Cupcake Review - Cupcake's Bakery and Deli

On my way to visit family in Washington I stopped in at Cupcakes Bakery & Deli in Kennewick, Washington.  I didn't have to go too far out of my way to stop here which was great.   The bakery is easy to spot thanks to the brightly coloured cupcake on the side of the building.

Owner and baker Milli Banks was there to help me pick out some tasty looking cupcakes.  It wasn't easy because they all looked so good.  Milli is a bright spot in your day, especially if you're on a long road trip.  She has hospitality down pat and will have you going home with more cupcakes than you planned. Which is not a bad thing because her cupcakes are really good and it's hard to just pick one flavor to try.

While I was at the bakery chatting with Milli about her cupcakes and my love of baking cupcakes I tried her signature Dr. Pepper cupcake.  Now I happen to like Dr. Pepper so I knew I'd like this cupcake.  As I enjoyed the cupcake, Milli told me her daughter doesn't like Dr. Pepper but she likes these cupcakes.  I can see why. The cake is moist and has the perfect hint of Dr. Pepper.  The frosting melts in your mouth and compliments the cupcakes perfectly.

After having a pleasant conversation about cupcakes and baking I got two to go, a strawberry cheesecake and Milli talked me into a sweet potato.  I continued on my way and stopped at one of my favorite rest stops on the way to my families house.  This rest stop has a great view to enjoy while eating my cupcakes.

The strawberry cheesecake had a lovely strawberry flavor with a cheesecake filling. The beauty of this cheesecake cupcake is that it's not heavy.  The cake is moist and light and the cheesecake filling isn't thick and heavy. It's the perfect consistency.

When I say Milli talked me into the sweet potato cupcake I mean she sold it so good I had to try it.  I don't like sweet potato's.  But, Milli said it was one of her most popular and she doesn't always have it on hand because she only uses the best sweet potato's.  Well call me a liar because I liked these sweet potato cupcakes.  They didn't taste like nasty sweet potato's.  In case you don't know, I'm a really picky eater and can't stand the taste of most veggies.  The cake of these cupcakes was moist and light flavored and the frosting complimented it beautifully. I scarfed this cupcake down.

I'll definitely be stopping at Cupcakes Bakery & Deli   next time I go visit family in Washington. Flavors I want to try next time:
Pear Chardonnay
Chocolate Merlot
Beer & Bacon
Mango Cheesecake
Lavender Pinot Grigio

If you happen to find yourself driving through Kennewick, Washington I highly suggest you make a stop at Cupcakes Bakery & Deli and say Hi to Milli for me.

Bacon Blueberry Pancake Cupcakes

Bacon Blueberry Pancake Cupcakes 

Every July my dad's side of the family has a family reunion.  It's held at the same park every year.  The big covered area full of picnic tables with a grill near by is reserved.  There's a horse shoe pit right next to the covered area where my dad and his male cousins play a few games and  Eagle creek runs through the park where all the kids like to go down and cool off in it. 

There's always SO much food brought that I never know what to bring. I thought about bringing cupcakes.  If you've been following Fizzy Party for any length of time you know I love to bake cupcakes. Plus I had family who was going to the reunion tell  me I should bring cupcakes.  Only reason I hesitated was because it was going to be  hot that day and the park is an hours drive from our house. All the frosting would be melted down the sides of the cupcakes by the time we arrived.  

The morning of the reunion I still had no idea what I was going to bring.  Yes, you'd think being the party person I am I would have had that figured out the day I received the reminder email about the reunion.  I'm not kidding though when I say there is SO. Much. Food. So my mind goes blank on what to bring.  I hit the grocery store first thing in the morning and decided what the heck, I love making cupcakes, I'm known for my cupcakes, so I'm bringing cupcakes.  I took care of the frosting issue by putting it in a container and than inside the cooler on ice.  I would just frost the cupcakes once I arrived at the park.  Problem solved! 

I had a hard time picking which cupcakes I wanted to make but I finally decided on Georgetown Cupcakes   Bacon Blueberry Pancake cupcakes from their book The Cupcake Diaries.  They sounded delicious.  I mean, bacon is in the title of the recipe.  

