Gigi's Cupcakes announced 8 new cupcakes for the 2013 spring/summer season. The new cupcakes will debut Monday, March 25.
Candy Bar Crunch: Yellow Cake with bits of Butterfinger baked in, topped with Butterfinger buttercream frosting and crushed Butterfingers. Available Thursdays and Saturdays.
Chocolate Cola Cake: Chocolate cake with Coca-Cola, topped with chocolate cola buttercream frosting and a dollop of vanilla buttercream. Available on Saturdays.
Blueberry Lavender: Blueberry cake with lavender and vanilla, lemon cream cheese frosting, sugar crystals and edible pearls. Available on Fridays.
Double Stuff: Dark chocolate cake filled with marshmallow cream and topped with Oreo buttercream frosting, drizzled in ganache and a mini Oreo cookie. Available Mondays and Wednesdays.
Dulce de Leche: Rich caramel cake filled with dulce de leche caramel, dulce de leche cream cheese frosting, topped with caramel drizzle and a caramel. Available Mondays and Wednesdays.
Mojito: Mint and lime cake baked with rum, mojito buttercream frosting, rimmed in sugar crystals and topped with a fondant mint leaf. Available Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Sopapilla: Cinnamon sugar cake with honey butter, honey cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, topped with a sopapilla and honey. Available Wednesdays and Fridays.
Tropical Spritzer: Lemon lime cake made with Sprite, filled with pineapple coconut filling, lemon cream cheese frosting and sugar crystals. Available on Fridays.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Ooh La Lotta Desserts
Since it was a long time ago that we tried Ooh La La Dessert Boutique in Katy, never visited the Town and County location and not reviewed on the blog, I really wanted to try them again. Alas, we did last weekend. The store is pretty big with a lot of seating and a wide range of dessert options from cupcakes to gelato. While we got a few cupcakes (fairly large ones I might add), we also partook in a few other desserts.
My cupcake selection was the Tuxedo, which was chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream, topped with white chocolate and chocolate chunks.
Hubby had Italiano consisting of vanilla cake with chocolate chips, coconut and pecans folded in, topped with fluffy cream cheese icing.
I truly enjoyed my cupcake. It was not as moist as some cupcakes I'm used to, but it wasn't dry by any means. Cupcake prices for jumbo are $3.25 and minis $1.25.
Next, hubby and I split white chocolate bread pudding. We heated it up and poured the sauce they provided; I believe it was a rum sauce. This dessert was just OK. I've had better bread pudding. I probably wouldn't get this again.
Last, hubby and I split red velvet cheesecake. We were anxious about this one being fans of red velvet and never having tried it in cheesecake form. Well, it didn't quite taste like red velvet, but it was still very good. It was more like traditional cheesecake flavor. The little bit of frosting on top did remind me of the cream cheese frosting used in red velvet.
Our experience with Ooh La La was positive enough to say we will return. I'd love to try some of their other cupcakes and especially the gelato.
My cupcake selection was the Tuxedo, which was chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream, topped with white chocolate and chocolate chunks.
Hubby had Italiano consisting of vanilla cake with chocolate chips, coconut and pecans folded in, topped with fluffy cream cheese icing.
I truly enjoyed my cupcake. It was not as moist as some cupcakes I'm used to, but it wasn't dry by any means. Cupcake prices for jumbo are $3.25 and minis $1.25.
Next, hubby and I split white chocolate bread pudding. We heated it up and poured the sauce they provided; I believe it was a rum sauce. This dessert was just OK. I've had better bread pudding. I probably wouldn't get this again.
Last, hubby and I split red velvet cheesecake. We were anxious about this one being fans of red velvet and never having tried it in cheesecake form. Well, it didn't quite taste like red velvet, but it was still very good. It was more like traditional cheesecake flavor. The little bit of frosting on top did remind me of the cream cheese frosting used in red velvet.
