Austin Cupcakes + Food Trucks

Little Cupcake Lady in the hizzouse!

It's been awhile. After living in a foreign country without an oven to bake in or the cupcake craze happening, I have been having some major cupcake withdrawals.

I have been making little trips to Austin, TX and have decided to go on a journey finding cupcake places that show up on my Google map app on my cell phone, which was kind of a mistake. The addresses that showed up for some cupcakeries on Google map were wrong addresses, so then I had to look up the website and get the address that way. And sometimes THAT wouldn't work, and I Google mapped the shopping center it was in. Whew. Thank you, technology!

So, the first place that I went to, which was also the one that was super hard to find was "Be My Cupcake." Adorable name, right? Well, either they just moved locations or the place was just plain and bare just because. I feel like most cupcake places like Sprinkles and Crave have a certain professional and well thought out interior design, but Be My Cupcake was empty and not well-decorated. Of course, it's really all about the cupcakes anyway. Well, the cupcakes didn't really stand out to me either. They have some pretty interesting flavors, like the lemon berry cupcake I bought, but the way it was displayed was just okay. When I got my lemon berry cupcake it was placed in a white paper bag, which does not secure my cupcake while I am driving. I lost half of my icing to the bag. Maybe, I'm just a bit harsh after wasting gas trying to find this place and expecting a spectacular, super adorable cupcakery with the name like Be My Cupcake.

I would not go here again, but if anyone wants to try it, do not listen to that Google map address. It claims to be in Riverside off of I35, but it's really in the Sky Ridge Plaza over in the Round Rock area. So, if you want to find this place, Google map "Sky Ridge Plaza."

Next, the second place I went to was "Hey Cupcake!" Yes, I have been here before, but I thought I would give it another try at a different location. There are several Hey Cupcakes! around Austin. All of them (but one shop) is a nice food truck with a gigantic cupcake on top. This time I tried the Double Dose and Sweetberry. I ate the Sweetberry first, and when I took the first few bites, the taste was very familiar but not the typical strawberry cupcake flavor. It kind of tastes like strawberry jam but with the a cakey texture. The Double Dose was doubly chocolatey and delicious. The chocolate buttercream was a great consistency and was sweet but not too sweet. I would definitely get cupcakes from Hey Cupcake! again. I think the first time I had a cupcake here was a Red Velvet, and I'm a little picky with my Red Velvet. I would still not get the Red Velvet here, but it may be to someone else's liking. Overall, this place is great.

Well, the last stop I went to was "Polka Dots," and sadly, I didn't get to try their cupcakes AGAIN. The first time I went to this place was over a month before this adventure, and I got four mouth-watering looking cupcakes. I got the Black Bottom, Strawberry Shortcake, Banana Nutella, and Chocolate Mint. I bought these for my siblings and wanted to try a bite. Well, that didn't happen. So, this time I stopped by this small Austin cupcake shop and got the Chocolate Orangeberry. It smelled like oranges, but after eating two cupcakes on Tuesday and another on Wednesday, I was good and ready to head back to Houston. Well, I forgot my cupcake in Austin. So, I can't really tell you much about the taste, but the cupcake flavors are very adventurous and the presentation is really fun and different. The place is very cute and cozy. It definitely fits in with Austin feel.

Speaking of the Austin feel and delectable sweets, there is a donut food truck that I tried for the first time. The truck is located in an area with a few other food trucks. "Gourdoughs" is where you will find "Big. Fat. Donuts." They weren't kidding. I tried Blue Balls, which are donut holes topped with yummy blueberry goodness. Ordered the Miss Shortcake topped with fresh strawberries, Black Out that has chocolate lathered on top of a donut with brownie bites on top, and Heavenly Hash was definitely heavenly with the melted marshmallows mixed in with fudge goodness. For the Heavenly Hash, it took me a two days to finish it all. After two-three bites, you have to rest and take a break. I would SO go here again. What is up with these food trucks? I've never noticed them before, but there are so many that I MUST TRY!!~

Just looking at these pictures is giving me a sugar high! G O O D N E S S G R A C I O U S!

-Little Cupcake Lady

Current Crave

So I strolled into one of my favorite cupcake joints in town one fine Sunday morning, Crave. Along with their second location they opened in September, they also introduced a new flavor: Dulce de Leche that I've been meaning to get a taste of.

If you savor the flavor of caramel you will adore the sweet goodness of dulce de leche. The silky caramel-like center gives a nice, sweet kick to the overall taste of the cupcake. I would definitely double-fist these.

