*Cupcakes: Kind of an obsession*

Okay, so not your typical blog today, but my apartment flooded. Which means I'm crashing a friend's place and feel strange doing my typical bake and write process. Therefore, this feast is for the eyes. (A real blog will be posted later this week)


I love cupcakes.

Love.

Capital L is for the way you look so cute. O is for the obvious sweetness inside. V is very very extraordinary way you can look or taste with creative bakers. E- everyone can't help but adore.... Cupcakes.

Okay, I'm definitely not a song writer or parody writer.

I've spent a good deal of time looking for my future career path on the Food Network website; Bios of every host, chef, and judge have been thoroughly scanned to discover majors, minors, masters degrees, and progression of careers. While I'm still at a loss due to my lack of le cordon bleu and money to attend - I have enjoyed quite the eyeful.

Enjoy:

Cupcake Wars: On-Set Cupcakes on the Food Network

  #5 Green Flower Swirl: shows my love of the beautiful accents fondant can add

#6 Chocolate Pink: probably a combination of my nieces two favorite things ever

In addition:

Candy Cupcakes on the Food Network

#2: Snickers is probably my favorite candy ever and I have saved the recipe to bake and share later

#4: Butterfinger. The cupcake makes me want to actually buy the candybar - though I might prefer the cupcake.

Enjoy the photos, the cupcakes, and the food network. I'll have more for you later.

- Mollie

*Sharing is Caring: Taquitos*

We've all learned "Sharing is Caring" and although it's hard to share some of our favorite foods, I find myself more inclined to do so if it is not chocolate. If it is chocolate, you better stay ten feet away or suffer the gnashing of teeth.

Meaning, today I don't have sweets to share. (Shocking, right?)

Don't worry. There will be more to come later this week. I just found this website HelloGiggles via a friend on facebook and was fascinated with the clever, down to Earth treats page created by these girls. While I bet the rest of the site is fabulous, I have to admit I always just go straight to the food section without thinking much about the rest. They have rants, raves, how-to, beauty, entertainment, and other things that probably draw in other girls, but treats did it in for me. So feel free to check the rest out, but I'm sharing a recipe I found for Baked Chile and Potato Taquitos.

First off, I enjoy this section because they have every so often posts entitled "Recipe from My Boyfriend". Men? Who cook? Major win in my book. Not only do they cook, but they share their recipes and let their girlfriends post it all over the internet for others to enjoy. That's a real keeper.

I also am fascinated by the combination of potatoes inside taquitos. My boyfriend usually just gets the chicken and cheese taquitos you find in the frozen food section. I mean, I can get major points off of this recipe as a girlfriend. He'd be so impressed. "You made me taquitos?! They're not frozen?" Not to mention the recipe feeds 2 - perfect portions!

So thank you Marissa A. Ross for sharing this recipe. Check it out at HelloGiggles Here or look below at the copy I've placed.

Baked Chile & Potato Taquitos
Serves Two

Ingredients:
• 2 large potatoes
• ½ medium onion
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 Anaheim pepper
• 1 red chili
• 1-cup cheddar cheese
• 1 packet Taco Seasoning
• Olive oil
• 10-12 corn taco shells

Directions:
1. Use grater and shred the two large potatoes. Add to large skillet with olive oil. Turn
to high heat.
2. Dice onion, jalapeno, Anaheim pepper and red chili. Add to potato mixture in skillet.
3. Sauté until potatoes are golden brown.
4. Grease 13×9 pan with olive oil.
5. Take a warmed tortilla and spread a thin-ish layer of potato mixture in center and
roll into taquito formation. Continue process and arrange on tray.
6. Heat oven to 350 and bake for 25 – 35 minutes – to be safe, monitor for desired
crispiness. Personally, the crispier the better.
7. Serve with DIPS!

- National Ice Cream Sunday -

Did you know that the 3rd Sunday in July is officially National Ice Cream Day?

