Dang it! I keep forgetting to post to SodaCraze. Somebody come over to my apartment and give me a swift kick in the rear, please.
Anyway, yesterday I had a lunch date on Whyte (yay Da-de-O’s! And judicious use of the toaster oven ensured that my breakfast of leftover oyster po’boy tasted just as good this morning as it did yesterday afternoon) and afterwards we decided to check out that new cupcake place, Flirt Cupcakes.
My only basis of comparison was Crave Cupcakes in Calgary, at which, of course, I used to find myself about once a week buying a measure of comfort in a little plastic clamshell.
They’re both solid cupcake places, in my limited opinion. The cupcake I got at Flirt (above) was the Basic Instinct, which is just buttercream on chocolate – the equivalent of the Crave-o-licious. Flirt’s actual cake was so much better – denser and more satisfying, with a terrific mouthfeel, and I loved the cake-to-frosting ratio. Crave’s chocolate cupcakes are delicious, but a little bit too foofy to hold up the nine feet of frosting they put on it. (In fact, I’ve lost more than one cupcake on the sidewalk right outside the Crave store as the cake deflated under my first bite, toppled over under the weight of the frosting, and collapsed with a sighing noise.)
The frosting on the Basic Instinct could use some work. The texture was pretty good, and I appreciate that they’re not trying to kill us with sweetness, but a buttercream shouldn’t taste like I just swiped a finger across the margarine tub and stuck it in my mouth. With the addition of the cake and the sprinkles, it was decent – maybe that’s what they were going for. Regardless, I’ll probably get a different flavour next time. I saw that they had some with cream-cheese, coconut, mint, and raspberry frosting.
I think we got there around 3:30, and all they seemed to have was empty displays, which was a bit of a psychological blow, it seemed very grim and pre-Glasnost for a minute – especially as the two girls ahead of us ordered a box of twelve and emptied out most of what was left. Luckily they brought out a fresh tray of Wild on Whyte, which my young man is holding above (and I would have asked for a lick of frosting if it hadn’t disappeared by the time I put my camera back into my purse). The store itself is mighty cute, if a bit spartan at the moment – I think they should invest in some cupcake-themed art for the walls.
Anyway, we plan to head back there next time we’re on Whyte and try the other flavours. They’re pricey, but I think of it the same way as Marble Slab ice cream or something – it’s a treat that I would pretty much not ever make at home, so a couple of bucks is a reasonable expense every now and then. Just doin’ my part to stimulate the economy!
You know, I’ve never actually been to Crave. In fact, the first time I’ve ever set foot in a cupcake store was just on Saturday for dessert after a friend’s birthday. It was pretty good, although a little expensive… and I don’t really have a basis for comparison.
How about I shove one in an envelope and you can tell me if I’m missing out?
Or how about I squish a Crave cupcake and a Flirt cupcake in an envelope, mail them to you, and you can tell me if I’m missing out! After all, the French are supposed to be legendary bakers.
Oh, also, my brother reports that there’s another cupcake place opening up next to the Funky Pickle, in that building underneath the other Greek restaurant (whatever it’s called… you know, the one that’s not Yianni’s?). The new one is apparently called ‘Fuss.’
What’s the deal with cupcake store names? ‘Flirt,’ ‘Fuss,’ ‘Crave’… it’s like you can only name a cupcake store something that girls do on a regular basis. They could have called it ‘Nag.’ Or ‘Snub.’ Or ‘Open Up Not One But Two Cupcake Stores on Whyte Ave.’
i tried my first crave cupcake (even tho the icing melted because my car was so hot) and it was soooooo sweet. a little too sweet for me. but still good! and i agree, the cake itself was too fluffy. it needed more substance to balance out the giant blob of icing.
Yay, you’re not a Crave virgin any more! Glad you agree about the icing too.
It’s funny, because when you order a Crave cake as opposed to a cupcake, it’s the barest, thinnest layer of icing. My old workplace used to get a cake from them once a month to celebrate all the birthdays in that month, and sometimes you could see the cake through the thin icing. Weird.
Update: I went back yesterday and got a Marie Antoinette and my friend got a The Flirt. Mine was nice but I would have loved a bite of his… I could smell the dark chocolate from three feet away as he ate it.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up and
the rest of the website is extremely good.