Good to be Queen

The other day I was surprised by my man who brought home a box of cupcakes from The Queen Bee Bakery Co. Two women that work with my man so thoughtfully decided to share their recent delivery from The Queen Bee. Of course there were no complaints from me! I have to say right off these have moved up the list to one of my favs! The box contained six mini cupcakes- red velvet, caramel, coconut cream, key lime, strawberry, and chocolate3. They all had filled centers which I have to say made me nervous but they were so good! The key lime and strawberry were probably my top favorites. The icing was nice and light, not too sweet, and you could taste real strawberry and lime. The caramel was so rich that you could taste the butter which I am sure was used in making it. And the red velvet actually had a nice flavor which is surprising because I have yet to be impressed by any red velvet. The Queen Bee does not have a store front yet but can be visited at Tai Pan Trading which I may just become their newest frequent shopper! The sprinkle score....do I dare give it a 5...I think so especially since I am still thinking of them!

So Cupcake is a Truckin'

Recently my man's work had 'Take Your Kid to Work' day which included a visit from So Cupcake's cupcake truck. I could not pass up the opportunity to finally check it out even though I have already reviewed their cupcakes some time ago. It was great fun pulling up and seeing this pink truck in front of my man's office. They sell their full and mini sized cupcakes along with ice cream. I so enjoyed walking up to the truck and ordering my strawberry cupcake. The cupcakes still taste the same but the truck added another element to the experience.

Sugar Plum's Gets a 1st Time Visitor

My daughter turned 6 months the other day. How appropriate that we happened upon a cupcake place that very day. It is called Sugar Plum's Cupcakery in Mason, OH and is the satellite location for the main bakery in Milford. Her grandma, grandpa and I stopped in with her to celebrate her 1/2 year mark- and to initiate her into the cupcake world. We chose 4 cupcakes: Pink Lady (tasteless), Cincinnati (think German chocolate), Lemon and Blueberry (pretty tasty) and Chocolate Chocolate (the favorite). The cupcakes weren't the best I've ever had and they were skimpy on the fillings, but overall not a total disappointment for my daughter's first cupcake place. We give it 3 sprinkles. She gives it some drool.

Sunshine and Cupcakes

Recently I had to travel with my man to Florida. I am proud to say I did a little taste testing while I was there. First stop was the Cupcake Spot in St Petersburg. I ordered the Berry Squared and Better Thans. Berry Squared was a strawberry cake with raspberry cream cheese icing. Better Thans was a chocolate chip cake also with cream cheese icing. This may be a shock but I couldn't finish the Berry Squared cupcake. The icing had a weird taste and was just not that good. The Better Thans on the other hand was decent. The cake reminded me of my partner in cupcake crime's chocolate chip muffins she would fix in college. However the icing made me think of icing from a can, not bad, but not impressive. Cupcake Spot was just average for me. I give it 2.5 sprinkles.

Next stop Frosting ETC in Tampa. This stop I found beautiful creatively flavored cupcakes with

a very passionate and nice cupcake worker! After MUCH deliberation I chose Champagne Pear Bellini, Guinness Beer, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. I so wanted to love these cupcakes but once again they did not do it for me. Champagne Pear Bellini, which I was informed has won awards and has been reviewed by food critics. Maybe my taste buds were out of order that day but the cake, which had chunks of pear baked in, had no flavor. The icing on the other hand had a nice sweet, salty and smooth flavor. Next up was Guinness Beer which was the cupcake worker's fav. Once again the chocolate cake had no flavor but the icing was de-lish. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough had the same story- tasteless cake and amazing icing. The icing I think actually had cookie dough mixed in! I was content eating the icing and forget the cake! So Frosting ETC gets only 2 sprinkles.

Filler Up!

We went to Indiana for a New Year's Eve wedding this year. This gave me the chance to stop in and visit my sister's family in Indianapolis- including my two trustworthy cupcake taste testers. We went to the strangest place I've ever been to to get a cupcake- a gas station. No, not a building that used to be a gas station- an actual gas station. The place, Holy Cow Cupcakes, is in an attached side building. It is small and built for to-go orders only. We mulled over our options and settled on a few...chocolate chip cookie dough, decadent chocolate and strawberry with chocolate icing. I was beginning to feel under the weather, so I, in a rare act, only ate half of my chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake. It was very rich and had a generous dollop of cookie dough at the bottom. I've actually attempted these at home before, but Holy Cow's were much better. My niece chose this one too and loved it. My other niece chose the decadent chocolate and didn't speak a word as she ate it. I'm assuming this means good things. Overall, the place is simple with a unique location twist and above average cupcakes. I'll give it 4 sprinkles.