I AM BACK!!!! Be ready for cupcake reviews for the DEEP SOUTH...

Yours truly, 
Cupcake Conqueress

The Cupcake Bakery (Down Under)

G'DAY!!!!

I had a little vacay time in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA with my lovely Aussie friend Penelope. I just missed Oprah by a few weeks, but I like to think I went before Oprah made Australia cool again (wink wink). I recommend a visit for anyone and everyone. Even if you are scared about leaving far from the US, you will feel at home very quickly in Australia.

So, The Cupcake Bakery. The store front is very cute with the cupcakes on display, and may I add, some of the cutest cupcakes I have ever seen! They get points just on appearance (speaking of points, I may start to rate more than just overall cupcake satisfaction, but that will be later)! I decided to try something different, being in a new place and all, and I went for the S'mores cupcakes depicted below.

The cake by itself did not pass the test. I always eat some of the cake first before indulging in the cake-icing combo. Once I got to the icing, ding! It was a lovely tasty treat at that point on! No obsession control needed or anything, but a delight in the day for my palate. There were marshmallows on top which added fluff to my day (I like fluffy). The icing was not too heavy and had a nice sweet chocolate taste.

My final rating came down to appearance and icing intriguing me, but the cake did not pass my bar examination (Shout out to all my law student friends out there!).

http://thecupcakebakery.com.au/

3.5 out of 5 stars

Now I leave you with more eye-capturing pictures of SYDNEY:

Sweet Designs (Louisiana Boardwalk)

Well well well... as I was strolling along the Louisiana Boardwalk singing that little song that gets stuck in your head ("Doing it! Doing it at the Boardwalk!' blah blah blah), when I came upon this cute patisserie. It is about time something like this came to the Boardwalk (for a place to at least escape the summer heat if anything).

I loved the cute display! SO many choices and so little space in my tummy. I got a box to share with the office, so I could have some other testers to tell me about it. After choosing some I were told were baked fresh that day, I was wondering when the others were baked. Yesterday? Last 3 days? Last week? Last year!? I was about to find out.

I tried the Red Velvet of course and became instantly saddened.

The cake was dry and the icing was not fluffy but dry as well. Rather than really beating down on this sad sad situation, I have a recommendation. At the end of the day, maybe the leftover cupcakes can be donated to a non-profit organization that holds community events or sold the next day at a discounted price. Some places can make a cupcake taste fresh for 3 days by using a lot of butter I presume, but Sweet Designs had a hard time with cupcakes tasting fresh on the same day too. Unless you can fool the consumer on the freshness, something needs to change.

I still have faith that this cute patisserie will have a chance if a change is made very soon. Otherwise, the competition with Buttercups will cease to exist. Yay competitive markets!

Overall: 1.5 of 5 Stars

Deli Tini (Cuppycake: Shreveport, Kings Hwy)

'Ello again!

I thought I would actually write some more blogs about cupcakes rather than just talking about with people... and hearing the negativity from some co-workers...cough cough. So on that note, we move on to DELI TINI with some ever-so-tasty 'Cuppycakes' as they are dubbed. Several say it beats out the beloved Buttercups (Is it possible!?).

I shall begin with the little negative before I end with the BOOMING positive comments. There is a limited selection at the Deli, usually with a choice of one or two flavours... Now to the positive. I have been twice and tried the Red Velvet (are you really surprised?) the first time and Peanut Butter & Jelly the second time. This is what a cupcake is supposed to be in: size, amount if icing, cake consistency, and cuteness factor. The unique flavours are just as delicious as the traditional.

After a little questioning about the origins if these "cuppycakes", I found out that a woman makes them in the PieWorks kitchen (Pizza place nearby ). I feel like there needs to be a Battle of the Cupcakes with Buttercups versus Cuppycakes. I feel a new Food Network competition reality show coming on! Check it out!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 (one more test later may make it a 5!)

PS Holla at my British grammar fans! (Go back and read again if you missed it)

Deli Tini

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shreveport-LA/Deli-Tini/212577595169?filter=2

The Cupcake Gallery (Youree in Shreveport)

Okay peeps, heres the dealio... Because summer is upon us, I am cutting a little bit of the cupcake mania out for some cooler lighter treats, but I will continue the ultimate quest for the BEST cupcakes ever at a slightly slower pace.