Ronald Regan was the one who designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the 3rd Sunday as the official day. I made this discovery because yesterday (July 17th) was this year's official National Ice Cream Day!

Of course, I had to take advantage of a reason to eat ice cream - especially after I had finished off everything in our fridge.

Although we had some tasty options for ice cream - like the wide variety at the grocery store - we wanted to go for something big and special. I mean, it was National Ice Cream Day. Go big or go home. Yet our local Bobtail ice cream place was losing the usual sparkle it did when we first moved in and spent many a hot August day visiting it.

Therefore, we opted for a typical favorite: Baskin Robbins. First, because it's the only other just ice cream store nearby. Second, because it's something we both had at home. Baskin Robbins was my late night runs to get ice cream and vent with my best friends. It was where we sat in the backs of cars in the parking lot shoveling the cold treat into our faces, laughing, and making a mess. It's where we let ourselves feel free for a sweet moment while everything else whirled by. This is why I enjoy Baskin Robbins despite the actual lack of 31 flavors behind the counter.

So my boyfriend and I grabbed our friend and headed to the combination Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins on the corner of Clark and Belmont - formerly known as "Punkin' Donuts" due to the high amount of punk kids who hung out outside of it and in the area.

The one problem I do have at here is making any sort of decision. I'm surprised my boyfriend and the people behind us in line didn't smack me across the face. It's hard not because of the wide variety, but a combination of your typical flavors and expenses. I'm a college student and can't spend a ton of money on a brownie sundae that doesn't come from Windy City Sweets. I mean really, quality versus price is something I have to keep my eye out for.

The ice cream behind the glass was mostly typical. Fat Free Frozen Yogurt Vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, chocolate chip, strawberry, and a few twists like the Super Soldier Swirl for Captain America. These less exciting ice creams made me want a 31 Below - which is soft serve vanilla swirled with anything you want. It has my favorites like Snickers and Oreos and cookie dough. But why get oreo 31 below when there's cookies and cream? This is the biggest debate I had.

And when they were out of Snickers, I knew I had to get the cookies and cream.
But, I spiced it up by making it a sundae.

The best part too was that the girl who we ordered from and who made my sundae was new. In fact, it was her first day. Therefore they had to teach her how to use the whipped cream and pump the chocolate. It was cute watching her learn, flustered how to pump hot fudge and that she had to ask about almonds and cherries on top. It was especially good for me, because I got extra hot fudge on top due to the learning curve. I'm not complaining.

On a hot summer day, what could be better than an ice cream sundae? Even as my boyfriend's 31 below got liquidy and I slurped most of it up for him on the walk home, I was just in sugary bliss.

- Mollie

What's your favorite ice cream flavor or combination?

Raspberry Rugelach - oh and chocolate too!

Although I landed safely back in Chicago, I've still lingering taste buds from delicious meals in Delaware. Before they disappear I thought I'd share a new found sweet sensation - at least for me.

I'm sure most people know what a rugelach is. Or perhaps not?

I had never heard of it before.
We were offered them as an option for dessert one night. I was told I had to give it a try. Of course, I never refuse a new sweet treat - especially in cookie form. The best thing about cookies that are small is that if you don't like it you don't waste a lot and you aren't tasting it for hours later.

Yet not tasting it hours later, these rugelach left my mouth watering for more hours later. If you don't know, here is a rugelach:

Photo via Flikr: Neil W Strathearn

The beauty about these little cookie treats is that they're filled with a variety of things. The pack we had from Harris Teeter (a new grocery discover that isn't in Chicago!) had raspberry and chocolate rugelach. Two flavors that I cannot resist in a dessert.

The beauty of rugelach is the swirled pastry that cushions the filling. It's not too sweet, not bland, and when frozen (as we had it) it's cool, crunchy, crumbly, and carries it's more flavorful filling friend. The pastry just felt like I could pick layers off as I would a fresh croissant roll from the bakery - which makes sense because (as wiki says) rugelach and the croissant may share an ancestor, and before they're cut the rugelach are usually in a similar croissant shape from rolling a triangle of dough.

