The Cupcake Quest - Part 1

After a rather epic hiatus, I’m back with a two parter about the Ultimate Cupcake Quest! You can’t be mad at me because I was having the ultimate cupcake tasting experience – planning my wedding!

The quest for the wedding cupcakes that were to meet of the high standards of Cupcakin’ It Up! was an ambitious one. It started with a wide Yelp search for wedding cake bakeries that would deliver to Sausalito, California, where my reception would take place, at a minimal fee. The first place had an impressive background in making gorgeous fondant flowers to cover the cake in; however, the taste of the cake was mild and not very memorable. The next place was a full on bakery that had promise in its variety but poor and dry in its execution. No, no, none of this would do!

Distraught, I roamed the streets of San Francisco. I meandered my way to Ghirardelli Square - a place of comfort, warmth, and chocolate to console my affronted taste-buds and revitalize my quest for a cupcake fit for a princess. And there, as I reached the top of the steps, my eye was caught by the soft pink glow emanating from a shop window. I moved closer to discover the holy grail of sugar – Kara’s Cupcakes!

Their set up was a more girlie version of Sprinkles, and honestly, their reviews on their San Jose location were not promising. However, Yelp could not have been more wrong. I tried my favorite chocolate cupcake with vanilla and coconut icing and it was HEAVEN. The cake was perfectly moist and the icing was creamy but not too sweet or Crisco-y. Perfection. My mother and sister, prophets in the art of chocolate, agreed. These were the cupcakes I wanted to serve at my wedding...