Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Cupcakes (and a Berliner Weisse) Take the Cake

This post tells of truly fabulous cupcakes - cupcakes that live up to their name, or have thoroughly earned the hype surrounding them.

I remember when Kickass Cupcakes opened a few years ago. How great for Davis Square to get a cupcakery, I thought - and how fun for a bakery of any sort to project a hip, in-your-face identity in place of the usual saccharine, frilly one! Unfortunately, Kickass' first few weeks of cupcakes did not kick ass. I dismissed them outright after having too many dry, flavorless cakes with stiffened, flavorless frostings. Years passed. I saw no reason to revisit - or retaste? - my opinion.

And then there was Brewberry Fest.

Night Shift Brewing brews an amazing range of Berliner Weisse-style beers. I love that style's refreshing, mouth-puckering tartness, and I love Night Shift's ability to adapt and evolve it in various fruity and spicy directions. Last week's Brewberry Fest commemorated their release of Mainer Weisse, the standard Berliner base brewed with Maine blueberries and cinnamon. Here are two pours of the purple concoction.
Forget about the overdone sweetness one usually finds (and fears) in fruity beers. Mainer Weisse has a subtle, tangy blueberry flavor, and its cinnamon works well with the inherent Berliner flavors. I would go back to this sour over and over again if I could; unfortunately, it was a limited release that sold out in the days following the Fest.

Good beers at good Fests are even better with good food! We enjoyed Mei Mei Street Kitchen's indulgent mac and cheese, made with Vermont Cheddar and Night Shift's Fallen Apple ale, for dinner. Kickass Cupcakes had a table at the other end of the hall, where they were offering four total flavors of miniature and full-sized cupcakes. The mini cupcakes were free. I thought of Kickass' past fails as mentioned above, but I couldn't say no to free dessert. I'm so glad I took that chance, because WOW - they have improved so dramatically that their current cupcakes totally kick ass and then some! The flavors were:
  • Spicy Chocolate - this flavor was made especially for Night Shift! (All subsequent flavors are from Kickass' usual repertoire.) A dense, flavorful chocolate cake was injected with peppery chocolate ganache; that ganache had been doctored with Night Shift's Viva Habanera ale! Rich chocolate frosting topped the cake, which itself was drizzled with sweet chili sauce and sprinkled with red pepper flakes. A delightful combination of heat and sweet, I kept on coming back for more of these mini confections.
  • Berry Crumbly - sturdy vanilla cake was dotted with mixed berries and topped with Kickass' interpretation of crumble. Imagine oats that were lightly tossed with melted butter and brown sugar, and then toasted; the effect was pleasant, but not nearly as satisfying as a chunky, flour-based crumble. The frosting was a light, refreshing blend of creme fraiche and marscapone cheese, and a random berry crowned each cake's frosting dollop.
  • Caramel Mochiatto - the same hearty chocolate cake was filled with an oozy nugget of sweet, translucent caramel. Rich mocha frosting was swirled on top, and chocolate-covered espresso nibs garnished that frosting and added explosive coffee bitterness to the dessert.
  • Cookie Dough - the standard vanilla cake had a gooey scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough at its center. There was probably more cookie dough than cake! The cake and cookie doughs' formulations must have been similar, since simultaneously eating both demonstrated a surprising continuity of flavor. The frosting was a simple but solid vanilla buttercream that was drizzled with chocolate sauce for an engaging visual effect.
You can see the Cookie Dough cupcake, and yet another pour of Mainer Weisse, here!
I was so impressed with the moistness and heft of both cakes and frostings, as well as their rich, lingering flavors; I surprised myself by snacking on the free mini cupcakes throughout the night. There were more than enough to go around. Even with all that snacking, there were many cupcakes left when the festival started winding down. So, the Kickass folks let us take boxes of cupcakes to go! The offer even included the full-sized cupcakes we would have had to pay for earlier in the night. Behold my enviable to-go box; you will count 4 Spicy Chocolates and one Caramel Mochiatto, with a dramatic backdrop of the remaining Spicy Chocolates.
These treats kept for days following the event, so the dessert wealth was indeed spread! I must thank Kickass Cupcakes for leaning from their past and churning out incredibly delicious new products, and to Night Shift for being a ray of (sour) light in a world of lagers, IPAs, and stouts

Now, let's fast-forward a few days post-Fest. The to-go box had been emptied. What was I going to do for dessert?

Georgetown Cupcake - the DC cupcakery that rose to fame on the Food Network - opened a Newbury Street store this past summer! I walked by during its opening weekend, and was mollified by a line that extended down and around the block; I decided to come back another time. The perfect opportunity arose last weekend. The warm, bright store was a beacon on a sleety, gray afternoon, and I decided a cupcake could commemorate just having finished my Christmas shopping.

As my eyes adjusted to the store's blinding pink and white decor, I noticed the wall of cupcakes.
Countless cupcakes are arranged on tiered display stands, with two or three varieties sharing each stand. Since Georgetown's available flavors change daily, each day's display is unique. I could barely take it all in. Each pert cake is coiffed with a perfect swirl of frosting, which in turn is topped with a decorative garnish or fondant form. Crushed peppermint candies and fondant snowflakes were two particularly festive toppers.
(If you, like me, are curious about the Chocolate Squared, it refers to chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. The Chocolate Cubed [not pictured] is chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.)

The cupcakes weren't the only cute things I ogled at. Look at this adorable reindeer design on my cup of hot chocolate! The same design was also on stickers that decorated each bakery bag or box to go.
Speaking of the hot chocolate - it was good, but not mind-blowing. The cocoa was nice and sweet, with a hint of mint and a slightly oily texture. That last characteristic reminded me of British chocolate. (I wonder which cocoa Georgetown uses...) I think I'd try a mocha next.

I also got a chocolate peppermint cupcake. Here it is in Instagrammed glory...
...while this cleaner, minimalist image shows it one step from being eaten.
The cake had a great texture! It was super chewy for a non-fudgy baked good. It was also rather sturdy, not sinking under the weight of the dense chocolate mint frosting. Georgetown uses Valrhona chocolate in their baked goods, and the cake had Valrhona's signature bold flavor. It wasn't overwhelming, though, thanks to the cake's relative dryness. The frosting's consistency lay somewhere between buttercream and ganache. Its bold Valrhona flavor was spiked with a hint of mint. The peppermint candy dusting on top added crunch and a shiver of chilliness. Georgetown has a lot of tempting flavors to choose from, but this one would be worth choosing again.

Also, Georgetown's a great deal. My cupcake was only $2.75! (Compare that to any [smaller and less tasty] cupcake from Sweet, a local chain of 4 stores, which costs $3.25.) The hot cocoa was a steal, too, at $1.85. I think Boston has a new place to go for good, affordable treats.

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I hope you have a chance to try some of these excellent cupcakes in the near future! I, too, want to go back for more. What are some good flavors to try?

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