Fairycakes - They're On a Roll!

A few weeks ago, the husbo and I ventured down to see and taste Moveable Feast in San Jose.  Our best buds in SF took us to Off the Grid last year, and it was super delis and fun!  We lamented that we didn't have anything like that in our neck of the woods.  Well, here we are!  Moveable Feast is in Willow Glen, and has a pretty solid assortment of trucks, including my personal fave - Fairy Cakes!

The truck was super cute - I mean, how can you not love their little fairy with the sassafras ponytail?  They also had a solid selection of classics and interesting combos.  I especially loved their packaging - which was a take-out style box.  There is something very lovely about opening one of those - inside you will either find Chinese food or, in this case, a cupcake!  Either way, I'm happy.








I also really loved that they had sprinkles for the top labeled with feelings that you should go through while eating a cupcake.  Their whole vibe was very fun and playful - I dug it.











For the tasting portion of the evening, I went with a peanut butter chocolate cupcake.  A chocolate cupcake, topped with peanut butter frosting and a dollop of chocolate in the center.  Very plain looking, as you can see, but inviting, nonetheless.

I did enjoy the cupcake.  However, peanut butter frosting is hard.  It is pretty heavy stuff, and it's difficult to lighten up just because of the consistency of the original ingredient.  It was a bit overpowering for me, but still a moist, beautiful cupcake.

I will definitely be going to this truck again, the next time we go to Moveable Feast - They're definitely onto something!!

Taste:  Moist and good cake, but the frosting was a bit much.  But the cake is the hardest part, if you ask me.

Decoration:  Very simple, but classic.

Overall:  Loved the truck.  Loved it.  Cupcakes on wheels?  Yes please.  Fairy mascot?  Love it.  Literal sprinkles on top are the metaphorical sprinkles on top of this yummy little stop.

Celebrate Good Times! (with cupcakes)

One of the things I am most passionate about, is my job.  I am a teacher at an amazing high school, work with amazing friends and colleagues, and teach some pretty amazing young people.  No teacher works for praise (thank goodness, because we don't get it very often!) but when you do get praised, it fills your metaphorical bank up so much that it can bring you to tears.

One of my old students nominated me for a very meaningful and amazing award from San Jose State,  and on Tuesday, I went to the awards ceremony to receive a certificate, eat good food, and celebrate the good work of English teachers in the area. I asked my husband to come with me so that we could celebrate together.

As I walked down the stairs of the parking garage, I saw my handsome husband walking across the street with a small white box in his hand.  My curiosity was piqued.  When we met, he opened the box, and inside, lay 6, tiny, beautifully decorated and petite cupcakes.

From top left: Guava, red velvet, strawberry delight, strawberry short cake, orangesicle, snickers

Yummmmm.  I was 

really excited.  We went to the awards ceremony, which was beautiful, and then came home where we (I) promptly dove right in.  I divided my experience over two nights.  (I am a glutton, but even I cannot handle three mini cupcakes in a night.)

The source of these beauties?  Loves Cupcakes in downtown San Jose.  They've been there for two years!  Why am I just now finding out about them!  I didn't pick them up myself, so unfortunately, I can't give them a rating on their ambiance.  But keep reading for all the deets on taste!

Orangesicle

This was definitely going to be my first choice as soon as Mike told me what it was.  If you want a summertime cupcake, this is IT!!  Creamy frosting, and orange zest as a part of the cake itself.  I also loved the orange and vanilla swirled frosting, that replicated the iconic creamsicle perfectly.  Seriously. So good.

For taste, this bad boy which was moist, zesty, and creamy - gets a:

I Loved the perfectly balanced color combination and perfect pointy peak!  

For presentation/frosting, it gets a:

Snickers

My second choice was the Snickers selection.  This is actually the second snickers cupcake I have had, and the first wasn't so great.  However, this one was very pleasing to the eye!  I loved the crunch of the peanut on top of the rich chocolate cake.  It definitely tasted like a snickers.  And, the caramel on the inside was nothing I was going to complain about either.  It was delicious.  Two for two.

This cupcake was divine.  Very good, caramely, and a good texture combination.  This has my stamp of approval.

