sweet & savory

What are the first foods that come to mind when you think of a tailgate? Hamburgers? Hot dogs? What's for dessert? Nothing sweet comes to mind when I think of tailgating before a football game. But when my friend, Deb, told me that she was making cupcakes that looked like hamburgers I began to think otherwise. I am a bit of purist—I prefer steamed veggies as opposed to grilled or fried, red ketchup instead of green, and hot fudge instead of the chemically enhanced stuff that hardens. The idea of eating a cupcake that looks like a hamburger baffled me, until I found myself standing in Deb's kitchen fascinated by her confection. One bite had me sold on this clever dessert. The sweet vanilla, chocolate and coconut flavors worked beautifully with the contrasting savory facade. She prepared over 100 hamburger-looking-cupcakes for a fraternity tailgate. Deb used vanilla and chocolate cake-mixes, frosting, shredded coconut, and food coloring for dying.


HOW TO:

Bake chocolate and vanilla cake mixes in a cupcake pan. Cut all of the baked vanilla cupcakes in half. The baked chocolate cupcakes you should cut in thirds. The chocolate cake will be the 'burger' and the vanilla cake will be the 'bun.' Use food coloring to dye vanilla frosting—yellow for mustard and red for ketchup. Dye the shredded coconut green for lettuce. Layer the burger with all of the condiments and enjoy this awesome dessert!

MY FAVORITE

And the winner is... (drumroll)... POLKADOTS! This fine boutique cupcake bakery is conveniently located just blocks away from where I currently reside. When I first walked in  I felt as if I were walking into a Barbie dream house. The home-like architecture and pink wall colors eased my mind bringing my inner-child to my watery mouth, shaping it into a giant smile. I ordered a seemingly simple cupcake, "vanilla with chocolate icing" layered with mini chocolate chips.  The combinations of flavors and textures were anything but ordinary. It was absolutely transcending— moving me (and my tastebuds) to an imaginary world. I closed my eyes allowing all of my senses to wallow in bliss and all I could see were rows of these spectacular cupcakes. 

I have had my share of cupcakes. The local grocery store cupcakes are too commercialized with flavorless sugary icing putting my teeth through agony. Whole foods tries too hard to impress with colorful and outlandish icing designs. Maybe they are trying to compensate— but who's kidding who no pastry chef can can fool me. Sprinkles cupcakes are highly overrated; not to mention overweight with cake dense enough to sink a ship and frosting thicker than the molds dentists use to fit you for a mouth guard.

You know that gritty feeling you have in your mouth after you've been exposed to most icings or awful cake frosting? Now you can forget that. Polkadots icing is smooth, fluffy, and flavorful— just the way it should be. The cake is not too heavy nor too light, providing you with divine happiness with every bite. After years and years of searching for the ultimate cupcake, I have found the one. Tasting Polkadots for the first time was like seeing the city of Venice for the first time— it was like a dream. Lucky for you and me, Polkadots is no fantasy; it's reality.

This calls for a celebration...cupcakes anyone?!