Wednesday, May 19, 2010

For The Love Of Cupcakes

OK, I will admit it freely and with no hesitation..............I adore cupcakes! Cupcakes are festive, cupcakes are irresistable and cupcakes are just plain fun to eat! Cupcakes look like a tiny celebration all deliciously encased in a paper liner with sweet, decadent frosting spilling over the top. Everyone loves cupcakes! Cupcakes are a happy indulgence that we can all afford to splurge on from time to time. They make the end of a long day considerably brighter, and they make children squeal with delight and clap their hands in anticipation of the first gooey mouthful. You want to make someone smile...............give them a cupcake. When I was growing up my Mother knew of my fascination with cupcakes and would often send homemade ones in my lunch for school. Ahhh, the amazing buttercream frosting adorning each cake in various shades of pink, mint green and creamy yellow! Trust me, I became hooked at an early age, they were the best!

Now my love of cupcakes had taken quite a sabbatical because I could no longer eat them........sigh! To say I have been underwhelmed with gluten-free cake mixes would be an understatement. They always turn out grainy and there is that yucky aftertaste that always seems to accompany them. Well no more........I have found an awesome gluten-free bakery in Denver and they just happen to specilize in cupcakes! Mermaids Bakery is divine! Now they cannot ship baked cupcakes but they can ship their mixes. I spent a pleasurable part of my weekend baking several of their mixes and they were way beyond my expectations! I was so pleased with the results of my efforts. I made the chocolate mix and the red velvet mix. I frosted the red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts. I frosted the chocolate ones with a sinful chocolate buttercream. To my surprise and delight these cupcakes are heavenly! The texture is identical to gluten-laden cake and there is no trace of graininess or that weird aftertaste that we all know and dislike. I think I may have actually moaned and swooned out loud when I tried the first red velvet cupcake. I couldn't believe how good it was. And the chocolate is a very deep, rich, dark chocolate flavor that makes you feel extremely decadent as you devour every morsel. Now Mermaids Bakery has a shop in downtown Denver and you can bet I am going to make it there sooner than later. I will be trying the spice mix and the vanilla mix this weekend if time allows. And low and behold, these freeze very well too! But the best part is that I gave some to my gluten-loving, non-celiac friends (the final test) and they loved them and gobbled them up. Check out their website: http://www.mermaidsbakery.com. The photos alone will make you drool with longing.

I will keep you posted on the next flavors I make and I also have a recipe for a great yellow cake which I will post next time. More to come.....and remember to celebrate the little things in life.....like fantastic cupcakes from Mermaids Bakery........and no one will ever guess they are gluten-free!

1 comment:

  1. Cuppycakes in Omaha specializes in gluten free cupcakes!!!! They are amazing! The best I have EVER had! Their website is www.cuppycakes.net

    ReplyDelete