Sometimes Looks Can be Deceiving

I had been wanting to try the Saint Cupcake bakery for quite some time now so I finally sent Chad and Nathan there to pick up an assortment of Halloween treats. They look good, don't they? Ah, but the taste. How do they taste?

Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed. I like that they offer regular-sized and mini versions but it's all about the taste, isn't it? Some were better than others and they were definitely better than cupcakes from your local megamart but I expected a lot more for the premium price. There were some gems in the selection but also some bombs so the top-to-bottom consistency in the menu was not there. As often as we have cupcakes, I think I'll stick to homemade.

Read on for a more detailed review of each flavor.....

1. Vanilla-Toffee with Chocolate Buttercream (Regular)
This was by far the worst of the bunch. The toffee baked into the top of the cupcake had a nice caramely texture and flavor but the rest of it was a disappointment. The buttercream was just sweet with not much chocolate flavor and it felt too much like eating a stick of butter. The cake itself had a very greasy crumb and a dense texture that comes from over-mixing. Not how I picture a light and fluffy vanilla butter cake to be. And I couldn't find the vanilla flavor.

2. Vanilla with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing (Regular)
We're getting better. I had the same complaints about the cake but the texture on this one was lighter though the crumb was still a bit greasy leading me to believe that they have a lot of baker-to-baker variation and that they use oil instead of butter. Still pretty lackluster in the vanilla department though. The frosting was another matter. Light, tangy, and slightly sweet with intense vanilla undertones. Perfect cream cheese frosting.

3. Fat Elvis (Regular)
This was a banana cupcake with chocolate peanut butter frosting and it was even better. The cake itself had a nice banana flavor but was still denser than a cupcake should be. This was more in-line with a banana bread. The frosting was delicious. Intense chocolate with peanut butter undertones.

4. Pumpkin Spice (Mini)
The best of the bunch. Finally a cake with the light and fluffy texture I expect. Lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and not too sweet. Paired with the same cream cheese frosting with a little added cinnamon. A perfect match.

5. Banana Chocolate Chip Poundcake (Mini)
I can't speak to this one but it scored high on the toddler scale...

6. Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream (Mini)
See number 5.