Blueberries and bacon are mixed into the batter along with some maple syrup.  Sounds pancakey already doesn't it ;)  The cupcakes are than topped with maple cream cheese frosting.  Mmmmm

I added fresh blueberries on top.  As always I added more blueberries than the recipe called for.  People don't eat enough fruit so I'm just helping people out ;) hee hee

My mom said they are more of a savory cupcake and she's right.  Even though there is sweetness from the maple syrup and cream cheese, the bacon and blueberries cuts the sweetness.  I didn't get a chance to ask any of the other family members there what they thought but all 12 were gone. Woo Hoo!! 

If these cupcakes sound delicious to you and you want to make them click the affiliate links below and add Georgetown Cupcakes book to your cook book collection.  I make a small profit from the affiliate link and use that money to buy more cupcake ingredients :D 

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes 

A few months ago we visited the White Rabbit Bakery in Aurora, Oregon.  I had tried their seasonal flavor which at that time was the Apple Irish Cream.   It was so good and I'm not an apple fan, that I had to look up what the seasonal flavors were for the other months.  For June the seasonal flavor was The Marion County- vanilla cake, with marionberries baked in the batter, filled with lemon curd and frosted with vanilla buttercream.  It sounded delicious and I wanted to go try it.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get down to the bakery to try it. Sooo, I decided to try and make my own. 

I cheated a little and picked up a vanilla cake mix instead of making it from scratch.  I didn't have any marionberries so I substituted raspberries.  I mixed up the box cake mix, sifting it so it would be smooth when I mixed in the water, eggs and oil.  Once the cake mix was all mixed up I added the raspberries. I was very generous with the raspberries. 

Once the cupcakes cooled after baking I made the vanilla buttercream.  I used a few tips I found from a professional baker and it made a big difference in how the buttercream came out. I used the whisk attachment in my mixer, sifted all the confectioners sugar and added the confectioners sugar in a spoonful at a time instead of dumping it in. 

Before frosting the cupcakes I scooped out the middle, filled the cupcakes with lemon curd and than frosted them.  I used the Wilton 2D tip to frost the cupcakes, grated some lemon rind over the cupcakes and topped with a fresh raspberry. 

These cupcakes turned out pretty darn good.  I thought I had put a little too much lemon curd in the middle, I tend to be generous when I fill my cupcakes, but my husband said they were really good.  He didn't think I put too much lemon curd in.  In fact, he had two! Woo hoo! I love when I have a cupcake success. 

If you make these cupcakes leave a comment and let me know. 

My picks to help you re-create these cupcakes and get your bake on.
Affiliate-

Delectable Baked Goods Bakery Shop

Delectable Baked Goods Bake Shop

I'm SO excited!!!  My friend Delectable Baked Goods just opened her bake shop in Beaverton, Oregon.  Excuse the fuzzyish pictures. I don't know what happened with my camera. 

As soon as I got off work yesterday I HAD to stop by and support my friend at her bake shop.  I was excited to hear that they'll be open later hours for those of us who like to pick up a cupcake, cake or cookies after work. 

Not only can you pick up baked goods you can pick up other party supplies like cards, baking cups, sprinkles and mugs. 

There were so many pretty sprinkles. If I didn't already have a ton I would have bought some. 

It was great to see so many cupcakes available at 6:00 pm when I stopped by. And the best thing, they were fresh and moist.  I've stopped by bakeries later in the day before and the cupcakes are dry because they've been sitting there all day.  Since Delectable Baked Goods is open later their cupcakes will be always be fresh later in the day. Love that. 

I picked up chocolate raspberry cupcakes.  One for me and two to share.  They were so pretty and spring looking with their pink frosting. 

And yes, they were tasty.  Moist cake and the raspberry frosting tasted like spring. Delectable Baked Goods uses the freshest ingredients so you'll never get that fake flavor taste. 

If you're in the Portland metro area stop into Delectable Baked Goods and tell them Fizzy Party sent you.  

