Harrod's Hall of Foods Feature: Cupcakes

I apologize first for November's lack of  blogs so far. I promise, I will do my best to dig my teeth into sweet treats and keep you updated on the new, sugary, and wonderful in London. If you may listen to my excuses they include not only midterm assessments, but the beginning of NaNoWriMo.

For those who know or those who don't, that means I'm trying to write 50,000 words this month on a story that I've come up with (vaguely) in the attempt to write a full novel - unedited, first draft, barely even coherent. It's the idea that writing in any form helps you grow as a writer and getting ideas on paper helps you develop something fuller and sparks something creatively. Anytime I've sat down to write I've done that or fretted about the 500 page novels I'm supposed to read in 1 week. Trust me, I've done all my school work and on time, so it's led to less time updating here.

But this is well worth the wait, because today is all about Harrods' Hall of Foods and specifically the beauty that is Lola's cupcakes.  Originally we were hoping to have tea and macaroons at the tea house, which I also fell in love with, but when we saw this array of cupcakes that were cheaper than most of the large selection of cakes at the tea house... and being poor university students, we couldn't resist. Also, we all know my ability to resist cupcakes is pretty much nonexistent.

Not only that, but the selection was hard. Lola's has monthly flavors of the day - which November is Hi Hat Marshmallow - in addition to.... *ahem* Vanilla, Chocolate, Chocolate Milk, Banana, Carrot, Lemon, Red Velvet, Rocky Road, Strawberry, Vanilla Coconut, and Cookies and Cream.
While not as strange as some of the selections I've seen in the cupcake shops in Chicago, they had an elegance, beauty, and mouthwatering quality that meant my friend Nicole and I could not resist.

Of course, this meant we came back in a flurry - not only because we wanted to devour the cupcakes we had in our hands, but there was a dramatic incident involving a beautiful camera named Hamlet and squash juice creating a sort of soup in her bag. This was less appetizing, so I'll leave the details out.

But we came home, each with our 2 Harrods cupcakes in beautiful boxes that we were pretty much fawning over. We used them as motivation then to write lots and lots of words for NaNoWriMo, before celebrating by breaking out our first cupcakes. I had gotten a red velvet cupcake, to try and see how the British do red velvet, as well as the Flavor of the Month Chocolate Marshmallow Cap. Nicole got a Banana and a Strawberry. Not only did we have that, but she broke out the Caramel Hot Chocolate she had got at Harrod's for 5 pounds and we truly lived it up in style.

The red velvet had to be my first try, since Nicole had never even tasted red velvet and that thought had to be abolished as soon as possible, and Nicole decided on Strawberry. We spent a good amount of time admiring the cupcakes, taking photos, and finally, carefully, digging into them. Of course, since they were from Harrods, which is a classy place, we ate them on plates, with forks, and sipped daintily at our caramel hot chocolate - knowing that there was probably nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon. This was emphasized even more when we discovered the glitter atop Nicole's Strawberry cupcake.

The sparkles weren't even the final stop. Her cake was beautiful - light, moist, airy, strawberry pieces inside, creamy, and the frosting was that careful combination of sweet, fluffy, and soft without being overwhelming. Although I can't speak for her, I'm pretty sure she was in cupcake heaven.

The caramel hot chocolate was another thing completely. Both of us ate non-chocolate cupcakes so we could truly enjoy the warm chocolate swirled with the caramel. She even made it on the stove, warming the milk and slowly mixing in the powder to create this rich drink. It felt like something that had been freshly made with real chocolate - if we had gone to Starbucks or the popular Cafe Nero. I have to say I've been debating which one of my lucky family members or friends might get a thing of caramel hot chocolate for Christmas, I just loved it so much. That or I'll just take it for myself.

My red velvet cupcake was, perhaps, not as special as Nicole's strawberry. Although that seems like a strange statement, since red velvet seems like a more unique cake than one merely named after a fruit, but it wasn't the best red velvet I've ever had. Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious, soft, and I was extremely impressed with the cream cheese frosting not being too heavy. My favorite part was probably the crumbled cake atop the cream cheese frosting, but... there lies the problem as well. The cake was a little too crumbly. Red velvet is hard to get just right, but I've had a rich, moist red velvet and now I have to compare the two. This one was a bit too crumbly and wasn't able to maintain that soft, moist texture to the cake as the day went on. While Lola makes their cakes fresh every day - this cupcake was missing out on the same freshness that I've had in other red velvet.