Our experience with Ooh La La was positive enough to say we will return. I'd love to try some of their other cupcakes and especially the gelato.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
March Cupcake Specials
Here are this month's specials...
March 1-17:
- Irish Chocolate: Belgian dark chocolate cake topped with Baileys Irish cream cheese frosting. I tried this one last year...it's a must try! Very yummy!
March 16-17:
- Green Velvet: Light chocolate cake tinted green, topped with cream cheese frosting.
March 20-April 2:
- Cherry Blossom: Made with loads of sweet, pureed cherries in both the cake and frosting.
March 22-April 7:
- Brown Sugar Praline: Rich caramel cake topped with brown sugar frosting and crunchy praline.
March 11-22:
- Kahlua and Cream: Vanilla bean cake with rich Kahlua buttercream frosting.
Tue/Thu/Sat:
- Peanut Butter Doo Dah: Chocolate cake filled and topped with peanut butter frosting and dipped in dark chocolate.
- German Chocolate: German chocolate cake filled and topped with traditional coconut pecan frosting.
Wed/Fri:
- Hummingbird: Traditional Southern butter cake made with banana, pineapple, coconut and pecans, topped with cream cheese frosting.
- Chocolate with Strawberry (Mon/Sat)
- Chocolate with Vanilla (Mon/Sat)
- Vanilla with Chocolate (Fri/Sat/Sun)
- Hummingbird (Thu/Fri/Sun)
- Orange (Mon/Wed/Fri)
- Pistachio (Tue/Thu/Sun)
Now available daily:
- S'more: Chocolate cake with a graham cracker crust topped with toasted marshmallow.
While out and about today, I noticed Ooh La La Dessert Boutique in the Memorial Town and Country Village/City Centre area. Evidently, they opened around November 2011, so I'm a bit late to realize it. We visited them a few years back at their Katy location and I recall they had some big ol' jumbo cupcakes. They are good, but now I will have to give the Memorial location a shot sometime. Here's Ooh La La's March cupcake of the month:
- Grasshopper: Mint cupcake with mini chocolate chips folded in topped with mint buttercream and mini chocolate chips.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Colossal Cupcakes
Last weekend, we were in the neighborhood of Three Brothers Bakery, a local bakery I've always wanted to try, so it was the perfect opportunity to grab some sweets. Well, we were in for some seriously large cupcakes that they referred to as "jumbo." They were about twice the size of standard cupcakes.
The husband and I decided on four. My choices were cheesecake (top left) and black velvet (bottom left). The husband selected red velvet (top right) and Italian cream (bottom right).
I started with black velvet, which was chocolate cake topped with cream cheese frosting and cake crumbles. The cupcake was good. It was a bit cold, so they appear to refrigerate them, which leads me to believe they aren't truly fresh baked. Refrigeration keeps cake fresher longer, but reduces the moisture. Some of the gourmet cupcakeries will actually instruct you NOT to refrigerate their cupcakes to ensure they retain their true flavor.
My second cupcake was the cheesecake. There wasn't a description of this cupcake on their website, but it seemed to be a yellow cake with a bit of cream cheese filled in the middle; topped with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate curls. This one was a bit more moist than the black velvet, but still refrigerated.
This bakery is family-owned and has been around since 1949. More than cakes and cookies, they also have hearty baked goods like breads and bagels. The cupcakes were good, but I prefer the cupcake-specific shops. However, I would try this bakery again sometime for cakes or breads.
The husband and I decided on four. My choices were cheesecake (top left) and black velvet (bottom left). The husband selected red velvet (top right) and Italian cream (bottom right).
I started with black velvet, which was chocolate cake topped with cream cheese frosting and cake crumbles. The cupcake was good. It was a bit cold, so they appear to refrigerate them, which leads me to believe they aren't truly fresh baked. Refrigeration keeps cake fresher longer, but reduces the moisture. Some of the gourmet cupcakeries will actually instruct you NOT to refrigerate their cupcakes to ensure they retain their true flavor.
