cheesecakes in a jar.

Dolcissimo Bakeshop

2800 N. Main St.

Santa Ana, CA 92705

In the Main Place Mall

www.dolcissimobakeshop.com

Melting Snowman Cupcakes

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My mom sent me a link to these Melting Snowman Cookies (thanks Mom!). These could very easily turn into Melting Snowman Cupcakes. I love the idea, especially since my cupcake frosting skills aren't the greatest. I can't wait to start my holiday baking!

I Can't Stay Away from Sweet and Saucy Shop

A few weeks ago I raced Orangeman, an iron-distance triathlon, meaning 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 run. I've done several of these races before, but this was the first time I crashed. What?! Yes I crashed on my bike for the first time ever! It was a stupid accident where caution tape got tangled in my bike handlebars and at 18 mph I went down hard on asphalt. Luckily I was only 3 miles from the end of the bike course, so after I got attended to by the paramedics, I rode my bike back and finished the race by running 13.1 miles.

I would say that deserves some cupcakes, right?

It wasn't hard to convince my friend Jill to join me for a trip to Sweet and Saucy Shop in Newport Beach, CA. Between the two of us, we ordered one of everything. Yeah, we are that serious about cupcake eating.

I've been to Sweet and Saucy Shop before, but I tried a few new items this time: S'mores cupcake, mini pumpkin cheesecake, lemon cupcake, pumpkin mousse dessert shot, and butterscotch dessert shot. Loved everything...enough said!

Desmond might have tasted his first taste of whipped cream. Shhhh! Don't tell my husband!

Guide to Cupcakes of Walt Disney World

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I am a big Disneyland fan! My husband and I have been annual passholders since we started dating 8 years ago. As awesome as Disneyland is, I am anxious to visit Walt Disney World. I can only imagine how amazing it is!

I recently stumbled across this guide to Cupcakes of Walt Disney World. Who knew that you there were so many cupcakes available at so many places at Disney World! Now I really want to go.

Have you been to Disney World? Have you tried any cupcakes there?

Double Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes from Sweetapolita

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I love this time of year because I get to enjoy pumpkin and gingerbread treats. Sure, I can eat pumpkin muffins or gingerbread cookies in the middle of June, but it just isn't the same.

How delicious does this recipe from Sweetapolita look?

Double Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes = Lola's Chocolate Cupcakes + Gingerbread Swiss Buttercream + Chocolate-Dipped Gingerbread Cookie Toppers

The holidays aren't over yet. There is still time to make these. AND there is still time to deliver your finished cupcakes to me. I'll let you hold my beautiful baby boy!

Turning 30 with Cupcakes

Next week I turn...................30! I can barely say it.

I'm scared. Scared of being considered old. Scared of being a new mom. Scared of not knowing how we will survive without me working anymore. It's all 30's fault.

All I can hope is that my birthday is filled with lots of cupcakes and sweets.

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And my favorite...

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Spaghetti Cupcake at Disney's Hollywood Studios

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Don't be deceived, this isn't what it seems. It's not the savory spaghetti cupcake that it looks like. On Top of Spaghetti is available from the kid's menu at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano at Disney's Hollywood Studio. This chocolate cupcake is topped with yellow-tinted vanilla buttercream that's piped to create the spaghetti look. The chocolate cake meatball rolled in chocolate sprinkles is drizzled with strawberry "red sauce" and dusted with white chocolate shavings. Nine dozen are sold every day.

Review: Merely Sweets

I've been waiting for Merely Sweets to open for several months. I announced in March that they would be opening within 60 days. Even though it took longer than expected, Merely Sweets was worth the wait.

Merely Sweets is located on Birch Street in Downtown Brea. North Orange County was in desperate need of a cupcake shop and I think this is a great location for one. The store was very clean. There were two display cases that greeted me as I entered the shop. The first one contained beautiful cakes, pastries, and tarts. The second case had the goodies I was there for: cupcakes!

Next to the cupcakes was a display of French macarons. I loved how pretty they looked with the rainbow of colors.

Toward the back of the shop was a wall display of decorated cakes. Another wall had this painted art.

