August 16, 2010

Cupcakes- Sprinkles ¹

by Wendy • Cupcakes, Headline

This is a post about the yumminess that is Sprinkles cupcakes.  It’s not a bakery that sells other items like cookies or pies, it’s purely a cupcake shop.  I have heard quite a buzz about this place over the last couple of years and when it came to Houston, I knew I would eventually have to make the trip out there.

Sprinkles is located in the same trendy area as the other bakery that I visited.  I am not sure what it is about the Westheimer area, but most of the gourmet cupcake shops and bakeries seem to be located there.  I actually wish I lived closer to that side of town because there are so many unique stores, restaurants, & places to visit.  Whenever I go there, I definitely feel like I am living out in the ‘burbs.’  I have had to make a few trips to that area for work related things, so I figured why not kill two birds with one stone?

I had heard rumors about long lines, longer waits and sell-outs of certain flavors and so I was a little worried that I wouldn’t even get the opportunity to try one of the cupcakes.  After lunch, John and I went on the hunt looking for little shop.  Unfortunately,  it’s in a building that’s under construction which makes it incredibly difficult to locate.  I assume that on days that the lines are wrapped around the block, the store would be easier to spot.  Fortunately for us, since it was a weekday, there wasn’t a line at all.

We chose four different cupcakes because, well, we couldn’t resist just one or two!  I wish my wallet and my waistline could have handled trying a sample of all of the cupcakes.  Oh, to dream a little dream!  Our chosen four were key-lime, cherry, chocolate peanut butter, and cinnamon sugar.  The website states that they are made with all natural ingredients.  I noticed this right away because John has tried making a few cakes from scratch and the taste and texture were very similar.  The flavors in the cake were delicate (other than the chocolate) and the icing was a a light, rich buttercream.  I didn’t really like the cherry flavor.  I have tried two different cherry cupcakes and I haven’t like either.  I liked the key-lime quite a bit and the other two were pretty tasty.

While I really liked these cupcakes quite a bit, they weren’t my favorite at the time.  Believe it or not, the Cinnabon cupcake is still #1 on my list.  I have to say though that Sprinkles is hovering at #2 on the list because the cupcakes I have tried since have not been that great.  The more cupcakes that I taste, the higher the ranking I give Sprinkles.  I know for some of you out there who have an affinity for Sprinkles will think I am a heathen but I was a bit disappointed because their cake seemed dry and I wasn’t a fan of the texture.  I might need to do a retry on another day to see if another batch turns out different results.  I liked them well enough, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think that they are the best.

When we are tasting the cupcakes I am looking at texture (spongy), the moisture, the flavor, and the icing consistency and flavor.