My second cupcake was the cheesecake. There wasn't a description of this cupcake on their website, but it seemed to be a yellow cake with a bit of cream cheese filled in the middle; topped with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate curls. This one was a bit more moist than the black velvet, but still refrigerated.
This bakery is family-owned and has been around since 1949. More than cakes and cookies, they also have hearty baked goods like breads and bagels. The cupcakes were good, but I prefer the cupcake-specific shops. However, I would try this bakery again sometime for cakes or breads.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Drop, Stop, Cake Pop
A few months ago, I purchased a Bake Pop cake pop pan. Try saying that five times fast. So, I decided to give it a try this past weekend.
Aside from some of the usual ingredients like eggs and oil, I used Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix in French Vanilla, Kroger brand French vanilla pudding mix and Kroger brand vanilla candy coating. The Bake Pop instructions said to add another egg and substitute the one cup of water the cake mix called for with a half cup of milk. Supposedly, these modifications make the cake more dense. If you've had cake pops or cake balls before, they are usually denser and more moist inside than the usual fluffy cake.
After preparing the mix, I sprayed the cake pop pan with no stick baking spray containing flour; filled the pan with batter and stuck it in the oven at 350 degrees. The Bake Pop directions said to bake it for 25-30 minutes, but I reduced it to 20 minutes.
When removing the pan from the oven, the batter sort of exploded outside the little vent holes. After cooling for about ten minutes, I heated up a little of the candy coating in the microwave, dipped the cake pop sticks in the candy coating and inserted them into the cake pops. I also bought a styrofoam block to hold the pops upright and stuck them in the freezer for another ten minutes.
Once cooled, I heated the remaining candy coating in the microwave according to the instructions on the package and began dipping the pops. This was a messy project. The coating dripped a lot or the sticks fell out or the pop. For some pops, I added some sprinkles. In the meantime, I made another batch with the remaining batter, reducing the bake time to 15 minutes. After the last batch was done, I just went with cake balls. The total cake pop/ball count made was 27.
Here are the results...
While they look pretty good and tasted fine, they weren't as dense or moist as ones I've had from other people or places. Between making multiple batches, mishaps, cleaning in between, etc., the process took about two and a half hours. Baking cupcakes takes a lot less time. I will likely make cake pops again sometime, but not for awhile and not very often.
Aside from some of the usual ingredients like eggs and oil, I used Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix in French Vanilla, Kroger brand French vanilla pudding mix and Kroger brand vanilla candy coating. The Bake Pop instructions said to add another egg and substitute the one cup of water the cake mix called for with a half cup of milk. Supposedly, these modifications make the cake more dense. If you've had cake pops or cake balls before, they are usually denser and more moist inside than the usual fluffy cake.
After preparing the mix, I sprayed the cake pop pan with no stick baking spray containing flour; filled the pan with batter and stuck it in the oven at 350 degrees. The Bake Pop directions said to bake it for 25-30 minutes, but I reduced it to 20 minutes.
When removing the pan from the oven, the batter sort of exploded outside the little vent holes. After cooling for about ten minutes, I heated up a little of the candy coating in the microwave, dipped the cake pop sticks in the candy coating and inserted them into the cake pops. I also bought a styrofoam block to hold the pops upright and stuck them in the freezer for another ten minutes.
Once cooled, I heated the remaining candy coating in the microwave according to the instructions on the package and began dipping the pops. This was a messy project. The coating dripped a lot or the sticks fell out or the pop. For some pops, I added some sprinkles. In the meantime, I made another batch with the remaining batter, reducing the bake time to 15 minutes. After the last batch was done, I just went with cake balls. The total cake pop/ball count made was 27.
Here are the results...