I gathered my treats and headed home to try them out. I seriously couldn't wait!

First was the cupcakes. I had six cupcakes to choose from at the time I visited the shop. I chose three: Nutella, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and Red Velvet (of course).

The Nutella cupcake was a vanilla cupcake with Nutella frosting. The cake was moist and the frosting had a good consistency that wasn't too thick. The flavor wasn't too exciting though. Maybe it would be better as a chocolate cupcake?

The Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcake was a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting. The frosting was my favorite part because it was smooth, but not too heavy or overwhelming, as some peanut butter frostings can be. The chocolate cake had decent moistness.

Last, but not least was my favorite cupcake of the three: Red Velvet. I always get a red velvet cupcake when I visit a new shop because it's the standard that I go by. This red velvet had dark red velvet cake (which means it's real) and a tangy cream cheese frosting. The frosting wasn't too light or whipped, it was more silky. The cake was also moist. This was a great red velvet.

Although I'm partial to cupcakes, I'm a lover of all sweets. I couldn't resist getting this Lemon Meringue Tart. The tart crust was baked perfectly. It wasn't too hard, but also not too soft or crumbly that it fell apart. The meringue was well done. I would have thought I was eating a lemon meringue pie. The best part though was the lemon. I only wish that there had been more lemon in the tart. I would definitely order this again!

French Macarons are bite-size treats that are beginning to show up more frequently in pastry shops. I had to get one of each color to make sure that all of them tasted good. That's my excuse anyway. I bought these on a Friday night and my first thoughts of them were that the centers were gummy and chewy. I have very little eating experience with macarons, but they just didn't wow me. The next day I nibbled on them again and thought they tasted better. How could that be? Sunday night I finished them off and thought they were fantastic! Maybe my pallet prefers them to be a little crunchier. They certainly weren't crunchy at the end, but there weren't as gummy as the first day I tried them. I loved them! Maybe it is me that is the weird one. My favorite flavors were the dark chocolate, salted caramel, and vanilla bean. I'm really looking forward to eating them again!

I love cake shops that have more than just cake. Merely Sweets delivers on providing delicious cupcakes, as well as other desserts. Their shop is clean and set-up well. Since they're located in a popular downtown area, they are open late (yeah!). The selection of cupcakes was a bit small (only 6 flavors), but there they have rotating flavors so you'll find something different each time. The packaging was well done, as my cupcakes didn't tip over while I transported them home. The appearance of the cupcakes and other desserts was professional. The cake on the cupcakes was moist. The frostings on the cupcakes were well-made and not overly sweet. The taste and consistency of the cupcakes and other desserts were delicious and make me want to come back for more. The prices were competitive and not unreasonable.

I would recommend Merely Sweets as a great shop to go to for cupcakes and other desserts.

Merely Sweets

260 W. Birch St., Brea, CA 92821

714-529-9909

Facebook: Merely Sweets

Twitter: @merelysweets

Website: www.merelysweets.com (currently under construction)

New York City -- Here I Come!

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You guessed it. I'm going to New York City! Can you believe this is my first time visiting NYC? I know, crazy.

So I need your help. I will be in NYC for six days and of course there are a ton of things I want to do and see. Help me organize my chaos! Where are the best places to eat? What touristy places must I visit? And most importantly....WHAT CUPCAKE SHOPS DO I NEED TO VISIT?! Suggestions please. Go.

Cupcake Frozen Yogurt at Golden Spoon

Some people (my husband) grew up eating Golden Spoon and love it. My family was a Baskin Robbins kind of family. So the other night when we were looking for dessert and all of the Baskin Robbins were closed, we ended up at Golden Spoon. My husband is trying to convince me that it's better than froyo, but I'm just not on board. BUT I was excited to see them advertising a new flavor -- Cupcake!

What does Cupcake taste like? Well, cake batter. I was a little unimpressed, but not too surprised because how could you squeeze all of the wonderful flavors of a real cupcake in frozen yogurt? Have you tried it? What do you think?