Cupcakes and Tulips

Cupcakes and Tulips 

It's Spring!!! I'm loving all the bulbs and tree's blooming.  I took a break from party planning over the weekend and took a day trip with my man to see the tulips in bloom.  Of course I had to take the opportunity to check out a bakery I hadn't been to before. 

On the way to the tulips we stopped at White Rabbit Bakery in Aurora, Oregon.  This bakery seems very fitting for spring. Rabbits make me think spring.   

Inside the bakery you'll find more white rabbits and a case full of cinnamon rolls, scones, cookies and cupcakes. My man got a chocolate chip cookie which he ate before I could get a photo.  It smelled good and was pretty tasty he said. 

I of course got a cupcake.  I tried the Apple Irish Cream.  Vanilla cake, filled with apples and frosted with Irish buttercream. And yes, it tastes as good as it sounds. The frosting is creamy, the cake is moist and the apples that fill the inside were cooked perfectly. The apple chunks inside were good sized too. The filling was not skimpy that's for sure. 

This cupcake is one of their seasonal flavors and I'll be heading back for some of their other seasonal flavors too. So many of them sound delicious and I can't resist a tasty cupcake or a road trip. 

After enjoying the cookie and cupcake we went to visit the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm  It was opening weekend so not a whole lot of tulips were blooming and it was drizzling all day but that didn't stop us from having a good time. 

Leave me a comment of your favorite cupcake shops. 

Kyra's Bake Shop Cupcake Review

Kyra's Bake Shop Cupcake Review 

Can you spot the little visitor interested in my cupcakes.  

All the baked goods at Kyra's Bake Shop are gluten free.  Now normally this would turn me away. I love my gluten and any store bought or homemade gluten free items I have tried have not tasted good at all.  But every cupcake I have had from Kyra's has been delicious.  I never would have known they were gluten free if I hadn't read that on her shops website.  

Before you start reading the review of the 3 cupcakes I tried please keep in mind that everyone's taste buds are different and I happen to have super picky ones.  While I enjoyed all the cupcakes I wished all 3 of them had MORE flavor to them. I love sweets and I want to really taste the sweetness. 

Chocolate Caramel Ecstasy: Chocolate cake, filled with their housemade salted caramel Sauce, topped with chocolate buttercream, dipped in chocolate ganache and sprinkled with salt. 

With caramel in the name you know I had to try it.  For those of you who don't know, my man says he could pour caramel on anything and I'd eat it.  He's not wrong. That's how much I love caramel. The cake was so moist and I even bought the day old one. The chocolate ganache was rich but I'm not much of a chocolate girl so if you like chocolate you might not think it's rich. The chocolate buttercream was so creamy and the hint of salt on top was just right. The caramel in the middle was salted perfectly.  I would have liked more of a sweet caramel taste from the filling. 

German chocolate: Chocolate cake, coconut pecan caramel filling, caramel buttercream, dipped in chocolate and topped with a pecan.

German chocolate cake is my FAV so I was excited to try this cupcake.  This cupcake was a day old as well and you'd never know it. The cake was moist and the caramel buttercream frosting was almost like eating a soft fluffy marshmallow.  The chocolate ganache topping has a smooth chocolatey taste.  The coconut pecan caramel filling could have been more coconutty for my taste buds.  It didn't have that classic German chocolate cake taste to me. I think more coconut would have made it taste more German chocolate cake like.  You can't have too much coconut in a German chocolate cake/cupcake.  

Lemon Lavender: Lemon cake, lavender buttercream, sprinkled with lavender.

Ok, you have to like the taste of lavender to enjoy this cupcake.  You can definitely taste the lavender but it's not over powering.  The lemon cake is very light.  I would have liked more lemon flavor coming through in this cupcake.  The lavender is the predominate flavor in this cupcake. I liked the little detail of lavender sprinkled on top the beautifully piped smooth frosting. 

All of these cupcakes are perfect for any party you're hosting or a just because get together.  The lemon lavender would be perfect for a tea party. The two chocolate cupcakes would be great for a death by chocolate or chocolate lovers party. 

