Cupcakes for a Cause

In 2003 Zoe's Place, a 501c(3) organization, was formed for the sole purpose of providing housing and employment opportunities to teen mothers and their children in Bergen County, NJ and in 2009 a grant allowed them to open Zoe's Cupcake Cafe in Teaneck, NJ. When I was walking by earlier in November, I was just expecting a mediocre cupcake from a small town in New Jersey to check off my list of cupcakes to try. I did NOT expect to find delicious cupcakes for a cause.

I tried the Tiramisu as well as the Espresso-Nutella and they were delicious, affordable, and although I didn't feel great about the calories after the fact, I was happy that my money would be going towards something more important than sugar, flower and eggs - creating an opportunity for someone else.



To learn more : http://www.zoescupcakecafe.com/about.htm or http://www.zoesplaceinc.org/

Honorable Mention (April 2011)

To commemorate my departure from a beloved position where I made some great friends and lasting relationships, there was a cupcake contest. I was an honorary judge charged with tasting over thirty (yes, thirty!) different cupcakes and naming a winner. Had I been able to participate in the event, I think I would have recieved an honorable mention. The cupcakes I made, from scratch with no help mind you, were dubbed Moo-mosas for the festive cow cupcake paper and delightful orange and champaign flavoring. I think it was the orange zest that made Peter L. buy them all!

Valentine's Day Cupcakes and Fat Tuesday

My lovely boyfriend, being the epitome of thoughtfulness, stopped by Cake Love at the Tyson's Corner Mall in VA and got six little treats for our Valentine's Day weekend (Feb. 19th). I don't even remember all the different ones he got, but I distinctly remember a raspberry lemonade one that was so fresh and light that it melted in my mouth and left me satisfied.

Then, it was time for extravagance and excess that is Fat Tuesday. I did not partake in the gestational festivities, but I decided that I should give up for Lent I should give up cupcakes. Yes, until Easter I will not be taste testing any of the delicious little frosting topped treats.

However, I have been scoping out the true cupcake scene in NYC and it doesn't exist near Time Square (as we learned last Fall). Chelsea and the West Village is where it's at! Magnolia Bakery, Crumbs, and two places in Chelsea Market named Elenis (http://elenis.com/store/category/shop-by-occasion/just-because/cupcakes-just-because/) and Amy's Bread.

Next Year's NYC Cupcake List (not from a truck):http://www.yelp.com/list/best-cupcakes-in-nyc-new-york

$3.75 for a cupcake!!!

Yup! I got ripped off! I was told about a bake shop in my hometown called Bittersweet Bake Shoppe. I heard/read good reviews so I had high hopes for this place. I got there mid afternoon on a Saturday... I was also going to get some bread but they were sold out so I went for the vanilla vanilla. I should have known as soon as I saw the sprinkles and she said "That'll be $3.75!" My jaw dropped.... now granted it was on the larger side of cupcakes but the frosting was light and there were sprinkles! Sprinkles should not have made the cost of the cupcake go up that much... gessh! I'd rather NO sprinkles... you can choke on them! So the cake was moist but lacked flavor and the frosting reminded me something I could get at the grocery store but not even as good... so sorry Bittersweet Bake Shoppe, but I wont be back!

Next adventure - Burlington Mall for Cupcake shots! Apparently its a cupcake and then they will insert icecream like they would a jelly to a donut.... probably go in October... so til then!

Whole Food Market

Ok, so I had high expectations from here. Even though it isn't a specialty bakery, Whole Foods has an incredible reputation...wrong again! It was cute, plain, nothing fancy. I unwrapped it out of the paper and immediately realized i had been duped! The cake started to crumble right then and there, it was so dry. I took one small bite just so I could have something to review...another treat for Coco. Really, as someone said, people are really taking advantage of this whole cupcake thing and everyone and their brother is making cupcakes and NOT very good ones. My next trip is to Cakelove, it may be the last cupcake standing.

So far behind...where to start?

OK, so I finally visited Eat Cake in Newburyport (see my first blog). Can I just say "butter?" Honestly - did you ever, as a child, accidentally put an entire stick of butter in your mouth? That's what the frosting tasted like. I brought one each to Tracy and Kate...I wonder if you felt the same way? I had vanilla with raspberry filling inside (the only redeemable feature of an otherwise butter explosion). Jeff had chocolate with chocolate and chocolate. Seriously. But I have no idea how good that one was.

Now, I also recently made a trip to Philly to visit my sister. We went on a pilgramidge to Clay's Bakery. I happen to know that they have the best cupcakes in the world (or a close second to the as-yet-unnamed bakery that Tracy is on the hunt for). Clay's failed to notify me that they were taking their vacation the week I was there. For that slight, Clay's now has only the 5th best cupcakes in the world.

We did, however, manage to try some deliciousness from the Elegant Cafe in Wayne. Given that their specialty was not cupcakes (more of a secondary line, if you will) Steph and I were disappointed to find that their cake was more like a corn muffin texture. Not good.

Did I happen to mention that Stephanie has a "unique" way of eating her cupcakes? I've never seen this before so it definitely surprised and amused me. She takes the cake part off the bottom and puts it on top of the frosting. No, she is not completely insane. Only partially. She eats it like a little sandwich.

Because #5 Clay's was closed we did hit up Jazmine's deliciousness whatever bakery that I can't remember the full name of. They're just around the corner from Clay's and have now been elevated over Clay's simply for being open while I was in town. The boys (Callum and Ryan) had mini vanilla vanillas (ah, boys after my own heart!) though Cal only at the frosting off the top of his and promptly turned over the cake to me. What a little darling. We scooped up 4 "various" for our trip to the Jersey Shore and shared them with Snooki, The Situation, and J-Woww. Snooki's bumpit got frosting all over it when she fell down drunk in the sand. But the rest of the cupcakes were yummo!

Cake Love

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