Cake Pops at Starbucks

Cake pops are everywhere now! And when you see them being sold at Starbucks, you know they're made it big. Cake pops are now part of the Starbucks Petites line. Also included are cupcakes, whoopie pies, lemon squares, and caramel squares.

I've seen cupcakes at Starbucks, but never on a consistent basis. Some stores were selling certain flavors and others didn't have them at all. I hope that all stores will be well-stocked with all of these goodies. Check them out below.

Birthday Cake Pop

Tiramisu Cake Pop

Rocky Road Cake Pop

Peanut Butter Mini Cupcake

Carrot Cake Mini Cupcake

In celebration of 40 years in business, Starbucks gives us Tribute Days. "If you come to Starbucks between 2 and 5 p.m. on March 10-12, we'll treat you to a free Starbucks Petites when you order any handcrafted beverage (while supplies last)."

Have you tried a cake pop from Starbucks yet? What do you think?

Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

When I saw the headline "Baked Mac & Cheese Cupcakes", I got super excited. I'm a huge Mac & Cheese fan. I'm pretty sure it would be my last meal. (By the way, my favorite Mac & Cheese in Orange County is at Stonefire Grill and Haven Gastropub.) Although these "cupcakes" aren't quite the mac & cheese I had hoped for, they are still a great idea for making dinner a little different.

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How Sweet It Is posted photos and a recipe for these savory cupcakes made with whole wheat pasta, various vegetables, and three types of cheese, and some bread crumbs. That's my kind of dinner.

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4 Ingredient Nutella Cupcakes

Photo: Cake or Death

It's hard to believe that a cupcake can be made with only four ingredients. And technically, these cupcakes can be made with only three ingredients (if you don't add the chopped hazelnuts on top).

Cake or Death posted this recipe for Four-Ingredient Nutella Cupcakes using Nutella, an egg, flour, and hazelnuts. I have all of these ingredients. I could make these right now. But then I'd have to eat them all. Darn.


Four-Ingredient Nutella Cupcakes
yields 9 mini cupcakes

1 cup Nutella spread
1 large egg
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 9 cups of a mini muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. Put 1/2 cup of the Nutella and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and whisk until blended.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full) and bake until a pick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs, 11 to 12 minutes. Don't overbake!

4. Set on a rack to cool completely. Once cool, warm the remaining 1/2 cup of Nutella in a small bowl in the microwave just until warm and fluid, about 15-25 seconds. Dip the tops of each cupcake in the Nutella, so that it's completely coated. (You will have extra Nutella left over. I trust you can find something to do with this.) Sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with the chopped hazelnuts. These keep for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Red Robin Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I spotted this sign while dining at Red Robin. Although I was interested in what the cupcakes actually looked and tasted like, I was in no mood to try cupcakes. Since it was during the holidays, I had been stuffing myself with cookies, baked goods, and pies. I just couldn't eat any more sweets that day.

Three cupcake flavors are available at Red Robin: Signature Freckled Lemonade, ChocoLOT, and So Very Vanilla. They cost $1.99 each or 3 for $5.29. Has anyone tried them yet? Thoughts?

Gingersnap Cupcakes from Picky Palate

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Sweet are the ket to happiness, or at least they are for me. This year for Christmas I'm baking a plate of goodies for my friends and family.

I've been collecting the best, most festive desserts ideas. I frequently go to Picky Palate when searching for yummy recipes. I came across these Gingerbread Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Buttercream frosting. I'm pretty sure they will be on my list of holiday goodies.

The Hotel Hershey

As a kid (and an adult), I've always had the dream of visiting Hershey, Pennsylvania. A city based on chocolate, what could be better than that? They even have an amusement park!

The other day Cupcakes Take The Cake posted about cupcakes from The Hotel Hershey. Sweets offers a large variety of cupcake flavors including Cinnamon French Toast, Chocolate Mudslide, Butterscotch, and Key Lime Pie. Check out the list of flavors on their menu.

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The Hotel Hershey also has a place called The Chocolate Spa, where "chocolate inspires innovative treatments like the Whipped Cocoa Bath, Chocolate Bean Polish, and the Chocolate Fondue Wrap."

Sounds like a dreamy, delicious place.