While they look pretty good and tasted fine, they weren't as dense or moist as ones I've had from other people or places. Between making multiple batches, mishaps, cleaning in between, etc., the process took about two and a half hours. Baking cupcakes takes a lot less time. I will likely make cake pops again sometime, but not for awhile and not very often.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Slow on the Cupcake Front, but King Cake Season is Here
The cupcake selections and opportunities have been a bit slow. However, it is Mardi Gras season, so this is a good time to indulge in a king cake since they're usually only available for about a month. The past few weekends, the hubby and I sampled a few from local grocery stores. They weren't comparable to a true Louisiana king cake, thereby not worthy enough to feature a full blog post. But between HEB and Kroger, the clear winner is HEB. If you plan on getting one, make sure you get the cream cheese filled flavor. I sampled the pineapple and wasn't a fan. Kroger's version wasn't bad, but just tasted like a cinnamon roll.
Anyway, back to the cupcakes. Several weeks ago, I had a chance to try Sprinkles Triple Cinnamon cupcake during a coworker's birthday lunch. While I failed to get a photo, here's more info about the cupcake itself from Sprinkle's website: http://www.sprinkles.com/gourmet-cupcake-flavors/triple-cinnamon-cupcakes/. It's a lightly spiced buttermilk cupcake topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and dusted with cinnamon sugar. This one is much better than their cinnamon sugar cupcake as this has frosting. It truly had a lot of cinnamon flavor and was moist.
Then, a few weekends ago, we made a trip to Gigi's. The flavor selections were the same as what I've featured before, but we did get a chance to try a different featured flavor this time; German Chocolate. It's German chocolate cake topped with homemade chocolate cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut and pecans.
The cake, frosting and consistency were good, but I just don't care for coconut and pecans. I realize this is typical of German chocolate, so it's just me.
Anyway, back to the cupcakes. Several weeks ago, I had a chance to try Sprinkles Triple Cinnamon cupcake during a coworker's birthday lunch. While I failed to get a photo, here's more info about the cupcake itself from Sprinkle's website: http://www.sprinkles.com/gourmet-cupcake-flavors/triple-cinnamon-cupcakes/. It's a lightly spiced buttermilk cupcake topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and dusted with cinnamon sugar. This one is much better than their cinnamon sugar cupcake as this has frosting. It truly had a lot of cinnamon flavor and was moist.
Then, a few weekends ago, we made a trip to Gigi's. The flavor selections were the same as what I've featured before, but we did get a chance to try a different featured flavor this time; German Chocolate. It's German chocolate cake topped with homemade chocolate cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut and pecans.
The cake, frosting and consistency were good, but I just don't care for coconut and pecans. I realize this is typical of German chocolate, so it's just me.
February Cupcake Specials
Here are the specials...
February 1-24:
- Raspberry Chocolate Chip: Chip-studded Belgian dark chocolate cake topped with raspberry frosting.
- Salty Caramel: Fleur de sel granules compliment the sweet, buttery caramel, which flavors both the cake and frosting. My favorite is back!
February 9-14:
- Strawberry on Chocolate: Dark chocolate cake with strawberry frosting. I had this one when it was featured last year; pretty good if you like dark chocolate and strawberry flavors.
Tue/Thu/Sat:
- Smores: Chocolate cake with chunks of graham cracker and milk chocolate chips, topped with marshmallow buttercream, a drizzle of ganache and toasted marshmallows.
Wed/Fri:
- Candy Bar: Chocolate cake with a Snickers® baked inside, topped with caramel buttercream, roasted peanuts, and drizzled with caramel and ganache.
- Banana Split: Banana cake with a swirl of strawberry puree, topped with strawberry buttercream, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and your choice of rainbow jimmies or chopped peanuts.
- Cookie Dough, I love you so...: Chocolate chip cookie inspired cake with an eggless cookie dough frosting. This is one of my favorites at Sugarbaby's.
Gigi's now offers three gluten-free cupcake options every Friday. Each Friday, they serve Birthday Surprise, White Hot Chocolate and Wedding Cake. Some locations bake additional gluten-free flavors and offer them on other days as well, so check with your local Gigi's for more information.
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