Anyone who knows me will be shocked by this: I actually liked the raspberry more than the chocolate.

... let me give you a moment to take that in.

Okay.
The fluffy pastry though was perfect for that light fruity flavor. It was like sweet jam giving those bright flavors to toast. Not to mention I was on a fruit kick from all the delicious cherries, apples, and fruits we had in Delaware. The chocolate might be better, and sweeter, if not actually frozen. It fell flat for me due to the lack of pop in contrast to the pastry. Instead I knew there was that bit of chocolate, but it was closer to the hard inner chocolate of a Panera bread pastry than the bright pop of flavor this cookie called for.

These Rugelach came in a nice big container from Harris Teeter. It was convenient so I could nibble on a few each day. They were delicious in vanilla ice cream (which softened the chocolate filling a bit) as well as perfect nibblers for a picnic

Since rugelach are Jewish pastries,  I'd like to see if "The Bagel" on Broadway has any and give them a second taste test. If you've any tips or tried any in Chicago, let me know! The corner bakery has also gotten great reviews of their rugelach on yelp. So give these treats a taste, especially since there's probably a hundred other flavors in store for everyone.


- Mollie

- On the Boardwalk -

Hello from Delaware Internets!

If there is one thing Delaware is lacking, it is unsecured wireless networks to steal from. Therefore making my attempts at trolling, exploring, facebooking, writing, and killing time online much more difficult than expected. Instead of screen time, I've been reading books, sunbathing, at the beach and the pool, and enjoying so many delicious foods.

One thing Delaware doesn't lack: Ice Cream.

And after a morning at the beach, a rest in the air conditioning, and a walk on the boardwalk there is nothing better than an ice cream cone as you watch the waves crash upon the coastline. Kids love it. Adults love it. Teens in teensy bikinis love it. And twice we have gone to the boardwalk in Bethany Beach for Dickey's Frozen Custard.

The first time was a rough day. Everyone had gotten into their bathing suits (which is difficult for an almost 2 year old and a 4 year old included) and we were packed up when *KABOOM*
... lightning and thunder.
It had been completely dry for weeks here. Then the Chicagoans show up and here comes the rain.

Therefore, to suppress the sadness, we later went out for pizza and ice cream on the boardwalk. I didn't expect the wide array of ice cream flavors at this little ice cream place in a small beach community. But they know that people love their ice cream.

While my nieces had chocolate with patriotic sprinkles (picture left), I opted for a tollhouse cookie. Oh boy was I in for an unexpected surprise. At most, I thought it'd be like the Reese's with just little bits of cookie bites in vanilla ice cream. But oh, it was more than that. Vanilla ice cream, cookie pieces, chocolate chips. Soft, flavor in every bite. I didn't even think of there being just "plain" vanilla in between the bits I really wanted. It felt like there was something perfect in each bite. I got my cookie and I got my ice cream.


The second time the girls still got chocolate and coated themselves as it melted in the afternoon sun. I decided to try "Fudge Tracks" - which at first confused me. I wanted to ask them if they understood about Moose tracks. But oh no, Dickey's knows their flavors. Without even flinching, the woman working told me it was vanilla with fudge bits, chocolate sauce, and peanut butter bites. Oh yes, perfect. The peanut butter bites even looked like itty bitty Reese's cups. The fudge was decadent, soft, and full of that rich chocolate that blended so well with the vanilla ice cream. It melted as I licked at it. Of course, the crunch of the cone made it even better. Unless you're too young to eat the ice cream before it melts, I'd just opt for a cone no matter what. They're so yummy!

With my new golden toasty tan I feel confident as I devour the ice cream. And although there are quite a few options here in Delaware, I'd say if you're in Bethany Beach to go for Dickey's. The local authority (who I'm staying with) always picks it first. And don't worry, it's summer, the calories don't count right?