Blackberry Crumb donut.  I couldn't resist this donut. I love blackberries and will eat them by the handful so I had to try this donut.  Plus it's just such a pretty colour.  I was surprised by how dense this donut was and then I remembered that all the baked goods at Kyra's Bake Shop are gluten free.  I've found that gluten free baked goods tend to be denser. The blackberry flavor was subtle and there was a hint of another flavor but I couldn't place it. This donut would be wonderful to enjoy on a lazy weekend morning with tea. 

I have never been disappointed by any cupcake I have tried at Kyra's Bake Shop.  She keeps me coming back for more with her rotating flavors.   I can't wait to try her Cherry Balsamic Black Pepper, Raspberry Hibiscus Rose, Kyra's Unicorn, Mimosa and more. 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes 

Whenever one of my family members retires we have a party.  This last weekend we had a party for my aunt and I was asked to make cupcakes.  I scrolled through my cupcake board on Pinterest to find a yummy recipe and decided on Your Cup of Cakes Chocolate Raspberry cupcakes.  I'm not a food blogger so while the pictures aren't drool worthy they are authentic and in the moment. 

I pulled up the recipe, took the laptop in the kitchen and started baking.  

The recipe calls for raspberry pie filling which I was sure our grocery store had. But when I went shopping the morning of the party the store didn't have any raspberry pie filling. They had apple, blueberry, peach, and strawberry. I wasn't going to have time to go to another store so I improvised and used this triple berry fruit filling instead.  This was going to be mixed into the cake mix so I figured it would work.  And it did. It made the cupcakes so moist. 

See, food blogger I am not. I was trying to be all artsy with my cupcake ingredient shot but it just doesn't look as good as the food bloggers make it look.  Plus, I was taking pics on the fly as I was baking. The food bloggers I'm sure set up their shots before they begin baking. 

mmmm, the smell of chocolate with a hint of berry filled my kitchen as the cupcakes cooled. You know I had to taste test one before bringing them to the party and they were so moist. 

This recipe is a keeper.  The cake is moist, the frosting is delicious and smooth and the fresh raspberry on top adds that burst of flavor. My cousin went back for seconds.  After all, you get 3 servings of fruit in these cupcakes ;)  Triple berry in the cake, raspberries in the frosting and a fresh raspberry on top.  

If you try this recipe I'd love to know what you think in the comments below. 

Lux Sucre Desserts Grand Opening

Lux Sucre Desserts  just opened her very own shop! It's located in the Charbonneau Golf Club shops just off I-5 toward Wilsonville, Oregon.  Totally worth the drive. The drive to the shop is so relaxing on a slow tree lined lane.   I went to her grand opening and her shop was packed!!  So proud of her. A group of ladies were sitting outside her shop enjoying their cupcakes and cookies and I heard one say, "This place is dangerous".  Oh yeah, they'll be back. ;) 

A fun little consultation area to discuss your wedding and party treat needs. I love the collage of Lux Sucre Desserts work.  It not only gives you an idea of the different styles of cake she does but it inspires you too.

While you're in Lux Sucre Desserts picking up some cupcakes for a party or house warming you were invited to, grab a hostess gift of these fun mugs.

Not in the mood for cookies or cupcakes?  How about some crispy treats? Dipped in chocolate and covered in fun sprinkles.  Kids can't resist these.

YUM!!! The first time I tried Lux Sucre Cupcakes was a few years ago at A Classic Affair Bridal Show.   So good. I only sampled one and was super tempted to sneak a few more ;)  Her frosting melts in your mouth and the cupcake is so light and delicious.

Getting married, big milestone birthday coming up, retirement party and need a cake? Lux Sucre Desserts has you covered.  How beautiful are these cakes.  I love the sedums on the cake. It makes me want to throw a sedum party so I can get a mini cake with these sedums sitting on top.

Such a pretty watercolour cake.  Love the edible flower work too. This would be a show stopper at your wedding.

I saved my fav cake for last.  So many great details. That rope work, the heart beautifully painted and the big flower. I love the touch of the arrow through the cake too.

If you're in the Portland metro area go to Lux Sucre Desserts.  Get out of downtown Portland and venture out of the East side and explore a great bakery.  The drive to the shop is so relaxing.  A nice slow drive through a tree lined street.