On that note...THE CUPCAKE GALLERY is so incredibly, ultimately, amazingly... average. The coffee drinks are pretty tasty, and the cupcakes have improved since I last tried it (at least the Ruby Slipper, aka Red Velvet of course). Okay, okay a little better than average, but I'm looking for perfection here!

If you are on the go and in desperate need of a cupcake ASAP, try it out because there is a nice little drive-through (also convenient if you are wearing PJs and just don't want to get out of the car to show everyone your lovely pastel penguin trousers).

It is also nice because they are open until 8PM on Fridays and Saturday when most other bakeries are closed (with free wifi too!). If you want to meet some friends or work on an assignment of the computer kind, The Cupcake Gallery is a nice place where you can have a little extra sweet with your caffeine fix.

Because I am doing the ratings solely on the cupcakes, it is 2.5 out of 5

But I would rate it higher for a social place/coffee and dessert place

Peace out Amores Cupcakes!

The Cupcake Gallery

http://www.yelp.com/biz/cup-cake-gallery-shreveport

Cush's (Shreveport)

Made famous by Katie Holmes, this Market keeps up to its name with some deliciously amazing treats! I stayed with the cupcakes, but I plan on trying the delicious and beautiful cake balls next!!

I tried the red velvet as well as the chocolate (which actually beat the red velvet in my book, RARE!). The red velvet was amazing, but the chocolate was perfect for a chocolate cupcake! SO many places get it wrong, but Cush's succeeds in making the icing fit perfectly with the cake! The red velvet was DELICIOUS as well (just not to the point of Society bakery).

LOVED LOVED LOVED the sizes! You will not feel a 10-pound guilt after one of these tasty treats. Perfect to order for my currently-nonexistent-but-soon-to-be-happening tea parties!

It receives a 4.5 out of 5 stars for me!!! Making me think I need to revisit Society in Dallas very soon...

Buttercup's Cupcakes (Bossier City)

So I ventured across the River to Shreveport's sister city, Bossier (pronounced Beau-sher) City to BUTTERCUP'S CUPCAKES off East Texas Street in the new, and quite nice if I do say so myself, Villagio apartment complex. The display is similar to that off Sprinkle's, but they cupcakes do taste different! I decided to opt for the Banana Pudding and Red Velvet (of course).

Today I am trying the unique Banana Pudding, and it is just that, unique. The cake reminds me of sponge cake in texture and taste (with a lemony banana taste along with the vanilla). The cupcake itself is quite heavy thanks to the mass of icing added to it. Now I am an icing fan, so I say yes to most cupcakes that make my arms get a work-out from lifting the icing weight. However, even this was a little much for my super sweet taste buds. Overall, I still give this cupcake a reasonably strong rating with 3.5 out of 5, but I believe it will be raised to a 4 once I have devoured the red velvet (AKA the real test). I only recommend the banana pudding one if you REALLY love banana pudding.

I have to also give props to the store for it's delectable presentation of colorful eye candy treats. They even have adorable mini whoopie-pies.

I am just happy that there is at least one place dedicated to adorable cupcakes ;)

Officially: 4 out of 5 stars!

Chao for now Cupcake Lovers Deluxe!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buttercups-Cupcakes/188221628800?v=info

Julie Anne's (Kings Hwy in Shreveport)

Because my work has put me across the TX/LA states lines, I am now continuing my conquest in Shreveport, LA for longer than previously expected (but it's a good thing!).

I tried Julie Anne's traditional chocolate cupcake with buttercream white icing. Now I have had their famous petit fours, delicious! And I have heard that some celebrities, including Katie Holmes, enjoyed the tasty cupcake treats. I thought to myself: of course it must be blogged about and spread to the world!

Back to the cupcake now. Because it is the weekend of Chocolate's biggest consumption, Valentine's Day, the tasty treats' decor was nothing less than smothered with plastic lips, pink and red colored additions, hearts, etc. Being slightly overwhelmed, I decided on the more classic cupcake flavor rather than trying their chocolate turtle, strawberry, German chocolate, or lemon cupcake.

The chocolate cake was perfect for a simple dessert! It was light, fluffy, and just the right amount of chocolate goodness. The frosting was simply a classic buttercream frosting, moreso on the sugary side but nonetheless yummy in my tummy!

As I stated earlier, their petit fours are truly divine if you are in the mood for something a little more petit than the cupcakes. Even though their petit fours are a bit on the larger size.

3.5 out of 5 Stars (4 stars for the petit fours)

http://www.julieannesbakery.com/