-Mollie

Summer and Sundaes and Sweets! Oh My!

Oh My! have I been slacking on my writing.

My sincerest apologies, but this summer has already been sweet - as well as lots of sweets to survive the suffering of finals week. So expect plenty of updates in the coming weeks, as well as any tastey news while I'm in Delaware from July 3rd to the 12th. I'm sure there will be lots of ice cream on the beach and babies devouring desserts with me - so stay tuned!

To catch myself up, today I'd like to focus on Windy City Sweets.

This candy shop has caught my eye various times with their window displays of chocolate turtles, chocolate covered strawberries, hello kitty plushies, and high stools beside tall tables against the window. I have to admit it, hello kitty alone made me sound like a 5 year old. "Guys! Helllo kittty! Do you see her? She's in the window! there!" But the fact that there was chocolate made me drool every time I walked by. Finally, after a date dinner at Noodle Company (we're classy), my boyfriend and I decided to stop in and check it out.

Now, walking in, the colors, counters covered in candy, and displays knock you right off your feet. I couldn't help a squee of delight. There was a rack of sale candy from Easter just inside the door, a tall display of stuffed animals, a whole wall to the left covered in Jelly Beans and other bins full of sugary sweets, a fudge bar, and counters where everything from chocolate covered sandwich cookies, chocolate covered cherries, and marzipan looked out at you, tempting you with their luscious looks.

I felt like a kid in a candy store.

In fact, I was.
Windy City Sweets is a candy store with gourmet chocolates, fudge, and ice cream. And the layout and chocolate turned me into a small child once again.

We had a small chocolate factory on the corner near my house that I frequented as a child, but it paled in comparison to this Lakeview luxury. We decided to split a brownie sundae that was just tempting us from their chalkboard sign above the wide selection of ice cream. It was a perfect, classic sundae. We choose the type of ice cream to top our large, warm brownie with. Then they disappeared with it and we received a classic little plastic boat as a bowl holding our brownie topped with ice cream, drizzled fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry.

I literally licked the boat by the end. The hot fudge wasn't your typical bottle of Hershey's from the grocery store. It was actually their gourmet nice chocolate drizzled atop. I wanted some of that fudge in every bite. The brownie too was soft, luscious, and melted nice with it's cold ice cream friend. It was the kind of sundae that you took your time enjoying every bite - rather than slurping down before it melts. My heart is almost a flutter at the thought of it.

If you haven't stopped in, give Windy City Sweets a peek and you won't want to go anywhere else for your chocolate fix. The best part is, the owners are always there and they're friendly and doing it all on their own. I wonder if they'd like an apprentice?

- Mollie

*2 Sweet Years*

My boyfriend has completely and totally supported my sweet tooth - especially when it keeps me from turning into crabby Mollie. Chocolate has always been his backup support in any argument and always the treat for our special occasions.

Therefore, it was no different when we celebrated our 2 year anniversary today. We decided to try out a new spot, the Wilde Bar and Restaurant - at 3130 N. Broadway. The idea of an Oscar Wilde themed restaurant had tempted me from the first mention of it and the beautiful flowers on their iron fence outside drew me further in. The place itself was beautiful and calm at 5 pm on a Monday evening. We were glad to have our pick of small tables or giant booths and chose a small table near the window and beside an old styled fireplace. The painted glass ceiling was what caught both of our eyes as we ordered and waited for our food.

First off, the food was fantastic. I ate almost every bit of what was on my plate - fries and Blackened Chicken Pub Club. The combination of avocado, blackened chicken, tomato, lettuce, Irish cheese, and the crunch of an onion made each bite a fun flavor combination. That is, if I could fit them all in my mouth. The sandwich itself was giant and I was laughed at by my boyfriend quite frequently for my attempts to get as much as possible in each bite. The fries were just as delicious, with great seasoning. I wish I could eat those every time I wanted fries.