Love the half and half concept of the frosting.  Jekyll and Hyde - but both are friendly and yummy:)  

For decoration, this one easily earns a:

  

I enjoyed the crunch of the nuts and the smooth silkiness of the caramel.  For taste, this one earns a:

Guava

I discovered something important after sampling this cupcake - I am not a fan of guava.  Mike was not a fan either.  It looked so pretty, but tasted like feet.  No gracias.

This cupcake earns:

for decoration.  I love the simple white frosting with a small dollop of guava yuminess in the center.  And although the dollop ended up tasting like feet, I didn't know this at first!

For taste, I think you might have already guessed:

I had to take a break, and left the other three for the following night (very sad to leave them!).  Here we are, on a taste date, the following night.

Strawberry Delight

This one is right up there with the orangesicle in terms of its summer worthiness.  This picture of the inside of this cupcake speaks for itself.  From top to bottom, this is a delightful strawberry cupcake.  The frosting is light, the inside gooey, and the strawberry decoration on the top - the perfect addition.  Summer berries at their finest.  

For decoration, this cupcake earns a:

  

It really reminds me of one of the hats we saw during the Royal wedding last week. So quaint and cute!

For taste, this cupcake earns a:

Strawberry Shortcake

This really did taste like its name!  Very summery and delicious.  The cake was a bit dry, but it was definitely a good shortcake, topped with light, airy, strawberry deliciousness.  I loved the topping and decoration because it reminded me of one of my favorite childhood characters - Strawberry Shortcake :)  Go figure!  If this cake had eyes and some cute little freckles...well, that might be creepy and I wouldn't have eaten it.  But it was a dead ringer!  I would eat this one again, but would make sure it was a bit more fresh!  There's nothing worse than a stale cake!

For taste, I would give this a:

The cake was dry, and it distracted me!  But given a fresher shortcake, it would be a five!


For decoration, I would give this one a:

Mostly because it reminds me of something I loved in my childhood.  If it didn't, I probably would have taken away a cupcake - I am kind of weirded out by the pink frosting.  Yes, I know, the orangesicle was probably stranger, but for some reason this pink frosting rings in as more artificial!


Red Velvet


This was, quite possibly, the best red velvet I've ever had.  Seriously.  Run out and get one NOW.  In my last post, I talked about what an ideal red velvet should taste like.  It should NOT taste like artificial food coloring.  This one fit the bill top to bottom, first bite to last.    If you notice, it is a relatively dark shade of red.  Sometimes when you get a red velvet, they are almost radioactive red.  Never a good sign, IMHO.  This one is a deep red hue, which means its got a good amount of cocoa powder, which is one of the tastes you want to come through.  It was most, the cream cheese frosting was not overpowering, and was creamy and fresh.  Seriously - top three I've ever had.

For taste, this one gets a:

Cupcakes like these make me wish I had more cupcakes to give.  
SO good.

For decoration, this one gets a:

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am waiting for someone to take this classic and really blow it out of the water with the decoration.  Something more than cream cheese.

Overall, I will definitely be going back to this place.  It is within walking distance and close to my hunny's work.  I definitely had my favorites, but I enjoyed every delectable bite!

Koo Koo for Kara's Part Deux

After writing my last post, I clearly had to go back and try their monthly special: the Hazelnut Crunch.  Here is the verdict on this sweet treat, available through the end of this month...

Well, of course we couldn't just walk away with a single cupcake.  Let's be serious.  We walked out with the Hazelnut crunch (the object of our initial affection) and a vanilla coconut.  

The Hazelnut had a yummy crunchy topping, atop a simple vanilla cake.  I loved the texture twist - the crunchy and spongy all in one glorious bite.  The hazelnut taste wasn't too overpowering, very subtle.  

My question is this: how do you get it so that cupcake holder doesn't get oily and gross looking?  Kara - can you riddle me that?  (or, really, anyone)

The afterthought in this transaction, was the coconut.  I am a SUCKER for all things coconut, especially when they involve 1) Frosting 2) Cake 3) anything at all on this earth.  Take a look at this awesomeness (you may need sunglasses)

Inside info - it has a delish filling of awesome goodness, otherwise known as lemon and coconut cream.  Do I really NEED to say anything else?

Verdict: 5/5 cupcakes for both of these bad boys.  Go over to Kara's and pick one up for yourself!

