8.16.2008

trophy cupcakes for trophy wives

Photobucket Everyone loves cupcakes. It seems that Sarah Jessica Parker and the gals influenced our sense of fashion, and our taste and yearning for delightfully iced pastries. But somehow, I am not won over; I absolutely can't stand cupcakes. I just don't get it. That being said, if anyone can do justice to a cupcake, Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle are pretty darn close. Trophy is actually very, very close to having created something that is not only beautiful and elegant, but most importantly, almost tasty. Preface: Where does this distaste for cupcakes come from? From eating bad cupcakes; cupcakes gone wrong. Chalky icing, and dry cake. It's not good, it's just not. I know there are hundreds and thousands of beautifully designed shops, websites, and very good blogs solely dedicated to praising and uplifting these little cakes. And at first, all this hoopla seems like such good fun, like a girlie sleepover with pillow fights. All innocent and fun. But then you realize that this isn't just a pillow fight, it's all out war; you taste the cupcake, savour the flavour, and discover that there is nothing of any substance there at all. Ok, so I'm biased. I was hoping Trophy Cupcakes would cure me of this strange illness, but alas, while it was close, I did not find a cupcake distaste vaccine -yet. I do like Trophy Cupcakes, as in I think it is about as good as it gets with flavours like chai cardamom and peanut butter and jelly. It is hard not to get caught up in all the fun. The shop is beyond adorable, and it's downright addicting. The glimmering glass display cases, café feel, and diner-like seating area. It's well done. For mommies & daddies with kids, it can't be beat. Not only are the cupcakes featured as little works of art, but Trophy has coolest party favours, and loot bag stuffers anywhere. You will find most anything necessary to throw the perfect kiddie party, and they are willing to customize decorations if need be. There are letterpress cards (a personal obsession of mine) for those adults in tow as well. In case the cupcakes aren't cute enough as is, there are cupcake decorations too. If cupcakes are your thing, Trophy Cupcakes is probably your mecca. Jeff fell for the fresh lemon butter cake cupcake with tangy lemon buttercream, and I swooned for the chocolate graham cracker: valrhona chocolate cake with a bitter sweet chocolate and graham cracker crust topped with toasted marshmallow. It was on Martha Stewart! Now, as cupcakes go, they were good, very, very good. The icing on Jeff's was quite flavourful, but still had a little bit of the chalkiness I despise. There was less emphasis on the lemon in the cake, which was also a little dry. However, it was still better than many other cupcakes out there, and a step in the right direction. The chocolate graham cracker is essentially a s'more cupcake, and it's a brilliant idea. The top reminds me of fancy French pastries, and it is a million times better than it looks. I swear. I think I really like this cupcake because it is hardly a cupcake at all; the top was not too sweet, and had a fantastically light and spoon-able texture. The cake itself was also pretty good, as it had a deep cocoa overtone, but not too sweet. Once again, the dryness wasn't bad, but still apparent. While I do still have a disdain for cupcakes, this must be at least be the right idea with a little flavour and a lot of love, perhaps there is hope for the dry cake, and for my lack of cupcake affection. Maybe there's hope for me yet. Daily cupcakes: $2.99 each, $33 dozen. *Specials: $3.25-$3.50 each Trophy Cupcakes, 1815 N. 45th Street, Suite No 209, Seattle, (206) 632-7020 Above: Lemon cupcake The tempting display counter, and flirtatious awning: Photobucket Some pretty hip bevvies being served - including matcha latte's, and one of my favourite's - Dry Soda: Photobucket Photobucket Chocolate graham cracker cupcake: valrhona chocolate cake with a bitter sweet chocolate and graham cracker crust topped with toasted marshmallow: Photobucket

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

These are absolutely lovely!

That said, I'm with you on the cupcake issue. I'm not sure where today's cupcake rage came from, but there are all sorts of places cropping up that are just compounding my feelings. (I'm thinking of one in particular in my neck of the woods that makes stunning cupcakes that are about as appetizing as iced hockey pucks when you bite into them.)

So sad, but like you said, maybe there's hope...somewhere...yet.

+Jessie

The Hungry Mouse
www.thehungrymouse.com
The Hungry Mouse loves you!

Eddie Gehman Kohan said...

Completely agree with you vis the entire cupcake issue, though have never visited the places you mention; but we have the same problem in LA! Cupcakes now seem all about form rather than function...that is---tasting good and adding "charm" to the end of a meal. Cupcake mania is a bizarre phenomenon, but it doesn't seem like it's going awat any time soon! Love your blog.....

Sugared Ellipses... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sugared Ellipses... said...

Hey, Just came across your post on Foodbuzz. You actually friended me (Thanks!) and I was perusing and saw this mouthwatering photo. I have to admit that I like cupcakes, or at least I used to.

After I started baking, a lot of store bought baked goods taste completely craptastic to me now. For instance, the time my Mom was jonesing on cake when I was just not in the mood to bake one, and decided to do a batch of Betty Crocker cupcakes - Gack! Oh, and the Pecan Sandies I used to love are now only about three steps away from liver for me. So, I can't really say if I like cupcakes anymore because I haven't made any from scratch yet myself.

I saw that Chocolate Graham Cracker cupcake on Martha too! It's the one cupcake recipe that seems to continually pop into my head every couple of days. Your post just added more impetus to actually give them a shot in my kitchen.

Anyways, thanks for the friending again and great blog!


Aimee


PS: I deleted the comment and reposted because I forgot to add the link so you could find out who the heck I am, sorry.

gail said...

aimee - I couldn't agree more. It is funny how our tastes change :) Thanks for saying hi!

Unknown said...

i love trophys! I went there over the summer and had the best cupcake that I've ever tasted. I tried at least 5 different kinds and they were all aimed to please! Glad to see you feel the same. :)

Olga said...

Great photos! Can I have a cupcake now?
Seriously though, next time I'm in Seattle, I'll have to check them out.

p.s. could you please email me? I wanted to ask how you are able to upload such big photos on blogger. Thank you!

My Sweet & Saucy said...

Simply stunning cupcakes!

Jules said...

I love the icing on the top cupcake.

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