Cupcakes to Crave For

The most recent (and usually most frequent) cupcake eating frenzy transpired by way of Crave Cupcakes. The boyfriend selected white chocolate macadamia nut (top middle), carrot cake (top right) and vanilla (bottom right). My flavors were strawberry (top left), chocolate on vanilla (bottom left) and red velvet (bottom middle). As many times as I have eaten Crave, I never had a bad experience with their sweet concoctions. I have tried some flavors that were good, but not a favorite. Yet, their cupcakes are always the right consistency; have the right amount of frosting; and contain the right combination of ingredients.

The boyfriend's favorite Crave cupcake of all time is the white chocolate macadamia nut. It's a flavor you don't see offered at many cupcakeries. I'm not a fan of nuts, so I haven't tried it, but I'll take his word for it being as scrumptious as he says it is. Never cared for carrot cake, so I didn't try that one either. I've had their vanilla in the past and even though it sounds plain, it's very good. They use pure Madagascar vanilla and coat the frosting with sprinkles, making this cupcake anything but plain.

As always, I started with the strawberry cupcake. I don't know why, but I've made it a ritual now, so why change? The strawberry flavor throughout the cake and the frosting make the perfect balance. There are small bits of real strawberries inside the cake that give it an authentic strawberry taste.

Second was the red velvet. Another perfect combination of cake and frosting in this southern favorite. The cupcake has a moderate cocoa flavor with creamy cream cheese frosting. What more can I say?

After the second cupcake, that sugar coma kicked in, so I needed a break. A few hours later, the finale took place...chocolate on vanilla. It also sounds plain like the vanilla, but again, the ingredients Crave uses make these traditional cupcakes pop with flavor. The cake is vanilla bean and the frosting is milk chocolate with a drizzle of sprinkles on top. Sometimes the simplest flavors are the most delicious.

Crave is my favorite cupcakery. There are several others that come very close though. Crave uses the best, purest ingredients and make batches continuously throughout the day, so you know they are fresh. Even though he likes Crave a lot, the boyfriend has a different favorite that we'll feature later. Till then…the crusade continues!