Oh My Tasty: Church of Cupcakes, Denver CO

I tell you, sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. And so here is a tale that involves not only delicious cupcakes, but my big burly dad, a tricycle, and maybe a little sweet gosel. Yep: here is the tale of how my big burly dad found himself fixing the cupcake trike at Church of Cupcakes in Denver.

I was in Denver, among other reasons, to visit the Craftsy HQ. I have written a number of scintillating articles on important subjects such as How to Make Nanaimo Bars and How to Make Crumb Cake and How to Make Butter at Home for these people, and I wanted to meet them. It was a great experience! Here I am with the editorial staff I usually work with. Cute, right?

My dad was with me in Denver, and since we were a little early for my appointment with Craftsy, we decided to get our cupcake on. Naturally, we headed over to Church of Cupcakes. Don't you already love them based on the name?

We knew we'd found the place when we saw this outside.

Well, technically I've already been here, but it had a different name the last time I went: Lovely Confections. That name was sweet, this one is cheeky. I love them regardless of the name. 

As we got there, we saw proprietress Porsche fiddling with the cupcake tricycle, their mobile cupcake delivery system.

Immediately, my manly-man dad stepped in to see what he could do.

My dad is a tinkerer. When we were little, he was a garbageman--wait, I think you're supposed to use the word sanitation worker now?--and he loved to collect...well, junk. But he'd turn the junk he collected into treasures, such as the coolest bikes ever, which he pieced together from a wheel found here, handlebars found there. Seriously, they were the coolest bikes on the block, as well as the next block over. 

While he tinkered, Porche met Porkchop the pug for the first time (she's long admired him on facebook), and I ogled the cupcakes. 

Oh, what cupcakes. We picked up a box of four: vanilla-vanilla, pumpkin ("Oh my Gourd!"), chocolate-salted caramel, and honey. Not long after, me and daddio busted into the box. He had the salty caramel frosted chocolate; I had the lavender-infused cake with honey-lemon frosting. 

I should also pause to tell you how funny and cute everything is in Church of Cupcakes. Cute tees, glitter everywhere, funny puns. I am in love!

Listen. I'll be straight up with you, and I would say the same to my dad: he's not what one might call a "mindful" taster. This puppy was gone in 2 bites.

But from his expression, and the fact that he said "that was very good" or something to that tone, it must have been great. The taste I was gifted was awesome: dark chocolate. Light, buttery sweetness. And yummy salt. Perfection.

And listen. The lavender-honey-lemon variety. Believe it or not, I had without thinking about it chosen the exact thing I had chosen last time. And it was still so, so good.

It had a soupcon of lavender, but it wasn't perfumey by any means. It was delicate. But gawd, was it buttery. The honey-lemon made it taste slightly fancy, but it still had the simple appeal of vanilla. It was a cupcake that made me smile. 

The other two varieties were devoured by my sweetest guy (not Porkchop). He ate both in about 2 bites (so like my dad!) but proclaimed them beautifully done.

Here I am with the owner.

I think that if you are in Denver, you need to visit. It's sweet and cute there! Perfect.

Church of Cupcakes, 1489 Steele Street, Denver; online here.

Sweet Fancy: Chocolate Paprika Cake Recipe from Kim and Jake's Cakes, Boulder CO

Photo: Kim and Jake's CakesThere is a song called "Daylight" by a band called Matt & Kim. I like this song. And I liked it even more when I learned that the Matt and Kim in question went to the same college as me, Pratt Institute.

But then I learned that they were several years younger than me and were kind of big deals in the music world, and then I kind of stopped liking them so much. In fact, my eyes kind of narrowed every time that song came on the radio. Stupid-younger-than-me-overachievers.

So now I turn to another duo, Kim and Jake, who run Kim & Jake's Cakes. Ahh, that's better. And they've offered up a recipe to share, for this delectable Chocolate Paprika Cake! An unexpected but delicious fall treat. Lucky us. Here's the recipe.

