Genius!

Cupcake Diner


How cute is this?!  A few fellow cupcake lovers have forwarded the website of this brand-new business to me, and I definitely plan on catching this truck at some point this summer!


What a great idea - and the owner, Natalie, graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University 
(my alma mater)!  Way to go girl, can't wait to see your pink truck on the road soon!

Best of British Columbia!

After a little bit of a hiatus, let's go back in time to my trip to BC and finish up with the tastiest cupcake I had during my visit there!


You may recognize this cupcake shop from a TV show that aired last year on Slice Network in Canada, called 'Cupcake Girls'.  The show told the story of two best friends, Heather and Lori, who started their own cupcake shop after working in New York City for several years.  Going through the events of September 11th inspired them to finally realize their dream, and to return to a simpler life.   I loved watching the show and watching these two friends, neither one of them with any baking experience whatsoever, go through the stress and struggles of starting their own business.  


Today, business is booming for these Cupcake Girls.  From their first store opening in 2002, they now have several shops in the Greater Vancouver area, and even offer franchising!


Simply called Cupcakes, Heather and Lori's brainchild is a fantastic spot.  The decor in their stores is the best I have seen!  All pink and brown, bright and fun, their pretty shop and its cute awning beckon you inside.

(stock photos)

 We visited the Cupcakes located on Thurlow Street in downtown Vancouver.  About ten different flavours were offered, and it was so hard to choose just one!

 I ended up opting for their Pink Lemonade flavour - a lemon cupcake with a pink lemonade buttercream frosting.

Absolutely diviiiiiiine.

Moist, rich, sweet yet slightly tart lemon cake, with a frosting that really did taste just like pink lemonade.  Being one of my favourite drinks of all time, anything that tastes like pink lemonade rates pretty high in my books!

I loved all of the cute merchandise for sale in Cupcakes too - t-shirts, pink and brown polka-dotted aprons, and reusable bags, which I picked up for myself (please ignore the fact that my dad and sister look slightly pyscho in the following photo):

Heather and Lori's story of following their cupcake dreams inspires me, so I'll leave off with the link to their Facebook page.  Aren't they just the cutest?!  Them, their store, and their cupcakes!  Fantastic!

Cupcakes Facebook Page

Seattle's Best Cupcake!

After a few fun days in Bellingham, we headed back down to Seattle for the tail end of our trip. One of the girls I was traveling with asked a few local students where the best spot to get a cupcake was, and they suggested Cupcake Royale.  This bakery has a few locations, but my two fellow tasters and I visited their Ballard store, which was in a really pretty area of downtown Seattle.  


My first impression upon walking into Cupcake Royale was that the shop was 'hardcore cute'. There was pink everywhere, but it was contrasted against black accents and the largest amount of tattooed males that I've ever seen working in a bakery.  The decor really worked though, I loved its 'tough' industrial feel with just the right amount of pretty touches.  Maybe a photo will help to give you a better idea of what I mean:

About a dozen flavours were offered that day, including some very interesting combinations, like Maple Whiskey Bacon:

We picked this one up for our friend Micah, and he quite enjoyed it.  The more 'masculine' cupcakes with ingredients like bacon seem to be very trendy right now and are popping up everywhere!

Us girls each chose a different flavour to try.  Molly went for the Triple Threat - chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!

I had the Lemon Drop,

And Abby opted for the Salted Caramel:

I'll get to the cupcakes in a second, but I want to first comment on the coffee that is also offered at Cupcake Royale.  I had a cappucino and Molly had a vanilla latte, and they were both excellent, let alone pretty with their cute foam designs:

But I digress.  Onto the cupcakes!!

Wow.  Wow wow wow wow wow.  I think this was the only word coming out of our mouths as we scarfed down our delicious treats.  These cupcakes were some of the best I have ever eaten.

Let me say again....

These cupcakes are some of the best I have EVER eaten!!

Seriously.  The cake was unlike any other cake I have ever tried.  In texture it resembled the airiness of an angel food cake, but in reality it was much denser and more rich.  And the frosting was just perfect - creamy, sweet, and with just the right amount of tart lemon flavour.

Molly loved her Triple Threat - the cake was moist and rich, and the frosting was divine!

And Abby's Salted Caramel cupcake....oh my word.  If I could eat chocolate without severe consequences, I would have marched right back up to the counter and ordered one of those for myself too.  The frosting was to die for - you could really taste the salty caramel, and it mixed so well with the chocolate cake.  Heavenly.

Ya'll know how much I love Crumbs, and I have to admit that its going to take one heck of a cupcake to ever beat out one of theirs, but Cupcake Royale is most definitely up there at the top of my list.  From the coffee to the ambience to their all-natural ingredients (everything is organic and from local farmers - love that!), Cupcake Royale in Seattle is one of my most favourite, favourite bakeries ever.  I can see why it has been voted 'Seattle's Best Cupcake'!

They even encouraged composting and social responsibility, asking customers to take care of cleaning off their own tables and placing dirty silverware and dishes in the bus tub:

Here are Molly and Abby with their cakes.  Aren't they cute?!!

I'm honestly still dreaming about how good those cupcakes were!  I can only hope that one day I will be able to return to Seattle and to this wonderful spot.  Thank you Cupcake Royale for making a gloomy, rainy day in Washington so much more enjoyable for us three girls!