The other two options we had were also delicious, but were put on hold for other writing motivation. The only problem with putting cupcakes on hold is missing out on that just-baked-this-morning feeling. In addition, I put mine in the fridge to keep any kitchen heat, sunlight, or steam away from it. I also didn't wait to devour mine up - so the chocolate on top of the marshmallow cracked and came in chucks as if it was the hardened chocolate atop an ice cream cone. It was a chocolate treat, especially with the soft marshmallow on top, but I really wish I had eaten it fresh. I was also a little disappointed that there were no other fun tricks in the cake itself. Nicole's Banana, though, was wonderfully spiced and she seemed to enjoy it as well.

 Overall, Lola's cupcakes at Harrods were a joy to see, taste, and use as motivation. I was in absolute heaven after my fingers cramped from writing and I could clutch warm caramel hot chocolate between small bites of red velvet. If you want anything from Harrods, but can't afford a lot, I'd suggest the cupcakes - and then even come in mini-sizes too! It's an experience, one that focuses on luxury and small touches. Even the inside of the box left you a note (the picture to the right) to add personal touch to the delicious bits of cake you were ready to devour. So dig into Lola's cupcakes and perhaps try what may sound plain, but may have something beautiful and special in it's flavors.

- Mollie

A Snowball Anxious for Spring

Yesterday I was informed that I have received an independent contractor position with K. Grace.
Meaning, I have a new job! This is especially exciting because I am now able to have a changing schedule that works with me and my hopefully upcoming internship. As well as I can do family things and plan my schedule ahead of time and not a few days before. To say the least, I was giddy. I wanted cake. I wanted celebration.

So that's what I did.

My boyfriend and I walked down Broadway to good ol' Pheobe's cupcakes to pick out delicious little cakes to enjoy on the special day. It was actually more difficult than usual. For those who have read my previous Pheobe's blogs, they tend to have a very similar menu with only a few rotating each time I go in. Yet this time we were greeted by quite a few delicious newcomers, including Key Lime Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Toffee Stout, Irish Coffee, and Green Snowball. I spent my first minute or so that I entered drooling over their giant cinnamon rolls (which I didn't know they had!) before realizing that I came in for cake and I had plenty of options. We came home with this bountiful supply of baked goods:

I was thrilled by the fact that I could get two cupcakes that had chocolate and didn't break my lent promise. No candy, no ice cream, no cookies. Cupcakes are just the trick for my lent season.

Of course, the boyfriend got his usual Very Vanilla. He tells me that vanilla to him is like chocolate to me. I don't think he understand the capacity his love must be for vanilla to meet that equation. Or maybe he does and I just can't seem to fathom how vanilla can ever compete. Either way, I just enjoyed his cute festive sprinkles. To the right you can see the color and the cute topped shamrock. Although St. Patty's is still a week away, it made me smile and wonder what they'll do next week.

He also got a mint chocolate chip and I got a Chocolate Toffee Stout for later in the week - by which I mean they will be devoured quite quickly in my frenzy of finals.

My celebration cupcake made my heart leap like joy. To the left stands the Green Snowball. Again, festive which always brings joy to my heart. Yet the implication of it being similar to a Hostess SnoBall made my decision that much easier. I fell in love with SnoBalls at a young age and have missed them since I've started eating healthier. So this cupcake was the answer to my childhood memories.

The chocolate cake was soft and springy topped with a beautiful buttercream. I loved the coconut shavings, but my boyfriend and others might be terrified of the stringy nature it has. The green was a little light on my cupcake and I wish if they were calling it a Green Snowball to put a brighter pop of color into it - instead I decided it was anxious for spring. The green is starting to come in - hinting at St Patty's Day and the soon to be green trees and grass.

Yet what really took the cake (pardon my pun) was inside. A nice bite revealed to me a gooey, beautiful center of marshmallow creme. Not marshmallow fluff or a marshmallow peep, but beautiful cream. Just enjoy it for a moment with me:

That is what I'm talking about. The beautiful cream flowed out of the cupcake and into my mouth. The only issue with this beautiful brimming marshmallow is that it wanted to flow faster than I could eat it (SHOCK!). It was one of the few cupcakes where I grabbed a plate and began to dig in with a fork. For me it was enjoyable still because I could be sure to get all the cake, buttercream, marshmallow, and coconut in one bite and I felt fancy eating a little cupcake on a plate. Yet for others this could be a drippy, sticky mess.

If you want to try this cupcake, be warned, the inside will drip on you. I would suggest not trying to walk and eat with it. As well as don't try to talk or do other things with it, because it will catch you off guard and leave you with a questionable white spot. Otherwise, this is a delicious cupcake that would only intrigue me more if the frosting was also marshmallow based. yummm.

- Mollie