Image: Kim and Jake's CakesChocolate Paprika Cake

Ingredients For the Cake:

• 6 eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 1.5 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup dark cocoa
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tsp Urfa chilies
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• 2 ¾  cups strong brewed coffee

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Line two 8 inch pans with oil and flour or spray down with Baker’s Joy
3.  Combine all ingredients except for flour and coffee into a six qt. mixer bowl.  Using the whisk attachment put on speed 2 and mix until the batter is shiny and everything is incorporated.  Alternately add flour and coffee a cup at a time starting with the flour. When everything has been added, scrape down sides of bowl and mix on speed 3 for one minute.
4. Pour contents into prepared pans and bake for 55 minutes.  Remove from pan and let cool.

Ingredients For the Icing:

• 2 lbs butter (room temp)
• 4 lbs powdered sugar
• 1 Table spoon milk
• 1 table spoon vanilla
• ½ tsp  each: sweet paprika, salt, black pepper

 To make the icing:  Whip butter on high for 5 minutes.  Scrape sides and repeat.  Add powdered sugar a cup at a time with mixer on speed 1.  Add milk, vanilla, and spices.  Whip on speed 3 to incorporate everything fully. To assemble Cake:  Level the tops of the layers, Apply a thin layer of icing to the top of one layer and set the remaining layer on top of it.  With a spatula use the rest of the icing to evenly cover the cake.   Serves 12.

CakeSpy Undercover: Omonoia Greek Bakery, Denver CO

My appetite for Greek pastries was largely formed during my college years, when my BFF, James Papadopoulos, introduced me to the bakeries of Astoria, Queens, where there were cookies that shared his last name and so many other delicious treats to be discovered. 

So naturally, when I came across Omonaia Bakery in Denver, CO, I had to at least walk in and check out the wares. 

What might you expect, walking into this place? For one thing, owners or family (maybe both?) sitting at a table drinking coffee and talking animatedly. For some reason, this always seems to be happening at old-school bakeries, no matter what the ethnicity of the owners. 

For another, lots and lots of sweet treats. Including baba au rhum-looking things:

...cookies of all sorts, like Kourabiedes and Melomacarona:

...and of course, Galaktobouriko:

I went for the honey cookies, and let me tell you, these were tasty little morsels. I actually gnawed on mine as a sort of belated-breakfast-not-quite-lunchtime treat, and it was lightly sweet, scented with honey, lightly but not distractingly crumbly, and perfect to tide me over til feeding time.

A very sweet spot to visit--if you find yourself in Denver, hit them up (they're not far away from Lovely Confections, either!).

Omonoia, 2813 E Colfax, Denver, CO. On Facebook here.

Pastry Profiles: Huge Cinnamon Rolls from Johnson's Corner, Colorado

Recently, I found myself in Fort Collins, Colorado, where I asked my Aunt (who lives there and would officially be considered In The Know), "what is the best baked good in the area?".

There was no hesitation or delay in response: "Cinnamon Rolls from Johnson's Corner."

Now, here's the thing about Johnson's Corner. If you didn't know it was Cinnamon Roll Mecca, there wouldn't be any big indications as you came up to the establishment. For one thing, it's a truck stop / gas station. The type of place you'd be more likely to pick up coffee, beef jerky, or (if you're a trucker or just feeling dirty), a place to take a shower.

But as you approach the snack counter, which advertises things like burgers, fries, and sandwiches, there they are: Cinnamon Rolls not the size of your head, but roughly the size of two of your head. This may be an exaggeration, but not by much. So big!

Turns out, the Johnson's Corner has a long history. According to their site: 

In 1950, Joe S. Johnson and one of his station managers, Clayton Bearly staked the outlines of a new Johnson's Corner on the old US Highway 87. With nothing around but farm land and a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains, Johnson’s Corner opened in 1952. Most thought Joe crazy for building in the middle of nowhere, but shortly after construction began on an interstate highway that would run right in front of the new truck stop. The words “build it and they will come ” never rang more true. When Interstate 25 opened in the early 60's, the legacy of Johnson’s Corner began. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, Johnson’s Corner has never closed its doors.

