Cupcakes

This blog is all about my favourite cupcakes, and believe me, I have eaten a lot.
 



Selection of treats at the Primrose Bakery.


 

One of, I think, the absolute best bakeries for cupcakes is the always delightful Primrose Bakery in Camden.
 
 
 


Just look at how pretty this is. This was a breakfast treat for me after a long flight; vanilla sponge and vanilla frosting with delicate sugared flowers.


With its Victorian white terraces, Primrose Hill is the height of London sophistication, pretty and quaint but pricey. It is It is in stark contrast to Camden Town high street, just a short walk away along the canal, which has a cooler and less conforming air.

Salted Caramel Cupcake

Primrose Hill Bakery is quietly reserved, however the flavours are not; their salted caramel cupcake (of which I am scoffing in my profile picture) is one of the most enjoyable things I have ever eaten. The sugary and sticky caramel frosting is piped generously on top of a sweet vanilla cupcake, with a flurry of fleur de sel to finish, helping to cut the caramel. It is mind-blowing good, but if I am being completely honest, you could put that frosting on anything and I’d be pretty happy.

Next is probably my most-perfect cupcake, a peanut cake, which is basically a light and delicate vanilla sponge with chewable pieces of peanuts strewn throughout. It is then topped with a swirl of peanut butter frosting, which is sweet and salty and unctuous.  This marvel of modern baking used to be found on Oxford Street in Lola’s located in the Food Court at Selfridges, but they have since stopped making it, perhaps it is just made seasonally? *Hopeful* Along with the (no-more) PB cupcake is a fantastic Oreo chocolate cupcake, dense chocolate that is sweet but not overly clawing with a perfect mound of Oreo’s crushed into vanilla frosting, yum! But do steer clear of the “Whoopie Pies”, like a bizarre muffin top cookie sandwich, it doesn’t deliver the yumminess you are expecting, or deserve. Eat a cupcake instead.

 Much to my own personal sadness, I don't seem to have any pics of the PB wonder cake  :'-(

Next is the perfectly named Hummingbird Bakery, I love it and not only for its cute and colourful window display of the days fresh cupcakes but that their shop is named after a cupcake itself, how perfect. There are five shop-fronts in London, all in cool and touristy locations, South Ken, Spitalfields, Soho, Islington, but I particularly like the Notting Hill shop; stopping off with a friend after looking at all the vintage faire at Portablello Road Market - a cupcake is greatly deserved after this strenuous activity. Whilst at the Hummingbird Bakery you definitely need to try the shops namesake, the Hummingbird cupcake. A pineapple and banana cake with pecan nuts, it certainly is for the exotically adventurous. It is topped with a cream cheese frosting, cinnamon and more pecans. If, like me this isn’t exactly your cup of tea, delicious but not something you would choose every day, then a vanilla sponge cupcake with a pastel coloured vanilla frosting AND sprinkles is an ideal alternative.
 

 
Lastly we are talking NYC and the Magnolia Bakery; featured in plenty of magazines and articles after it was made crazy famous by Sex and the City, the flagship store however is tiny. With its added notoriety there is barely enough room for one to look at all their delightful and almost chintzy displays (which I absolutely love - if you can't have chintz in a cupcakery, where can you)? And there is the added pressure of this being busy NYC, you have to take a firm stance in the queue immediately otherwise there is a distinct possibility you will be barged by a rotund woman who simply cannot wait to eat her cake, not exactly the experience you want in a cute cupcake adventure, but what can you do?
 
 My husband decided to give me a moment to myself and waited outside as I made up my mind as to which cake I would have. I opted for a pistachio cupcake. They aren’t too hot on decoration, but with a sprinkling of pistachio nuts on top of the large mound of pistachio meringue buttercream, I couldn’t have asked for more. The cake was moist and delicately aromatic with the pistachio nut flavor balanced perfectly. It is a good idea to wait for a nice, non-humid New York City day, to buy your cake of cakes, and to eat your it with a coffee in the park across the road.  

City Treats

There is absolutely nothing I like better than to walk around a city, especially London, on a sunny afternoon, stopping only to have a sweet treat break.

 In the very heart of Soho you can find respite from the traffic and people in Italian Bakery, Princi on Wardour Street. On entering you are greeted with the smell of fresh baked bread and coffee and an incredible display of pastries are housed in a glass and marble case.