Yet, the important part and the reason he chose this restaurant. Dessert.

Right away he went to the dessert menu online, searching for something that would suit my sweet tooth and give me a taste of something I haven't had recently due to Lent. Although the Lava Cake was quite a contender - with peanut butter and vanilla ice cream tempting me - the Homemade Mint Ice Cream Pie won us over. I could have drooled on the menu and our waitress Kera completely agreed. Even she's addicted to it.

I wish I had remembered my camera so I could have taken a picture of it. The presentation itself was beautiful.

A long rectangular white plate. A thick, triangular slice of the pie. Oreo cookie crust at the bottom, topped with mint ice cream, drizzled with Belgian chocolate sauce. Just beside the slice sat a large dollop of homemade whipped cream, fresh, and fluffy. Belgian Chocolate sauce drizzled across the platter, with Andes mint chocolate pieces across the plate and the top of the pie.

The surprise? Biting into a piece of just Oreo cookie crust we found MORE Andes mints. To say the least, my boyfriend was thrilled. Oreo and Andes is brilliant.
Not to mention if you scoop up some whipped cream and chocolate sauce. There is a beautiful dessert.

There really is a distinct difference between chocolate sauce, fudge, and Belgian chocolate sauce. The Belgian is key. It was decadent and fit perfectly with the mint flavors. I wanted to pick up the plate when we were done and lick every last drop off. That is chocolate that was carefully crafted.

I recommend stopping by Wilde for any reason (especially the drinks so finely mixed you don't realize you're getting flushed and giggly). But Specifically try this Mint Chocolate Pie, because it is carefully crafted to keep you coming back for more.

- Mollie

The Cookie Monster

Let's just talk about how much I miss cookies.
Because it's a lot.

Never did I realize how much I ate cookies before giving them up for Lent. I would eat them here, I would eat them babysitting, I would eat them in my class, I would even eat them with a mouse. Seriously, it was a lot of cookies and a lot of eating leftover cookies from children.

I'm reading the cookbook my sister bought me entitled The Happy Baker: A Girl's Guide to Emotional  Baking. It's hilarious, wonderful, and soon you will see plenty of recipes from it posted.

Except that it has so many COOKIES! And I desperately want them.
Especially with titles like "Where have all the good cowboys gone cookies" and "Match Made in Heaven Dark Chocolate cookies" and "Tall Dark and Carmel cookies"

There are a few bar and brownie recipes that I'll make in my "Mollie needs a loophole for her sweet tooth". But for now, send some recipes my way that are not cookies.

- Mollie

Birthday Sweetness

A whirlwind of finals, spring break, and new adventures in my life has left me with a lot to write and a lot less time to do it in. Therefore I will write now to tell you about the great baking adventures this first week of class has left me with.

My friend Caylie's birthday was on Tuesday. During spring break we had discussed playing board games Monday night and going out at midnight to celebrate her turning 21 at that exact moment with drinks and revelry. From that point on I was on a quest:  to make her a beautiful birthday cake.


I enlisted her room mate via facebook to help find out what kinds of cakes she enjoyed while I scoured the internet and my own supply of recipes for something fascinating. It came down to me agonizing over various options the Sunday beforehand with no clue as to what would be perfect. I came down to a funfetti, because it's bright, colorful, and fun just like she is. I also discovered a Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe that was a tantalizing combination of cream cheese and whipped cream that I had to try. Home made supplies in tow I was prepared to make the cake.

