Cupcakes Canada

Cupcakes, they've been around for years yet they seem to have only recently become a craze. There are at least three different cupcake shows on the Food Network and W Network with more on the way I'm sure. Cupcake shops seem to be opening up all over the place as well. Cupcakes Canada recently opened at 299 Kingston Rd. E in Ajax. I'm never one to pass up a piece of cake so it wasn't hard for me to stop in when my wife asked if we could check them out.

Full-sized cupcakes are $2.50 each, $13.50 per half dozen or $26 per dozen. Off the bat, my frugal meter went through the roof! Mental note, perfect a buttercream recipe and make my own....

We got a half-dozen with a mixture of Red Velvet, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Celebration, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Double Dutch Chocolate.

The cupcakes had a slight crust on the tops but were moist throughout. The bakers at Cupcakes Canada use a simple buttercream icing which was a little sugary and a tad on the grainy side for my tastes. The high sugar content in the buttercream created a slight crust on the outside layer of the icing which didn't sit well with me. The icing just didn't have the creaminess I was expecting.

I love supporting local business, but, if I'm paying for premium items I want to be blown away. Sadly, I was a little underwhelmed. I really liked the richness of the Double Dutch chocolate, and the flavours in the Chocolate Peanut Butter. The Red Velvet, Very Vanilla and the Chocolate Celebration didn't wow me.

I detest sprinkles, candy (as seen on the Chocolate Celebration) or the waxy chocolate variety that look like mouse poop. I liked the look of the shaved chocolate on the Chocolate Peanut Butter, even the coloured sugar on the Red Velvet. Sprinkles are for grocery store cupcakes, not a $2.50 per piece, boutique product.

The cupcakes are shown below, in order, clockwise from the bottom left:

Red Velvet, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Celebration, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Double Dutch Chocolate.