Cupid's Gourmet Cupcakes

Cupcakes have been the sweet world’s “it” thing for the past couple of years. Stealing the limelight from cakes and cookies, these little treats have been taking the world by storm. In Burlington alone I know of at least four bakeries that specialize in cupcakes in a variety of flavours that put vanilla and chocolate to shame.

I admit that I too have fallen under the spell of these mini delights. I love the idea of small food and I love to bake, so it really is a match made in heaven. My cookbook shelf consists of 90 percent cupcake books, my drawers and cupboards are bursting with cupcake pans, liners, materials... the list goes on. It is more than safe to say that I know my way around a cupcake.

So when I heard that a gourmet cupcake store was opening close to my work, I had to try. I had known of Cupid’s for a few months and I’m pretty sure I’d tried the majority of their flavours since discovering their store. There is a handy chart that is posted on the website to tell you what kinds are fresh baked each day, including a surprise daily Chef’s Choice. The storefront itself is small, brightly lit and simple. A small counter displays the day’s cupcakes neatly on cake stands. All flavours that are offered are available in normal size, or cute little mini cupcakes that are about two bites apiece. The open view to the kitchen usually shows bakers working as one or two people man the cash. If you follow them on Twitter, you’ll see the Chef’s Choice is sometimes posted, but not always.

Today’s Chef’s Choice caught my eye because it sounded both cute and delicious: Banana Split cupcakes are chocolate cake with a fresh banana wedge hidden inside, strawberry-and-banana swirled frosting, butterscotch drizzle and a maraschino cherry on top. I got a mini cupcake because I was curious how the banana wedge inside held up during the baking process.

Now I'm going to try something new - I took pictures with my camera phone, so please excuse the quality.

This is a pretty darn cute cupcake. The frosting is a soft pink on one side and a creamy yellow on the other, done with a seamless piping job. The caramel drizzle sits comfortably in the icing ridges, and the cherry is nestled in the frosting like it is being hugged by sugary, delicious arms. First bite in, and the chocolate cake is moist without being too sweet. Though the chocolate colour is dark, the actual chocolate flavour is light and not very chocolatey. The frosting is fantastic: the strawberry flavour is strong and you can tell that it’s not that artificial flavouring you find in processed snacks. The banana side of the frosting smells like bananas but tastes of a soft buttercream. Both flavours complement the cake well, and the drizzle of caramel is just enough to soften the frosting with its gooeyness.

See the tiny speck of white under the cherry? That's the banana. The banana wedge was so small that it was sadly overshadowed by the maraschino cherry. A tiny slice of banana sits just under the cherry at the top of the cupcake and didn’t have much of an impact on the taste overall. Perhaps it is better in the large cupcake, but it could have been left out of this one and wouldn’t have made much difference.

Cupid’s is a cute little bakery in a time when cupcake places are popping up everywhere. The cupcakes are light and not too sweet, and you can taste the freshness of each flavour. Cupid’s is a nut-free facility, which is always a good alternative if you have allergies. Of all the daily offerings, my favourites are the Bananas for Butterscotch and the Pucker Up. I highly recommend you check their Twitter account or, if you’re in the neighbourhood, stop by to see what the Chef’s Choice is for the day. I have been lucky and found many flavours that I have fallen in love with through the Chef’s Choice, and am waiting not-so-patiently for them to come back (Merry Berry, please!).

Cupid’s Gourmet Cupcakes
1011 Upper Middle Rd. E., Oakville
http://www.cupidscupcakes.ca/
http://twitter.com/#!/Cupidscupcakes