Dulce de leche meaning "the sweet of milk" is derived from slow heating of condensed milk which differs from caramel that is made of sugar, corn syrup, cream or milk and butter. Many may mistaken the two to be the same. As the water of the milk evaporates during the heating process, the mix thickens and voilà dulce de leche, the caramelized form of condensed milk.

As most of you know, I am in love with New York City. The city is full of endless things to do and delicious experiences. I anticipate annual visits to my favorite domestic destination. During my last trip there in the fall, it was a definite "must" to pick up goodies from Beard Papa's, a cute, little shop that serves cream puffs. If you haven't tried the treats here you should definitely give it a taste. They come in a variety of flavors: strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, green tea...and they'll throw in weekly specials to spice things up.

So the special flavor of the week during our stay happened to be: Dulce de leche. Not only was the puff delicious, the dulce de leche center made the treat to die for! Beard Papa's originated in Osaka, Japan in 1999. I am pretty stoked about my trip in April to visit Little Cupcake Lady in Japan. She has been deprived of cupcakes but definitely has an array of good eats that make up for the lack of.

Spicy Cupcake Lady

Nuts over Cupcakes!

Quite a bit of time has elapsed since my last entry. I apologize to the blog community. I have been somewhat side-tracked lately due to a sweet development in my life.

I. am. back.

A recent visit to my favorite domestic destination, New York City, consisted of an abundance

of delicious eats. The avenues were full of trendy, little eat spots and food truck vendors at every street corner. I hopped onto the subway and managed to find some time to dip into three cupcakeries in the area with a few recommendations from friendly locals: Crumbs Bake Shop, Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Magnolia Bakery. Crumbs happens to be the "talk" of what a cupcake is in New York City, but I would have to say the cupcakes are definitely overrated. They were definitely scaled larger than the average cupcake, but came nowhere close to a party in my mouth. Magnolia Bakery was a cute, hip little shop. The cupcakes were not too memorable either. Of all three, Sugar Sweet Sunshine definitely left a tasteful impression.

It was the light green cupcakes that caught my eye as I stepped into the shop: Pistachio, quite a rare flavor you will run into at a cupcake shop. I have searched high and low for a good pistachio-flavored cupcake. Houston has none that are worthy of bloggery. I left the shop with two pistachio cupcakes and an assortment of other flavors. I had a taste of one before I left the shop, and it was pure heaven. Pistachio nuts were consistent throughout the cake and for the finishing touch, crushed pistachio pieces were grazed on top.

This NYC trip took me back to my visit earlier this year to west coast. Not only was the San Diego weather beyond perfect, the pistachio cupcake I had at Babycakes was byfar the best I've had yet. The pistachio flavor resonated throughout the cupcake and to top it off, the icing was perfectly whipped and topped with dancing sprinkles. I would definitely make a trip out there again someday to snag me a nice dozen of these.

Being the intermittent health nut that I am as of late, as contradictory as it sounds with my routine consumption of cupcakes, I ran across some interesting health facts about pistachios:

1. The green color in pistachios come from lutein which helps to support eye health

2. Almost 90% of the fat found in pistachios is the healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats

3. A serving of pistachios has more potassium than half of a large banana

Spicy Cupcake Lady

Cupcakes, the Peanut Butter to my Jelly

As long as I can recall, an all-time favorite growing up was a nice, simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I prefer the crunchy peanut butter with strawberry jam with preserves. An even spread of peanut butter on one piece of toast and strawberry jam on the other, then slap them together and voila, pure satisfaction. I may have one on occasion when the kid in me comes out to play.


Treat! Cupcakes is holding strong as the best cupcakery on the northside of Houston, per yours truly. Then again, they don't have much competition in the area like in the city with trendy, little shops and cute cupcake mobiles that travel around town to the "happening" areas of Houston. Treat! is located in a modern shopping strip in Vintage Park. Ladies and gentlemen, as of September 12, 2010, they will begin opening on Sundays! I know that's got to be some good news for you out-of-towners that share the same obsession I have for cupcakes.


After a nice brunch with the ladies, we decide to make our way to Treat! It is always a good idea to leave some space for a sweet treat after a nice meal. As I walk into the shop, I contemplate on whether or not I should go with the "usual" which is strawberry or play it a little safe and get the vanilla with milk chocolate. Then I thought, maybe I should be daring and take a plunge into the special flavor of the day: Peanut butter & Jelly and that, I did. Boy, was I in store for some serious goodness. The peanuts topped it off well, taking me back to the crunchy peanut butter I once generously lathered onto slices of toast. As I took a bite into the center, I was in for a sweet surprise. The center was filled with just the right amount of strawberry jam.


One downside about the cupcakes at Treat! is that there is a tremendous amount of frosting hovering each little cupcake, a few piping pumps past my liking. Shaving off at least half of the frosting always leaves the perfect amount. This one definitely brings back sweet childhood memories.