This is what I ended up getting, quite honestly it is THE best mille feuille I have ever scoffed. Crispy sweet pastry sandwiches thick and luscious French pastry cream scented with vanilla, then to give the pud stability a spongy layer of vanilla cake is added, then it is topped with apricot-jam-glazed strawberries. Seriously this is food porn at its finest.

www.princi.co.uk

Now, these aren't great pictures, granted, but just imagine; it's a cold February evening, you're out to dinner with some friends at Gilgamesh in Camden. You enter a tiny doorway and immediately walk up moving escalators in high heels when you are greeted by a woman wearing all black, she takes your coat and offers you a seat in the sunken bar where pink lights create deep shadows from the frescos. The walls are clad with panels of bearded Syrian warriors and their horses - a perfect synergy between nature and opulent luxury. 

You finally get to your table and are presented with the most perfect miso glazed sea bass - you eat the lot even though you know you are about to go out dancing shortly. My friends opted for the giant fruit bowl for dessert (see pic), clever; I on the other hand had other plans...


Deep and dark in colour it was coupled with a blob of white lusciousness, it was a steaming chocolate fondant with cold Madagascan vanilla ice cream, I knew then that dancing was doomed and that the evening was being completely and unreservedly given to that amazing mound of chocolate gooeyness - and I was happy.

I have made them at home from a Gordon Ramsay recipe and I have to say, they were just as good, perhaps I will discuss them in later blog.

Another chocolate haven is Cocmaya. Pretty much everything is made fresh; the bakes, cookies, chocolates and marshmallows.There are four store fronts in London, one is a stall in Heathrow Terminal 5-worth the flight just for that, but my favourite is in Porchester Place, a ten minute walk from Marble Arch tube and Oxford Street.
The store front reminds me of a delicate English tea room, white and pink, it looks elegant and girly, but when you walk through those doors you see an array of chocolates laid out on a long wooden table, much like I imagined in the book Chocolat.

During special holidays Cocomaya create limited edition selections of spiced and flavoured confectionary, and various adorable heart shaped biscuits are often on display for Valentines Day. Their pumpkin ganache truffles are obviously great for Hallowe'en or as a gift for American friends for Thanksgiving. Some chocolates are given more subtle hints of flavour with tea infused milk chocolate and they have even created a cola flavour. I love the salted caramel filled truffles and their praline is just unbelievable.

A trip to Cocmaya really is an amazing way to end a day of shopping, or any day for that matter, in the City.

Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man

Tucked away in a corner of Caesar's Palace, next to the aquarium we can find Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man. It is as wonderful as it sounds, with sumptuously simple brown and beige decor one immediately knows it's going to be a good day.

The restaurant itself is fairly dimly lit, tables are plonked around haphazardly surrounding a bar and large barrels of chocolate are everywhere.

The menu is actually pretty brilliant, with a vast array of savoury treats as well as sweet. Breakfast can be both sweet or salty with pancakes and French toast or eggs and bagels. For lunch you can stuff your face with plenty of American favourites too; Burgers, Sandwiches, Pasta and Salad and don't forget to order the French Fries, dusted with chili and cocoa powder, they are amazing.

They also have a great chocolate cocktail menu and chocolate beer if you want to start the day as you mean to go on.

But we want to talk about the chocolate in ALL it's guises.



First, let me just say that you need to visit more than once, don't try to eat the entire sweet menu, because you will epically fail.

Start by ordering a sweet hot chocolate hug, it is decadent and thick and served with extra inclusions, like marshmallows or cream. It is not too hot, so you can sip away immediately in comfort whilst you peruse the menu. If do it yourself is more your style however, you can order the "Do-It-Yourself" Hot Chocolate (aptly named), with a piping vessel of milk and chocolate chunks on the side you can add the sweetness to your own preferred taste, watching as the milk turns from pure white to glorious rippled brown.




So, once you are settled with your drink what could you possibly order from the menu that could top it? EVERYTHING! Perhaps the waffles? Or the Crème Brulee Crepe? Or Banana Split Waffles?

Yes, they do look amazing, but you've seen those on menus across the country, why not try something a bit crazy?

The Chocolate Chunks Pizza is a good place to start as it is somewhat familiar and great to share with a gang of friends, as you're in Vegas you should have "The Works", with hazelnut pieces, caramlised banana, peanut butter and roasted marshmallow it really is perfect balanced and not tooth achingly sweet.

If that isn't enough carby stodge for you, however, how about a filled bagel, with hazelnut praline or peanut butter and a whole chocolate bar, it really is decadence beyond measure.

If these options just seem too safe or ordinary to you, you could definitely opt for the new Sweet Burger, with strawberry ketchup and vanilla cream mustard, it is on my list to try next.