Koo Koo for Kara's

Kara's Cupcakes, a Bay Area staple, has been a favorite of mine for some time.  I love their flavors, their presentation (for the most part) and definitely their proximity to my house!  It is about a 2.4 mile walk from my place, so it's easy to walk there, earn my cupcake, walk back - thus shedding 100% of the calories.  Okay, probably not all of the calories - but a girl can dream, right?

Part of me is, honestly, hesitant to like Kara's as much as I do.  It is kind of corporate feeling - the one in our area is a simple store front, and has absolutely no internal seating to enjoy your cupcake.  But, nevertheless, they have some bangin' cupcakes.  So, for the overall decor and setting, I would say:

Photo by Monica Schuet

My girlfriend, Monica, and I decided to venture out together on a Sunday afternoon - I had asked her to do some "research" with me.  All in the name of the blog, of course.  It's easy to get people to help you with your blog when you are writing about food!  We went to the Kara's on Santana Row in San Jose.  As I mentioned before, it is a simple store front - there is a small space to order the cupcakes, a small display, and then you have to pay and move about your day!  St. Patrick's day was coming up, and so they had some pretty awesome flavors in celebration.  Monica and I decided on two: Banana with carmel (OMG, OMG, OMG) and a Guiness cake.  I was a bit hesitant about the Guiness cake, not being a fan of the beer, but Monica went for it, and I was glad to try something new and adventurous.

Photo by Monica Schuet

We took them back to Monica's house (even closer than mine!  Boy, would I be in trouble...)  She has a beautiful natural light coming through her kitchen window, and she volunteered to take some beauty shots of our cupcakes before we dove in!  She also whipped us up some delicious Chai Lattes....so tasty on a cold and rainy day.

We really prepped it and savored the steps that I am so very much looking for in my dream cupcakery.  Lattes in simple white mugs: check.  Cupcakes halved and plated: check.  Good company: check!

Prepping our plates!
Photo by Monica Schuet

Plates are ready!  Let's eat!
Photo by Monica Schuet

Always the enthusiastic eater -
Photo by Monica Schuet

Banana Caramel


Oh BOY was this exciting to see.  I know I mentioned that at the last destination, Sweet Passions, I had passed up the banana cake option.  But this time, I had not just baked banana bread, and it had CARAMEL.  I was sold.


 Decoration: Kara's has a fairly signature and reliable decoration scheme.  They place a single fondant decoration on top - be it a circle, flower, or other holiday specific images.  They have a simple and plain frosting application on this cake.  It had a light cream cheese frosting, and wasn't too much, or too little.  It got squished on the ride from the store to Monica's house, but it looked very pretty in the store!


Taste:  It was creamy, banana-y, and DELICIOUS.  There was just enough caramel so as to not overwhelm the banana flavor, but not too much so that it was overly sweet.  My friend, Emily, and I were talking today about how a banana cupcake is really just a banana muffin.  But the caramel really set it on a different plane from a muffin!

This is one of the most amazing cupcakes I have tasted.  Seriously.  Look at this thing:

Photo by Monica Schuet

Overall, I would rate the taste:  That's right!  Five stars, baby!

Guiness

As I mentioned before, I am not a huge Guiness fan.  But, I am glad Monica got us this treat!  

Photo by Monica Schuet

Decoration: This decoration was a little silly, to me.  It had the signature fondant on the top, but then some haphazard green sprinkles, presumably in honor of St. Patrick's day.  I could have done without.  Again, this one got crushed along with the banana cake, so it wasn't pretty to look at when we took it out, but it looked alright in the store!  Overall, I would give this a: 

Taste: For not liking Guiness, I sure liked this cupcake!  The beer flavor was not overwhelming, but just enough so that you knew it was in there.  It was, overall, very mild.  However, there was a bit of a tartness to it.  

Photo by Monica Schuet

 Overall, I am a fan of Kara's.  Their cupcakes are moist, they have a variety of flavors, and I am always pleased with my purchase.  I just wish they had a bit more in the seating department!  Another thing I like about them is that they change up their menu often, offering a flavor of the month!  This month, it is Hazelnut Crunch - now available at all stores!  Get yours today!  I know I will!  My rating for Kara's:
 (I should say, this is based on this visit as well as a few others - undocumented...)