I decided to visit this cute little cupcake shop to try it out. I got there about 15 minutes before they closed and carefully selected the Peanut Butter and Oreo Cupcakes to take home. Not sure of which to eat, I split them in half and had some of each with a friend at home. Now, I love peanut butter things, and while the cupcake was good with a chocolate cake and peanuty frosting, it was only decent. The oreo, on the other hand, was fabulous! I'm not normally a fan of chocolate cake, but when you combine it with the oreo creme frosting, it's just like a party in your mouth. Yum! Definitely would go back, especially to try some of their fun flavors.
Despite someone once saying that specialty cupcake stores are evil (http://hunter-gatherer.com/blog/why-gourmet-cupcakes-are-evil), I still can't help myself from indulging in a tasty treat every so often. What About Cupcakes makes delicious, moist cupcakes. Their frosting is great. It's sweet, but not so sugary that it will make your teeth hurt just looking at them. My favorite is the Oreo cupcake, which takes two great things and makes them into one even better thing.
Also, these cupcakes make a great gifts for helpful neighbors and friends.
I have been to What About Cupcakes twice and both times, I was not really impressed. Although the cupcakes were tasty, I felt like I was paying for the fact that I was at an exclusively cupcake bakery instead of the quality of the cupcakes. They weren't as moist as I like my cupcakes, and didn't have inventive flavors (vanilla, chocolate, margarita, strawberry, peanut butter, and oreo...). I feel as if this is a good place to go if you need cupcakes ASAP, but if you're into savoring your sweets, you'd be better off making your own.
So apparently this place has been around since April 2008, and only a few blocks from my parents place… I somehow never knew it existed until I became a member of Waco Win Board. They are an eatery that “offers specialty cupcakes to match your tastes in flavor and appearance.” Today I had some spare cash and decided to go give them a try after running my errands.
You walk in and a hit with a sweetness in the air. It’s a small little joint, with a front area with the Cupcakes, shirts and other items and a side area where you can sit and enjoy the Awesomeness that awaits you. There are a couple of young ladies in line choosing their poison, so I browse a little until it my turn. They have a nice selection to choose from; not only in flavors but also sizes. I know I wanted to pick up at least two to try, but then I saw they had mini Cupcakes for only 90cents a piece. So after talking to the young lady at the register, she was very helpful, I obviously decided to buy one of each kind, in the mini form. I ended up leaving with one of each of the following: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry Oreo, Peanut Butter, and Margarita. They didn’t have one of the Neapolitans in mini form…. So next time I go on a Wednesday I’ll have to “force” myself to get a regular size one…. What torture.
Before I get to “dissecting” the cupcakes, I should probably say I’ve never been a big fan of sweets- cakes, pies, pastries, etc. I’m not a big eater or baker of such items; though I did take the Advanced Pastry Class at TSTC under Chef Fahler. I keep my cooking to the other realms of the culinary world, so my knowledge of all this stuff is very limited. But that doesn’t change my taste buds.
So let us now dive in to my thoughts on each individual Cupcake:
--Vanilla: Before biting into it, I breathed in the aroma… what struck me was a hint of fresh vanilla and sweet sugar. The frosting was light and sweet, with a hint of vanilla… not over powering like some places. The cake portion was also vanilla, tasted like white wedding cake and was very moist… even after sitting in my room for a couple hours.
--Chocolate: To be honest chocolate is probably my least favorite flavor when it comes to cake and cupcakes….unless it’s paired with something else that helps to calm down the chocolaty flavor. This cupcake was straight up chocolate. So I was a little reserved about eating it, and probably why I ate it faster than the others because I didn’t want to be over "chocolatfied." But I really enjoyed it, was the best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had. It was smooth, creamy, moist and not overly chocolaty.
--Strawberry: I love strawberry flavored desserts and candies. This was probably my second favorite out of the batch I bought. It reminded me of Bluebells Strawberry Ice-cream. The aroma itself reminded me of it, I couldn’t wait to take a bite, and the smell was strong enough to give you that taste in the back of your tongue… but not overpowering. This cupcake was very well made.
--Oreo: Who doesn’t love Oreos and Milk? It’s one of the best treats on a hot day for a sweet treat. You get a light chocolate aroma coming off it, with a hint of vanilla from the frosting. The frosting really tasted like cookies n cream ice cream. Was pretty awesome. Coupled with the moist chocolate cake and the Oreo slice on top… was a most excellent cupcake.
--Peanut Butter: I love peanut butter, and it doesn’t help that Im allergic to it. Just gotta remember to pop a Benadryl before I indulge myself in the awesomeness that is Peanut Butter. So I had very high hopes and expectations for this one, based on the ones Id already eaten. Topped off with a M&M, you get a hint of peanut butter aroma and chocolate. The frosting was very smooth & creamy, tasted just like fresh peanut butter. This was my favorite cupcake out of the bunch.
--Margarita: The most interesting one of the bunch. Topped with a small lime slice and lime green frosting you get a sweet citrus aroma. The frosting tasted like a mix between key lime pie and a virgin margarita… if only they would add a little tequila flavor to it… oh ya. The cake had a slight vanilla flavor to it, and like the others was moist and fresh.
Over all I really enjoyed my Cupcake experience. The lady working the register said I would be back... and she was right: Not only for my personal indulgence, but also to get some for friends, work, parties, whatever. If you like cupcakes you definitely need to check this place out.
Now, while I wish that "What About Cupcakes?" had taken the pun route when naming their business, I'm still pretty impressed with their little establishment. It's kitchy, cute, and pop-a-lur ta-boot. They have their basic cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), but get there early if you want to try some of their daily specialties.