But the site Westword.com was a bit more revealing about the history of the sweet rolls themselves:

Since 1952, this family-owned and -operated truck stop has been serving down-home, King of the Road cuisine to hungry truckers, travelers and wanderers of every description. And while a recent overhaul has rendered it nearly unrecognizable from the Johnson's Corner that generations of road people came to love, the cinnamon rolls -- first prepared by local celebrity Ida May (CakeSpy note: she also lived in an interesting home) in her home kitchen, and today whipped up from her original recipe by the hundreds every day -- have not changed a bit. They're still fat and sticky, topped with a glaze of sweet-sweet icing, and they still require a fork, a big appetite and several napkins to get through. Keep on rolling.

...but you know, it's clear that I am not the first one who has noticed these sweet rolls. Per the Johnson's Corner website again, 

Renowned for their World Famous Cinnamon Rolls, Johnson’s Corner was even featured in a Hollywood movie. In 1995, it was a location for the United Artists’ movie “Larger than Life,” starring Bill Murray and Matthew McConaughey. Bill and Matthew are only a few of the many celebrities to grace the booths of Johnson’s Corner.

In 1998, Travel & Leisure magazine picked Johnson’s Corner as having one of the “Ten Best Breakfasts in the World.” A few years later, in 2003, it was featured on the WB2 Network as one of the best roadside attractions in the United States. And in 2004, the Food Network called Johnson’s Corner the "Top Truck Stop Resturant" in the country.

Well, clearly the story is compelling, but what about the goods?

Happily, as big as these cinnamon rolls are on size, the deliciousness follows in direct proportion. They wouldn't be qualified as fancy fare--not by a long shot--but they are made fresh, with non-scary ingredients (the huge clamshell package in which I received mine to-go, there was nothing I couldn't pronounce), and will keep you fat and happy for a long time after eating--I'd even put it into "I'd share that" territory. Seasonal flavors are available; I went with the original cinnamon roll, which was so carb-y, sweet, and cinnamon-y that it felt like eating a warm hug. A huge, delicious hug of a cinnamon roll.

Johnson's Corner Truckstop, 2842 SE Frontage Road, Johnstown, CO; online here ; cinnamon rolls can be purchased online here.

CakeSpy Undercover: The Shoppe, Denver CO

Sometimes, work is hard.

But sometimes, it's not. Actually, work was quite easy on the day it involved visiting and tasting treats from The Shoppe in Denver, Colorado.

The Shoppe's decor reminded me of the short-lived but much loved Chaos Theory in Chicago; a little quirky, a lot fun, with the real showpiece being the sweet treats enclosed in their small but well-stocked baked goods case.

But what to go for?

Tres Leches cupcakes (pictured top) were a must--they looked to be absolutely oozing with sweet dairy deliciousness, and when put on a little plate, they left a little milky ring around the bottom, so saturated were they with the triple-threat of milky nom-ness. Choosing the mini size was a good idea though, because a little went a long way with these deliciously dense treats.

Second up? The Pezzimenti, because, well, that's one I hadn't seen before. Turns out, the Pezzimenti is a banana cupcake filled with Nutella, topped with peanut butter frosting--that is to say, how could it possibly be bad? The cake was quite pleasing but the real star was the double-nutty plus chocolate frosting, which was smooth and rich and I would totally eat it by the spoonful if given the opportunity.

Of course, there are many other tempting flavors, including seasonal specials--for instance, if you were to walk in today, you might find flavors like Peaches and Cream, Colorado Cherry, or the "Michael Jackson" -- described as "A Vanilla cupcake filled with decadent chocolate truffle and topped with both white and dark chocolate frosting".

And with that, I decree that you are in Denver, you should make an effort to visit The Shoppe. They are located at 3103 East Colfax, Denver; online here.

CakeSpy Undercover: Lovely Confections, Denver CO

I am absolutely enchanted by Lovely Confections in Denver, Colorado.

And it wasn't just the altitude getting to my head.

Owner Porsche Lovely (yep, her real name) has a charming little spot in the Mile-high city, and when I recently had the good fortune to visit, I found her not only friendly, but willing to dish tips on high-altitude baking as well. 

