Dessert Treats

Last Thursday Lauren and Nick journeyed up to Sydney for some retail fun. Realising that he had not yet purchased anything by the time they arrived in Surry Hills, Nick selflessly purchased a dozen cupcakes from Sparkle, rather than have to arrive home empty-handed (that was his excuse and I'm more than happy to go along with it).

No expense was spared for packaging. A well-crafted paper-bag held a strong box with individual slots for each cupcake. The temptation was too much and I was allowed to lift the lid before it was actually time for dessert.



A veritable treasure trove of cupcakes greeted my eyes (you may think his is cheesy hyperbole, but trust me, it wasn't).


But before dessert we had to endure dinner! No, it wasn't too hard as Nick and his minions had created a delicious Thai Beef Salad, a welcome dish on a hot day.

We also had a special guest for dinner - Michelle! She was on her very best behaviour and "felt very honoured to be dining with one of her favourite bloggers - just like in a movie!" We told her to get over herself (and that she could read about it on my blog ;-)).

Michelle and Lauren

And then, the real MAIN course - the cupcakes!

Nick and Lauren had thoughtfully chosen a selection of the usual 15 or so delicious flavours that are baked every day. Lauren and I were a little disappointed that the "Oriental Flower" (lychee and rose cake with sweet rose petal topping) had not been available on the day, so we sighed and resigned ourselves to tasting the ones that had been available.

Now, I was under the impression that I had been busily photographing a wide selection of the cupcakes that we were eating, but unfortunately that does not seem to have been the case - maybe I got distracted?

Green Tea and Bubbles

However, I do recollect the flavours and the responses of others. My general impressions of all the cakes was that they didn't look very fancy but that the flavours were very distinct - without being artificial, the "naturalness" of the flavours was a definite plus. The icings were also full of flavour without being sickly sweet (like some other cupcakes we have tried (or made)). I loved the little coloured icing discs to differentiate the flavours - very stylish!

Some of the cakes we divided into four (or more) so that whoever wanted one could have a taste. Our impressions (cake names and descriptions from here):

• Morning Glory (cinnamon cake with a hint of apple, dusted with cinnamon sugar) - delicious! Not too cinnamon-y (a good thing, sometimes it can be overdone). I thought my piece was a little dry, but Dan assured me it was "perfect".
• Lemon Squeeze (traditional zesty lemon cake and frosting) - perfect blend between sour lemon and sweet cake & frosting. MMMmmmm.
• Citrus Cloud (vanilla cake, a spurt of lime curd and fluffy meringue topping) - A-MAZ-ING! Really - as good as it sounds. If you like lime, you will love this.
• Green Tea and Bubbles (Maccha cake filled with tapioca bubbles and lime frosting) - Not being an aficionado of maccha cake or tapioca bubbles, I was keen to give this a try. The bubble filling was very refreshing and the green tea gave a delicate flavour to the cake.
• Lavender and Honey (soft scented lavender cake with creamy honey frosting) - Not my personal favourite - though if you love lavender flavoured food, you will like this. I can't get past the lavender as soap/ shampoo/ moisturiser scent, so find it a bit disconcerting as food. The honey frosting though, was very tasty (and I'm not just saying that to be nice).
• White Chocolate and Strawberry (Belgian White Chocolate with slithers of fresh strawberries) - I didn't get a look in on this one, as Rick (the White Chocolate King) polished it off (he may have been heard to mumble under his breath (very quietly) "would anyone like to try some of this?") He LOVED it!
• Banana Toffee (light banana cake filled with toffee and caramel frosting) - the flavour of the banana which can so often be overpowering, was perfectly balanced by the not-too-sweet caramel frosting.
• Pure Sparkle (vanilla cake made with the world's best pure vanilla bean and extract) - You would sort of think that with all the amazing flavours to choose from, the vanilla would be, well.... a bit vanilla. It was however exquisite, the black specks of vanilla seed attesting to it's freshness and a perfectly moist and flavoured cupcake.

And then there was one...

What a dessert! Thanks Nick!

Sparkle Cupcakery
132 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills 2010
Between Bourke and Crown Streets
Check the website for opening hours.
www.sparklecupcakery.com.au