I found a site with some Google searching that showed how to make and box your own cake mix as well as make funfetti cake. This Smockity Frocks' recipe turned out particularly delicious, with a nice softness and a delicious I-can't-keep-my-fingers-out-of-it batter.
The Simple, but Delicious White Cake recipe:

Ingredients

•   2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
•  1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To begin, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. I'm usually pretty terrible about actually sifting things, but I recommend it when you want light, fluffy cake.
Then it states to "cut" in shortening until fine crumbs are formed. While I had no idea what this was, the internet described it as a process to have the fat more separated than usual. I used a butter knife, but the internet again recommended a fancy cutting tool that is apparently pretty cheap. I just cut it up, pushing and mixing as I cut it, and kept playing with it until a crummy mixture seemed to be forming that fit.
Now add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat at low speed for 1 minute, and high speed for 2 minutes. Make sure you get all of it in there, so scrape the sides frequently. It recommends beating the egg whites separately for a lighter cake which I didn't try, but my cake was still very fluffy.
Now is the fun part! Dump in your sprinkles! I just shook in all sorts of oblong sprinkles, of all colors and seasons, but the recipe itself recommends 1/4 cup of oblong sprinkles. Either way it's important that they are OBLONG and not the little round ones, which will just make the batter weird colored and not pop as well when baking. Pour batter into your pan, I split it into two circular cake pans sprayed with pam, and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. The recipe itself calls for 25-30, but my sides were a bit burnt at 25, so I suggest keeping an eye on it once it hits 20 just to see how your oven handles the cake.

From here on out I got a lot more particular with everything I did. I followed All Recipe's Cake Frosting tips rather than just slopping everything together because I want to see the final piece as soon as possible. This means making sure the cake is cooled completely. I let mine sit in the pan for a while, removed it from the pan to cool even more, and then began to do what I think of as "cake shaving". This means trimming the top and bottoms of each layer of the cake to get off that brownish outside section, make the cake flat, and keep off that crunchier sections that may have baked faster. This is really yummy for the chef, especially if you haven't had dinner yet.
But before I did all my trimming and as the cake cooled, I began with the frosting recipe. This has gotten a lot of mixed reviews due to some people having problems with the cream and getting the wrong consistency. This is why you should ALWAYS read reviews to find out what changes the recipe might need. This led me to start by placing my medium sized bowl, the beaters, and heavy whipping cream in the freezer while I began getting the rest of the ingredients together.

In another bowl I placed 1 softened (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. I used low-fat cream cheese and still came out with an amazing frosting, so feel free to be a little healthy in your fatty frosting. The important aspect is I didn't mix this bowl yet. I kept everything there without letting the mixer touch it. Instead I pulled out the heavy whipping cream, beaters, and bowl from the freezer (letting them sit there for around 10 minutes total) and began to work on that. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the heavy whipping cream into the bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. I've done this part with my mom before, so I knew what to look for, but if you don't feel free to google search for videos or photos. You don't want to beat past the stiff peaks aspect or it'll be a lot harder to have the right texture.

Now that the whipped cream has formed stiff peaks you can beat together the cream cheese mixture. It's okay if some of the whipped cream gets into this mixture from the beaters, but it can't be the other way around. If the fatty cream cheese sticks to the beaters when you're trying to beat the stiff peaks it'll be a lot harder - this is why I waited to beat the cream cheese mixture. Once it's beaten, fold in the whipped cream. Give it a taste or two and sweeten if you feel necessary. Remember though it'll get sweeter once in the fridge - which I didn't expect to happen.

From there I did a quick crumb coat, again following the Cake Tips to do a thin layer on the top of the first layer, placing the second layer on top, and frosting a thin layer all over the tops and sides to keep it all together and looking nice. This was placed into the fridge with the rest of the frosting to chill for a bit. Then I was able to pull out the cake and have some fun!
Here you can feel free to lob on large amounts of frosting and smooth all over. Make it tastey, smooth, and use the spatula to try and make the edges not so rough. This was a very tedious task, but fun once I felt I knew what I was doing. Once most of the frosting was on the cake and pretty well spread all over I used a butter knife with water on it to try and keep it smoother. This was hard since it was so small in comparison and left some lines on my cake, but for a first time at really working at icing a cake I felt good about it. From there on out I just enjoyed decorating it bright and fun for my friend. I wish I knew a better way to get the small rainbow ball sprinkles on the sides rather than shaking it at the cake like I did - hoping they'd stick right.