She's honed her art of high altitude baking through trial and error, finally finding the right balance to yield cakes that have a perfectly moist crumb and perfect dome (just a few of the things that can go wrong with high altitude baking? Collapsed domes from when the cake lacks structure, and dry, crumbly cake (unbalanced from baking too hot), too much spread (from the sugar, which needs to be slightly reduced in higher altitudes). And she's earned her degree in high-altitude baking; she's recipe-tested for Warren Brown, and writes a blog called The Elevated Kitchen. 

But enough ed-u-ma-cation, because I know that you're really here for the cake.

I picked up "the Bee's Knees", a honey-lavender confection. 

The cake was nice and dense but not leaden--a nice, buttery-dense, with a little hint of lavender (not too strong; subtle). But it was the frosting that really took the cake--a mellow, buttery, honey and lemon-scented cap on the cupcake that made me want to lick my fingers. Next time I visit, I simply must try the Chocolate Salted Caramel!

See for yourself; visit Lovely Confections at 1489 Steele Street, Denver CO; online here.

Sweetness on the Fly: Hope's Country Fresh Cookies, Denver Airport, Colorado

True: we were only in Denver for about an hour, on a flight layover on our way to the magical land otherwise known as New Jersey.

But we still found time for some sweetness.

It was delivered by way of a sprinkle-topped sugar cookie from Hope's Country Fresh Cookies, a sweet spot nestled in Concourse A. 

I am not going to lie to you. This wasn't a life-changing cookie. It was a solidly decent cookie, of the ilk of the sturdy sort you'd find at a deli or grocery store, but with a fuller, more buttery flavor. 

But on an airport layover, when time and food choices were at a premium, this cookie was just what we needed.

Hope's Country Fresh Cookies, Concourse A, Denver Airport.

Happy Hour: The Breckenridge Bar Cookie

Say hello to my new favorite thing in the world: the Breckenridge Bar Cookie.

My fortuitous meeting with La Breckenridge took place at Half Price Books, where I stumbled on a slim volume entitled Creme De Colorado Cookbook. This book piqued my interest for two reasons: first, I have a rather keen and slightly obsessive interest in regional cuisine, and second, I've never been to Colorado, so I was very interested in the foods that might constitute the creme de Colorado.

Flipping to the dessert section, I found the Breckenridge Bar right away. I already knew that Breckenridge must be a delicious place based on Rainy Day Gal's guest post on the fair city, but this bar looked like an exceptional specimen of sweethood: comprised of rich layers of chocolate cake, coconut and condensed milk, and chocolate topping. Unfortunately, the cookbook didn't offer any story behind the bar's history or development, so I can only imagine that it is called the Breckenridge Bar because people are eating them all day, every day, there.

Of course, upon reviewing the original recipe it seemed a little low-fat for my taste, so I made it slightly awesomer by adding brown sugar crumb topping and toasty almonds on top, making for a final result which fell, taste-wise, somewhere between brownie, Almond Joy, and crumb cake. A delicious adaptation, if I do say so myself.

Breckenridge Bars

Adapted from the Creme De Colorado Cookbook

Makes 24-30 bite-sized bars

Ingredients for base

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Ingredients for middle layer

• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened)

For the topping 

• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crumb topping, if you want it (you do!), adapted from Arthur Schwartz

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• A handful of sliced almonds or nuts, if desired

 Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa and flour, mixing until incorporated. Add nuts, if adding.
3. Spread into a floured and buttered pan (original recipe called for 9x13-inches; I didn't have one handy so used an 8x8-inch pan).
4. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. While baking, mix the condensed milk and coconut; add this to the top of the baked bottom crust and bake for 18-20 more minutes at 350.
5. Immediately after removing from oven, add chocolate topping, and then the crumb topping on top of that. Turn off the heat, then put back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes to heat in the residual heat. Once lightly but not completely cooled, cut into squares. (Note: The original recipe simply called for the bars to be removed from the oven and frosted while still warm and that was it--but I think because mine were thicker in the smaller pan, the extra baking time helped them set up better).
6. Let cool completely (I put mine in the fridge to set for several hours) before serving.

To prepare frosting:

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients until well mixed.

To prepare crumb topping:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low flame. Remove from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes, but do not allow the butter to become cold.
2. Add the flour, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stir with a table fork until the mixture forms small crumbs. 