All of these amazing desserts really are wonderfully balanced but not much can beat the simple pleasure of a chocolate fondue with dippable bananas, strawberries, waffle pieces, marshmallow and even ice cream, is the epitome of sophistication, you can nibble little pieces and share with a loved one, a perfect end to a night on the town in fabulously extravagant Las Vegas.

P.S. Don't forget to nip to the chocolate shop afterwards to continue the chocolate wonderment with a hot chocolate shot in a syringe for later and all types of cocoa body butter's- you'll smell as wonderful as if you were made of chocolate yourself.

www.maxbrenner.com/‎



‎



Peanut Butter

Along with my sweet and spice vice I also have a major thing for sweet and salt!

Salted caramels, chocolate coated pretzel rods are an obvious "like" for me, but my first love of sweet and salt is peanut butter, and not just any peanut butter, but peanut butter whizzed, melded and slurped through a straw as a peanut butter milkshake!

I try peanut butter milkshakes literally whenever I see them on a menu, and here are a few of my favourites!

Let's start with the thickest milkshake I have ever had, at "The Burger Bar" in Roy, Utah, as you can see it is literally sticking up and out of the polystyrene cup. Don't be fooled by it's vanilla ice-cream appearance, because it packs the biggest peanut buttery punch, but you do need to eat it with a spoon, so maybe less a shake more a dessert, either way I was happy with what I received when this came through the serving hatch.

On a hot summers day, whilst walking around a city and shopping there is no better pit stop than at Ed's Diner in London, England, of which there are now 4 restaurants. This peanut butter shake is blended with Horlicks malt drink to give it some malty malteasery goodness, it is drinkable through a straw, but the best part of this milkshake is that when you order it you do so in an "authentic" 50's American diner, making it feel all the more special. It is served in a big glass with extra (always needed) in a metal canister in which it was blended.

My third happiest is again in Utah, and I am just going to say any drive through, as I am afraid I can't remember the specific fast food chain, so instead I am going to share this picture...look how happy it makes three girls?! Thank you, God of peanuts for whizzing up your children and adding it to milk!

So, for a peanut lover, a peanut butter shake is the best thing in the world...I intend to try peanut butter in all of my future recipes just to see what works...I imagine it will be everything! One to think about is going to be chocolate macaroons with peanut butter filling...YUM!

Mexico City

I have a sweet and spice addiction, the spicier the main is, the happier I am, and what follows a spice fest main course, but a sweet and stodgy dessert! This is why in 2009, Mexico City was a top choice  for our vacation!

Did it matter that it was the rainy season? No!

Did it matter that it wasn't exactly a European tourist hotspot? No!!

Did it matter that we were told by random groups of people not to go for fear of kidnapping? No!! (And don't be ridiculous)!!

None of this mattered because (as a student of archaeology) I was all too aware of the amazing treasures that would await us...this, of course, included the spice markers and the churros and chocolate caliente restaurants, or churreria. One such restaurant is, Churreria El Moro.

 http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/mexico-city/restaurants/cafe/churreria-el-moro

Whilst wandering the streets of Mexico city we were captured by the inviting scent of sugar and cinnamon, nothing could have been more enticing on such a stormy and chilly day than a mountain of churros and hot chocolate.

We entered a gorgeously decorated room, typically Mexican in style, which was noisy and busy. We found a seat, and I perused the menu for which hot chocolate I would have.

They have a number of hot chocolates, one is an Aztec hot chocolate, which is deep in colour, rather thin but spiced with chili, there is a sweeter and lighter French hot chocolate made with more cream and milk chocolate, making it perfect for a European chocolate lover, and there is a thicker Spanish hot chocolate which is deep and unctuous. This is what I opted for! It was perfect with the long, deep fried Mexican doughnut, which I promptly dunked into the hot chocolate.

With chocolate running down my chin and sugar on my lips, I realised that I had to capture this amazing moment, the moment when I fell in love with an incredible Mexican tradition, so I quickly put down my, probably eighth churro by now, and took a picture of a rather depleted mound of churros!

If you visit Mexico city, and you should, Churreria El Moro is the best start to your adventure!

Intros...

Hello!


My name is Laurie and I am a chocolate addict! I have the most intense sweet tooth of anyone I've met and I am ALWAYS looking for the next amazing cake, candy bar or sweet drinkable treat!


I travel a lot and one aim of my travels is to find the best sugary snack on my journey.


I also love to bake and, when I get chance make mammoth puddings for every occasion!