I don't think I'll ever be a writer for a cake company - my handwriting is too terrible, but it was fun. That's what counts right? Plus I used purple princess sparkle icing that had a glimmer in it that even caught their attention while cutting it. I thought that would be a little detail only I would enjoy, but it was noticed, which always makes you feel extra special.

The cake itself turned out light, fluffy, and sweet. I learned later from my friend Ashley that I should have tossed a drop of lemon juice in to really make the sprinkles pop inside the cake, rather than just random colors throughout.

This cake adventure was large and made me appreciate the simpleness of a cupcake. Yet it also made me want to learn the more extensive decorating techniques of making a cake. I think I'm going to play around with it much more than I usually do now that I have a basis of knowledge.

Most importantly though, Caylie got two cakes and was pretty thrilled with cake, birthday, and friends. And this is why I love baking.

- Mollie

A Delicious Wannabe

Once more, cupcakes have helped me through my lack of candy and ice cream. The celebration Pheobe's cupcakes my boyfriend got were devoured quickly, so even the remains were no longer in sight. Yet, my second cupcake was a little less exciting than my first.

First, take a look at my boyfriend's second choice. To the left is a mint chocolate chip cupcake. I decided to wait and post these cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day because they both felt very Irish-y. Not exactly Irish, but look at the green! We giggled about it and were excited at first since the wrapper didn't reveal the green at all beforehand. There it was once it's wrapping was pulled away - a green tint. It looks a little moldy in retrospect - so it might not be the best presentation, but I was originally so started I thought it was fun. He was very thrilled by the mint, the mint butter cream, and the chocolate chips all mixed together. I think he also loved that the cake was yellow and not chocolate. So he wasn't eating a Thin Mint cupcake or a wannabe Ande's. Instead it was minty and chocolate chip focused. He was thrilled.

I, on the other hand, may have been more thrilled when I first picked up my cupcake than by the time I finished it. I felt like the cupcake itself was kind of a mystery. Mine was a Chocolate Toffee Stout cupcake (as seen on the right). It is describe as "chocolate cake filled with Stout toffee topped with brown sugar butter cream and toffee drizzle." The toffee drizzle was thrilling, although it looks a little sloppy on the top. If on cupcake wars the design of the drizzle would be frowned upon, but the taste of it was wonderful. In addition, I was addicted to the brown sugar butter cream. Sometimes frosting is hard for people to deal with, especially when it is swirled on top of a cupcake and you can get more frosting than cake in one bite. Yet this frosting felt soft, sweet, and almost like it would melt in my mouth. I loved that feeling. The cake was also a delightful chocolate comparison with it. But my biggest question is: What is Stout toffee?!

Originally I was concerned about getting this cupcake, since I'm not a beer fan. But the toffee aspect intrigued me and I thought that if it was in the center it wouldn't be too beer-y or scare me that much. The strangest part was I didn't taste it at all. The middle part had a different texture than the cake. It was no longer this moist, springy, solid instead it felt a little liquid-like. But looking at the cake there was nothing dripping out, like the marshmallow in the Snowball cupcake, and the coloring wasn't very different. There was only a slight sheen. I tried biting just the cake. The texture was prominently different without there being frosting in the mix. When the frosting was there, you would have had no idea this cupcake was supposed to be filled with something.

I now understand a little more when on Cupcake Wars they say they don't get all the flavors that are mentioned. It happens. There was no stout or real toffee besides the frosting. Although good, I left my wrapper in the trash confused and unsure what to think. Of course my sweet tooth enjoyed the chocolate, but my inner foodie searching for something new and exciting was let down. I'd suggest trying a different Irish inspired cupcake - I hear Guinness are yummy and much more beer flavored for you beer lovers out there.

So Happy St. Patricks Day! Eat, drink, and be merry!

- Mollie