Cupcakery Review - Isabelle's Curly Cakes

Last week I finally had the chance to visit Isabelle's Curly Cakes on Charles Street in Boston.  I have been eager to try Curly Cakes since I saw the signs going up about a year ago.  Isabelle is the daughter of famed chef Todd English, and Curly Cakes is supposedly named after her curly hair.  Weird association, in my opinion, but besides that, everything about Curly Cakes was great!

The shop was clean and tidy, and there was room for a few bistro tables so customers could enjoy their cupcakes on-site.  My friends and I only stayed a minute as I brought my cuppies home with me, so apologies for the lack of shop images.  The take-along box was super cute, though!

Arriving at Curly Cakes around 8:00PM on a Tuesday night resulted in a light selection, but the menu board suggested that early-day cupcake shopping would provide a greater array of flavors.  I chose one basic (Vanilla Bean) and one fun (Red Velvet) to take home and try. 

J & I couldn't choose a favorite.  On the vanilla, the frosting was the best part.  It is smooth, creamy, buttery buttercream that tasted great with the vanilla cake.

The red velvet was impressive because the cocoa flavor was SO prominent; it balanced perfectly with the cream cheese frosting and was one of the better red velvet cakes I've had.

I have to say that Curly Cakes didn't beat out Lulu's as my favorite cupcake in Boston, but it was pretty good and I would definitely stop in again.  If you've tried Curly Cakes, let me know what you think in the comments below!

J & I always share our cupcakes, half to each!

Happy Birthday, Mum!

February marks the month of "birthday" season in my family.  From now through August, we have at least one birthday every month!  Birthday season = peak baking season, and I kicked it off with this cute little cake for one of my favorite ladies - my Mum!

Mom had asked for just pizza, no cake for her birthday party last night because she wanted to get dessert from Bova's after a few drinks downtown.  No cake? Yeah right!  Instead of doing no cake, I just did a little one.  And yes, we still got late night dessert from Bova's too...best cannoli and lobster tails in the city!

So for mom's mini cake, I decided to go with a yellow theme and tried to have the layers reflect a gradient in color.  The yellow food coloring didn't work out as well as I had hoped...the darker layers look very similar in color, but I think it still came out very pretty.

To match the simple whimsical decorating, I kept the flavors fairly basic- vanilla cake, Bailey's irish cream filling, and vanilla frosting.  Sweet treat for a sweet lady.  Happy Birthday, Mum! Love you!

PS - Yes, you read right...Bailey's Irish Cream filling....this is a little hint to a signature-Stacey treat that I'll detail in an upcoming post.  Get excited!!

Dessert on a diet

Have you ever tried to slim down only to have desserts like the ones I feature on this blog all the time tempt you into massive calorie binges?  Well do not worry, today I have a dessert to share that will not pop the belt.    

I introduce to you my favorite "diet dessert."  When I am feeling motivated and healthy, a nice cup of coffee flavored non-fat yogurt with a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips does it for me.  Sure, maybe it's not as awesome as a sundae or a slice of cake, but it tastes pretty good, actually has some nutritional value, keeps the calories low, and the chocolate chips totally make it feel like dessert.

Eat and don't weep, sweets!  Happy weekend!!!!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

So my trip to Sephora today started off innocently enough.  All I needed to do was pick up a new bottle of my favorite self tanning lotion by St. Tropez.  So I walk into Sephora thinking I'll buzz right to the back, pick up the lotion and be on my way, and then two steps in, I was greeted by none other than the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette!!!!!!!
There was a small display and a woman talking up the product and showing customers different looks you can create with it.  One little glance and I was SOLD.

I love my original Naked Palette so much that I just could not resist Naked 2.  I love the packaging. I love the colors, especially the matte black.  I love that there's only one repeat and that it's a good one (Half Baked.)  I LOVE the brush that came with it!  And lip gloss! Nude lipgloss. Love, love, love.

If you have this palette, let me know what looks you like to create!  I'll be checking my favorite makeup bloggers- TiffanyD and Kandee- for ideas (they always have amazing tutorials) but comment below if you have any!

By the way, if you haven't tried the St. Tropez tanner, that stuff is the BEST.  It is deeply tinted when you rub it on so there is no missing or streaking- you can see any blank spots or streaks before it's too late to fix them!  It smells nicer than other self tanners I've tried, and develops into a beautiful, natural bronze that I just love.

Anyway that's it for now.  'Nite Sweets!

Berry Pie

Oh, berry pie, you are so good for the soul.

And, girls' night dinners!

My sweet friend Lindsey baked this strawberry-raspberry pie for our girls night dinner tonight.  Shannon conveniently had some leftover homemade strawberry whipped cream in her fridge to dollop on top.  De-lish.  I don't have Lindsey's secret recipe to share but you can check out some similar sounding recipes here...

Simply Delicious - Strawberry Raspberry Pie

Instructables - Triple Berry Pie

Please note - best friends + delicious pork/green bean/grain/salad dinner + red wine + BERRY PIE = heavenly Wednesday night.