Cakewalk: A Sweet Trip to Breckenridge, CO With Rainy Day Gal

CakeSpy Note: This is a guest post from Rainy Day Gal (a.k.a. Jenny Miller), a fellow Seattle blogger with a major sweet tooth.

The fam and I are back from a visit, and a ski trip, with Husband's folks in Colorado. High, dry, cold Colorado.

Here's a few things I learned about living at 10,000 feet:

1) You always feel dehydrated, even after downing 3 gallons of water in one day. Yup. I counted.

2) It's dry. Your nose will bleed. Your skin will chap. You feel like you can never breathe quite right. You will look like you have pneumonia when you don't.

3) It's freaking cold. Our first day on the mountain the wind chill was -12. Husband wore one of those embarrasing but effective neoprene face masks. I may have laughed at him a little. And then my throat froze so I stopped.

4) It makes for some fantastic damn skiing. and, finally:

5) It's hard to bake anything correctly. Cupcakes collapse into hockey pucks. Cookies melt right into the baking pan. And a chocolate cake will turn out more like a pan of brownies.

That last part being said, I was curious: how great could bakeries be at this altitude? Even if you make all of the flour, butter, and baking time adjustments, would the baked goods two miles high measure up to those down at sea level? Lucy, my dear ma-in-law and I bundled up and set out on a quest. 

Part 1: The Adventure

Our first stop? Clint's.Our concierge pal Nate tipped us off that they had some rockin carrot cake. And if you've ever met me you know that I could eat my weight in carrot cake any day of the week. It's a cute two-level sort o deal, with sweets and coffee upstairs and the more savory junk downstairs. I think all restaurants should be divided this way. I would always know exactly where to sit. I was a bit taken aback at the pastry case---everything was wrapped in cellophane. I don't know about you, but to me saran wrapped baked goods are a bit drive-thru coffee stand. It then dawned on me that this was a result of the dry atmosphere in this neck o the woods. Those loverly croissants would dry out quicker than a wino in jail if not for that tacky yet effective cellophane. But we weren't here for the pastries, my friends. We were here for the goods.

And this big ol' slab-o-cake (pictured at the top of the post too) did not disappoint. It was perfectly moist, despite all of the obstacles to keep it that way. The cream cheese frosting walked the fine line between too sweet and too cream-cheesey with ease. The side was coated with chopped walnuts, which I adore. It gives it such good crunch and texture, plus cuts the sweetness of the frosting nicely. The frosting-to-cake ratio was perfect. Nothing bugs me more than too little frosting over too much cake. Nate, thank you for bringing this carrot cake into my life. Clint's, kudos for a job well done. With our bellies full of sweet, nutritious (a main ingredient is carrot, after all) cake, we put our jackets back on and ventured to our next destination.

Mary's Mountain Cookies. It's a cute little shop, and by little I mean about 6 feet by 6 feet. They make cookies and nothing else. I always admire that in a bakery--stick with what you're good at. Diversity is overrated. They had the usual suspects: snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter. But they also had intriguing sandwich numbers stacked with buttercream frosting, and these naughty dipped cookies that weighted a quarter pound each (pictured above). Holy fat cookie, Batman.

In the end, we took home three varieties: cranberry white chocolate chip, double fudge white chip, and a "White Out"--two snickerdoodles hugging a hefty dollop of vanilla buttercream. Being that our palates were still sugared-out from carrot cake, we decided to wait for the troops to come back from skiing before sampling these beauties.

Meanwhile, we moved on. Word on the street was that there was a cupcake joint in town that was not to be missed. And I'm always game for a new cupcake joint. But, sadly, it was not our day. Our path was blocked by a man-eating, frosting-throwing, Jaba the Hut-sized Snow Cupcake! It took all of our efforts to dodge his attempts to devour us in his huge, snow-frosting-blob of a mouth. Then we moved on...

 ...and arrived at Breckenridge's own Rocky Mountain Cupcakes. It's a sizeable shop with a rustic, ski-lodge sorta feel. They had quite a few varieties to choose from--all beautiful, perfectly frosted, and topped with something interesting. Ready for some cupcake porn? Here we go. They had flavors including chocolate coconut...

