Tasting lemon, vanilla and mocha cupcakes at Dessert Club ChikaLicious

Last night I tasted cupcakes from two places, one of them being Dessert Club ChikaLicious in the East Village. I've tried most of the cupcakes at most New York City bakeries and while I have my favorites, am always on the lookout for something new.

I found it at ChikaLicious (will just call it that for shorthand). Firstly, their cupcakes are so cute - small, but not mini cupcakes (though apparently those are in the works. Just right...especially if you're going to try a few. I got a lemon and a vanilla to start ($1.75 each).



The lemon is on the left. The frosting is very rich and thick, almost like a lemon custard except it's not quite that thick and isn't overpoweringly lemon-y. The lemon taste is light, and the cake was very moist, I think a basic vanilla cake. The vanilla/vanilla cupcake was much the same, save for the frosting was vanilla-flavored rather than lemon. I think I liked the lemon better, but both were good.

Then I decided to try the mocha, which is one of their filled cupcakes, and costs $2.25.



I'm not really a coffee drinker, but I do like certain coffee-flavored desserts. This one is filled with some thick chocolate/mocha-like substance. It's much more intense than the first two, even though again, the frosting has that same consistency. This one was very good but the mocha flavor was stronger than the lemon or vanilla flavors were. The chocolate inside was pretty thick, and I think because by then it was my fifth cupckae of the night (I ate half of them - will post about the Public Theater cupcakes later, doing them in reverse chronological order for some reason), I couldn't really handle it. I will try the mocha again to get a better sense of it, but I think if I had to pick, s'mores is still my absolute favorite, then maybe the lemon. It's light and creamy (I know those might sound like they don't go together, but they do, the frosting is very smooth and creamy, but it doesn't feel heavy in your stomach after you've eaten it).

Hello Kitty cupcakes and more cuteness from Coco Cake Cupcakes

These are by Vancouver's Coco Cake Cupcakes, who we've featured quite often because their cupcakes are so adorable. I can never resist Hello Kitty! All photos via Coco Cake Cupcakes on Flickr

Here's an older Hello Kitty cupcake set they did:




Scottish animal cupcakes - dark chocolate with peppermint buttercream

And here are two non-character ones that are simply elegant and pretty:



Coco Cake Cupcakes
604-816-9922
lyndsay at cococake.com

10 Elvis cupcakes to celebrate the King's birthday

Today would have been Elvis Aaron Presley's 75th birthday, so we're celebrating by posting 10 Elvis cupcakes (usually a version of peanut butter and banana, sometimes with bacon), sometimes with images of Elvis (and yes, some of these are oldies but goodies). It's actually 11 but two are by the same person:


Elvis casino cupcakes by Scrumptious Buns on Flickr


by Erica Barraca (via Flickr) - banana cupcakes with some (hidden) chocolate ganache and alot of peanut buttercream frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World


Vegan Elvis Comeback Special by Bake & Destroy (click for recipe) photo via Flickr


Banana cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Choc Chips by obliviousfire on Flickr


The amazing peanut butter banana bacon cupcakes Brownie of Blondie and Brownie (click for recipe) made for my 33rd birthday!


Peanut butter bacon banana cupcakes by Milwaukee's Miel y Leche; photo by Sharyn Morrow (massdistraction) on Flickr


Latin Elvis cupcake by thecupcakeheiress on Flickr: this is a banana cake filled with rich dulce de leche topped with a peanut butter buttercream and another dulce de leche swirl on top! blogged at Chica Chocolatina

And a version by her with bananas and fried plantains!


via thecupcakeheiress on Flickr


This one's by Sandy at Iron Cupcake Milwaukee (please note the Elvis cupcake wrappers!!!). She writes:

My hunka hunka burnin' cupcake seemed to be a little much for the crowd at the CCCCCC 2009. My final entry was a banana cake with a peanut butter cup in the center, topped with spicy chocolate ganache, spicy peanut butter buttercream, marshmallow fluff and with or without bits of bacon on top and in the cake. In a community full of vegans and vegetarians, it was surprising to see that the bacon version of my cupcake was hands down more popular than the plain.


Lori Writer at Heavy Table took the above photo, and has the recipe for these banana chocolate chip and bacon mini cupcakes with peanut butter frosting! She writes:

The banana chocolate chip cupcakes are good on their own, even without the frosting, the bacon garnish, or being battered and fried. The bacon provides a surprising crunch and rescues the frosted cupcakes from being overwhelmingly sweet. Battering and deep frying is only for the truly committed. You can quit as soon as you’ve had enough, but you won’t know if you’ve gone far enough until you’ve gone too far. As my husband said as he finished off a deep-fried Elvis cupcake in two bites, then licked the honey from his fingers, “It’s not sick and disgusting if it tastes good.”

And another with Elvis's image...


Chocolate cupcake topped with vanilla buttercream and a handmade fondant Elvis Presley decoration by Montreal's Clever Cupcakes via Flickr.

Lots of bakeries are doing specials (NOT a complete list, just a random sampling). Bakery links are at right.

The Sweet Tooth Fairy (Utah):



The Petite Cafe:

We will be giving away free Elvis Cupcakes throughout the day, when we ask for the phrase of the hour!!

Buttercream Philadelphia cupcake truck:



Expect Blue Suede (red velvet with blue) and Peanut Butter Banana.

Crumbs Bakeshop cupcake of the month (via Twitter/website):


Vanilla cake filled & frosted with banana cream cheese frosting, topped with a swirl of real creamy peanut butter and edged with peanut butter chips.