The Cookie Jar Bakery
My being a blog stalker has made me discover that cupcakes are the "in" thing nowadays. For the past month, I have read several blogsites that revolve around cupcakes. First, I read my favorite blogger, Jen Lancaster, talk about cupcakes which then led me to another website about cupcakes called, "Cupcakes Take the cake ", then led me again to more and more cupcake blogsites. To top it all, while I was checking my brother's Flickr site, he had several pictures of cupcakes in different forms and colors. Hmmm...is this normal?I now believe that we are presently having our own little "cupcake culture" (which btw is another blog).
My curiosity about these cupcakes made me ask Alan if he wanted to have a little adventure in downtown Houston to check on two different cupcake shops. I wanted to know why people are so into it and if I could also be a fan of the so-called "in" thing.
Are people wanting cupcakes instead of the traditional cake because it limits the size and calories they're eating or people like cupcakes because they could eat more variety of cakes in a single blow as compared to a traditional cake wherein you're stuck having an entire 8 X 8 or 9 x 13 which we'll all be sick of after a couple of slices?
I'm off to my journey...
First stop: Sugar Baby's Cupcake Boutique
Located near my fave, Wholefoods, Sugar Baby's is a cute cupcake boutique shop. I like its retro-ish decor in black and pastels. When I went there though, there wasn't a huge selection of cupcakes . I ordered the velvet cupcake and my fiance fancied a plain choco cupcake with vanilla frosting. I guess the fun part of being in the shop is actually not about eating the cupcake but taking pictures of the new place. I feel that people go there, not because of their cupcakes, but because it was designed beautifully. The people in the shop are so friendly too. I recommend that you see the place. It's a little bit Serendipity-ish
Rate: the velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting tasted good, I just ate it a little too late. (like after 2 days)
2nd Stop: The Cookie Jar Bakery
Located across the local elementary school of Post Oak, this bakery reminds me of the traditional bakery where the locals would just stop to read their newspaper and have a cup of coffee. This bakery looked a little bit run down as compared to Sugar Baby's but this shop has more of an at home feeling to it. As you enter, there are stuffed toys, game boards, books, and magazines all over the place. Totally kid-friendly. The cupcakes are also cheaper. I ordered a choco cupcake with nutella frosting while Alan ordered the tres leches cupcake.
Rate: the nutella choco cupcake is divine!
***The two shops had almost the same cupcake menu but both cater to different crowds. I think Sugarbaby's has a little flair to capture the yuppie crowd while the Cookie Jar targets the kids from the school across them.
When we got home, I took a bite of my nutella choco cupcake and it was quite okay. I wasn't impressed with the tres leches though. I guess I was expecting a little bit more. Thanks to actually living in a border town I know how to decipher what authentic mexican food is and tres leches is one of them. I also needed to taste the cupcakes from the other shop so the following day, I had a few bites of the velvet cupcake. It was yummy but it was too rich. One cupcake would actually fill you up immediately.
Finally, I can now say that I've tried the cupcakes and won't be joining the club. They're just glorified buns for crying out loud. Thank God!