Spicy Cupcake Lady

Kit Kat Cupcake Experiment Continued...

Well, hello there cupcake lover and friends! I've been slacking. I've been meaning to share the past three experiences of making Kit Kat cupcakes.

The first time was somewhat good. I've already shared all about it. However, the second time wasn't so cute. I messed with the amount of flour and chocolate, and it was a bust! I didn't even take pictures of it. I am ashamed of the results.

BUT! I didn't let my FAILURE get to me. I tried to give it a go another time. This time, I had two wonderful assistants. We created the PERFECT Kit Kat Cupcake. Did I write down what I did differently?? NEGATIVE! I eyeballed it this time. I added more chocolate, milk and a smidge more of flour and baking soda... How much more?? I have NO IDEA! But here are the beautiful pictures of our creation!

I brought these lovely creation to a party, and it was a hit!! My favorite is still the frosting! Yum!

So, then came the day I wanted to make it for my farewell party. I've been creating recipes that make less than a dozen cupcakes. When I decided to double the batter, it was not a pretty sight. Not only that, I wanted to make mini cupcakes. For some reason, it didn't come out the same way. 1. I didn't write down the exact changes I made. 2. I doubled the batter. 3. I made mini cupcakes. When I added 1, 2, and 3 together... I ended up improvising and making cake balls! YUM! Thanks to my fellow Cupcake Ladies, they were beautiful. :)

Well, that is all from me for now!

--Little Cupcake Lady

You are what you eat. Call me Cupcake.

I have long kissed boxed cake mixes goodbye and have been doing a little bit of experimenting lately. I'm no Martha Stewart, but I think I may have a new-found nitch. I might add I've become quite a snoot for fine-tasting cupcakes and refuse to settle for anything less. That goes for all the cupcakeries I frequent and the ones I pull from the oven. I spent that evening researching chocolate salted caramel cupcake recipes and gathered pieces of different recipes that appealed to me. If you have not tried the flavor it is definitely a must-try but be forewarned it is an acquired taste. It will either satisfy your sweet and salty desires or may keep you from a round of seconds. I'm a big fan of "fills" in desserts, so I thought I would give this one a fill. It is also a little secret to prolong the moistness of the cake. Once the cupcakes are out of the oven and cooled, create a small, conical pit. then spoon a small amount of filling and top it off with a dash of sea salt.



I decided to make mini cupcakes this time around. And yes, these little minis are too adorable. You can also have a cupcake and feel half as guilty eating it. The important thing to keep in mind in a recipe like this is not to overdo the salt. Sprinkling a small amount of sea salt on top of the fill and on top of the frosting is the perfect amount. The frosting recipe I found was delicious and completed the package very well. I also added caramel drizzle to top it off. This creation is definitely worth the calories.

Spreading the Word

If you haven't had a lick of nutella by now you are totally missing out. It was the summer of '94; we took a family trip to Europe. I had my first taste of the creamy goodness on a slice of toast in Brussels, Belgium. As it melt in my mouth i thought to myself: where have you been all my life?

Nutella is a hazelnut spread that contains skim milk and a touch of cocoa. It can be found in just about every supermarket next to pb&j. It pairs well with so many things from toast to crepes to cupcakes. Much props to you, Mr. Ferrero, for sharing such an indulgent creation!

My addiction to cupcakes started with Crave coming to Houston back in 2008. I decided to give it a try to see what kind of thrill my sweet tooth would get. From that day forward, my life was changed, for the sweeter. I walked into the shop and what a sight it was. They offer a nutella cupcake on Wednesdays and Saturdays [yes, I have a forever mental note of that] which I rank as my #1 flavor from Crave, with strawberry coming at a close second. It has a very unique taste. The hazelnut flavor is consistent throughout the whole cupcake. I have not come across any other locally, and forgive me if I'm harsh, I refuse to settle for wanna-be's that are plain vanilla or chocolate with the hint of flavor slapped on top.



So I started playing with recipes this summer after graduation with so much free time on my hands. My first experimental recipe: flourless chocolate cupcake, which I will blog about at a later time. Nutella being an all-time fave, I decided to trial a hazelnut cupcake recipe and add a twist of my own. I had to incorporate the nutella into it somehow, so I created the frosting with nutella. There is still room for tweaking on consistency of the frosting, but the cake was perfect! Small pieces of hazelnuts are generously savored in every bite and sprinkled on top. Modifications of the frosting are in the works, but if you're an anxious, die-hard nutella fan as I am, I will gladly share the recipe.


Spicy Cupcake Lady