The Chocolate

The Chocolate, located in West Jordan and Orem, UT, are quaint little dessert cafes that sell fabulous treats like triple-layered cake by the slice, cupcakes, and more.

Carmel Chocolate cupcake and Cookies n' Cream cupcake

I stopped by the West Jordan location which is in a little old house at 9118 South Redwood Road. They have several beautifully decorated rooms with tables and chairs or couches where customers can sit and enjoy a delicious treat.  It would be the perfect place to stop and have a slice of cake with your girlfriends.

Cupcake Wars Season 3 Premiere Winner

 Photo courtesy of DC Visions

Did you happen to catch the season premiere of Cupcake Wars Tuesday on Food Network? If not, meet Annette, winner of the season 3 premiere and owner of Goodie Girls Cupcakes opening this summer in Glendale, CA. (The cupcakery will be located just two blocks from the bustling Americana At Brand shopping and entertainment center.)

Annette, an adorable blonde dressed in a handmade tutu and bright pink hair bow, along with her Goodie Girl assistant, Jackie Brubaker (who is also the face of the emerging country/pop band, Jackie Brubaker and the Ex Boyfriends), whipped up cupcakes dusted with edible glitter that dazzled the judges. After surviving two elimination rounds, Annette advanced to the final phase of the competition held at Kentucky Derby 137 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Photo Courtesy of DC Visions

Judged by Candace Nelson (owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes) and Florian Bellanger (owner and chef of MadMac), the winning cupcake display included Derby-inspired flavors like Mint Julep, Peaches N' Cream, Bubbly (dark chocolate cake, strawberry filling, and topped with Champagne frosting), and Blueberry Pancakes, all dusted with edible glitter. I absolutely love her love for glitter! She is my kind of girly girl - glitter, pink, cupcakes. Love it!

 Mint Julep Cupcakes - Photo courtesy of Mia Dolce

Here are two of her winning cupcakes (pictured above and below). To get the recipe for her Peaches N' Cream cupcake, click here. Check your local listings to see when they will re-air this episode. (Even though you already know who the winner is - maybe you just want to see her in action and see her amazing winning display that was featured at the Derby's star-studded Red Carpet event.)

Blueberry Pancakes Cupcake (Annette's signature flavor)

You can find out more about Goodie Girls and all of their upcoming events on facebook, wordpress, and twitter. Also, check out their website to find out the latest happenings and get on their "sweet list".

Goodie Girls, congratulations on winning Cupcake Wars and on your new storefront coming soon!

11/9/2011 Update: Click here to read about the Goodie Girls grand opening celebration.

Guys Love Cupcakes Too

Cupcakes are a perfect treat to give Dad on Father's Day. A lot of cupcakeries are offering some sort of "manly" promotion to celebrate this special occasion. For example, here is what a couple of my local cupcake shops are doing to celebrate:

Dippidee - They are selling tool and tie shaped sugar cookies as well as four father-themed cupcake flavors (bacon perhaps?).

The Sweet Tooth Fairy - Bring Dad in for a FREE cupcake of his choice on Saturday.

So grab some cupcakes for Dad and enjoy them with him. He will thank you!

Cupcake Truffles

Do you love candy and cupcakes? Well, now you can have both with these adorable Cupcake Truffles from the super cute New York candy store, Dylan's Candy Bar. They are handmade gourmet truffles made with Callebaut Chocolate and filled with rich flavored ganache. Dylan's Candy Bar also have Vanilla Cupcake Pencils and Red Velvet Cupcake Taffy. Just checking out their website will make you a kid in a candy store with bright eyes and a huge smile no matter what your age is.

You can see my last blog post about Dylan's Candy Bar, here.

Cupcakes From Ogden to Idaho Falls

Over Memorial weekend we went to Idaho Falls, ID to visit and decorate the graves of loved ones. During the trip I planned to make a quick stop by two cupcakeries - Vintage Cupcake Co. in Ogden, UT and The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe in Idaho Falls, ID. 

First stop was Vintage Cupcake Co. in Ogden, UT. They are located at 470 24th Street and specialize in cupcakes and vintage decor. The shop was completely decorated in vintage decor - it was darling. It was really hard to make a decision because they had so many delicious flavors to choose from and they were all decorated so beautiful. I finally chose the BTA cupcake (Better Than Anything - chocolate cake soaked in S&D milk and butterscotch and topped with whipped cream and toffee) and my husband had the Cotton Candy (see below). The cupcakes were divine. They were not overly sweet, the cake was moist, and the frosting was really unique. 

Vintage Cupcake

The next day we stopped at The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe at 2545 South 25th East in Idaho Falls, ID. They also have locations in Rexburg, ID and Provo, UT. I had the Grasshopper, my Mom had the BTW (Better Than Whatever), and my husband had the Vanilla Bean. All three cupcakes were delicious! The frosting was so good and the cake was very moist. I also really loved the "cafe" feel. It's the kind of place you want to hang out and enjoy a cup of coffee and a cupcake while catching up on your favorite blogs and websites using their free Wi-Fi.

The Cocoa Bean Cafe

To our surprise, just a couple doors down from The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe we discovered a new cupcakery, The Cupcake Factory. Located at 2631 South Hitt Road, Idaho Falls, ID. They specialize in square gourmet cupcakes. This time I ordered the S'mores cupcake, my mom had the cheesecake, and my husband had the BTA (Better Than Anything). I couldn't believe all three cupcakeries we stopped at had BTA cupcakes. I have heard of the BTA cake (aka BTW or BTS cake) but have never seen this flavor at a cupcake shop before. I really liked the cake but wasn't totally in love with the mousse frosting or marshmallow glaze. We thought the cupcakes were okay. (7/27/11 Update: On our last trip to Idaho Falls we noticed that The Cupcake Factory is no longer in business.)

The Cupcake Factory

The next night we went out to dinner and found yet ANOTHER cupcake shop in Idaho Falls. Who knew Idahoan's loved cupcakes as much as Utahan's? It was called Love At First Bite. Sadly it was Sunday and they were closed. We stopped by again on our way out of town Monday (Memorial Day) and they were closed for the holiday. We will stop again in July on our way to Yellowstone and let you know how it was. (7/27/11 Update: We finally got to visit Love At First Bite. Read my review, here.)

Overall we all loved The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe cupcakes the best, with Vintage Cupcake Co. coming in a close second.

Cupcake Wars Season 3

Great news for all of you Cupcake Wars fans - Season 3 premieres on Tuesday, June 14, at 8pm/7c on Food Network. Candace Nelson, owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes, and Florian Bellanger, chef and co-owner of MadMacs, will be back to judge again this season, as well as Justin Willman, the host of Cupcake Wars.

So grab a cupcake from your local cupcakery, sit back, relax, and enjoy!