...strawberry snowflake (have you ever seen a cuter cupcake?)...

...key lime...

...chocolate chai...

...butterscotch...

...and the cutest red velvet I've ever laid eyes on. Which ones to pick? We debated a while.

In the end, we settled on strawberry (because it was cute, plus I wanted to know if it actually tasted as pink as it looked), chocolate chai (for my dear ma-in-law, who loves her some chai), key lime (pretty, and an intriguing cupcake flavor), and "Double Diamond" (for husband--double chocolate).

Part 2: The Tasting

We meandered home, and set the bakery boxes on the counter, warmed our toes, and then twiddled our thumbs and waited for the gang to get home so we could sample our loot.

Lu and I drifted off into a warm mid-afternoon nap, dreaming of skiing cookies and snowboarding cupcakes. When we awoke, much to our dismay, one of the cookies was missing. Gone. Finito. Never to be seen or heard from again.

It was, sadly, the double chocolate white chip. The one I had picked out for myself. The one I had been looking forward to all afternoon. Scanning the fam, they all had mysterious chocolate crumbs at the corners of their mouths. Little devils.

Luckily, the other two cookies more than made up for it. The cranberry white chocolate chip was amazing--buttery and soft, crunchy at the edges, with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. The "White Out" was absolutely insane: two of the best snickerdoodles I have ever had sandwiched with a vanilla buttercream, emphasis on the cream. It was delicious. It was divine. It weighted about two pounds.

We had no trouble finishing either cookie and moving on to the cupcakes.

The chocolate chai was the obvious winner. Moist, rich chocolate cake covered with a creamy chai-flavored frosting. Totally yummy.

The strawberry? Let's just say it tasted very, very pink. I'll leave it at that. The key lime and the double chocolate were fairly yummy, although both left something to be desired in the cake department. Overall? Decent cupcakes. Not spectacular, not terrible. Middle of the road. Except for the strawberry. That was far off the road in the ditch. But the others? Inventive, pretty and just fine.

The final word? When we go back to Breck next year, I will do two things:

1) Eat my weight in Clint's carrot cake.

2) Sample every cookie Mary's has to offer. They know how to make a seriously yummy cookie, even at 10,000 feet.

Well, I'm off to recover from traveling with an 11-month old, hit the grocery because last night we had to eat bratwursts from 2007, and hopefully put a dent in the mountain of laundry we brought back from the mountain. Thanks to the lovely bakeries of Breckenridge, CO for the delicious treats. I will not thank you, however, for my post-vacation waistline.

Places Mentioned:

Clint's Bakery and Coffee House, 131 S Main St Breckenridge, CO

Mary's Mountain Cookies, 128 South Main St., Breckenridge, CO

Rocky Mountain Cupcakes, Main Street, Breckenridge, CO

For Jenny's full review, visit her website.

CakeSpy Undercover: A Cake Gumshoe's Thoughts on Tee and Cakes, Boulder CO

Why is Tee & Cakes in Boulder, Colorado worth a visit?

Well, first let's talk about the cute factor. Run by a pastry chef and graphic designer duo, Tee & Cakes is "a lifestyle based shop...with the quality and variety"--including sweet gift items and apparel which can be purchased alongside your sweet treats.

But of course, what you really want to know about is the sweets. They've got a full array--cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and pies, (in an impressive variety of flavors including chocolate bourbon pecan, apple, sour cherry, pumpkin, and key lime, to name a few).

Though they are probably best known for their Chocolate Bacon and faux-Hostess Cupcakes, other flavors are worth a try, says Cake Gumshoe Amanda, who says it's her favorite cupcake shop in the area. Her favorite cupcake? A chocolate variety with chocolate frosting--but as she points out, it is not a "typical" frosting, it was all shiny and smooth, and topped with raspberries.

They also do great beverages. I enjoy a hot chocolate with my cupcake in the winter and a frozen lemonade in the summer.

The only downfall? They close at at 6 p.m. most days and are not open on Sundays, so be sure to pick up dessert earlier in the day if you want your sweets after dinner!

Tee & Cakes,1932 14th Street, Boulder, Colorado; online at teeandcakes.com.