Hello Cupcake

Hello Cupcake
521 Northwood Rd, West Palm Beach, FL 33407
September 24, 2010

Test Subject : Key Lime and Praline Cupcake @ $3.00 each (jumbo)
Presentation : 7
Topping & Garnishes :10
Filling : no filling
Pastry : 20
Flavor Profile : 7
Creativity : 5
Rating : 49/100 points (2.5 Sprinkles)

Experience
I did enjoy coming to Hello Cupcake, it had a professional but simple feel, which is fine with me because it makes the cupcakes front and center, and shows you take pride in your work. Ever the lover of Key Lime cupcakes I had to get one. This cupcake had a simple but elegant boarder around the top to form a dish in which to put the curd in. However there did not appear to be any butter in the buttercream, the curd was made with Persian Limes and not Key Limes, the pralines didn't reflect any flavoring because they were over powered by the curd, and while the vanilla cake was absolutely delicious, it was only a simple vanilla with no filling. Now I'm not a big fan of overly tart things, but Agent S is so we counter one another. However we both agree that if you advertise a Key Lime cuppie, it needs to be made with Key Lime. And while filling on the outside of a cupcake is fine, with a cupcake as large as this one, and having so little buttercream to start, there should have been something in the middle to pull it together. Specially when you cut it in half the curd oozes off the cupcake. It did make a beautiful presentation, and was rather creative. And for all that could have been improved, there was no denying that the cake base was a beautiful consistency and very delicious.

Test Subject : Raspberry Cheesecake @ $3.00 each (medium size cupcake holder)
Presentation : 10
Topping & Garnishes : 25
Filling : no filling needed
Pastry : 20
Flavor Profile : 10
Creativity : 5
Rating : 95/100 points (5 Sprinkles)

Experience
This cheese cake was actually featured in the news paper, and was very delicious to eat. It featured a vanilla wafer crust, a creamy but still thick cheese cake (you could really taste the cream cheese), a (surprise) raspberry compote, and fresh raspberry's with an apricot glaze. While the cheese cake itself is rather simple, and there was noticeable thought put into the layering of it. The compote was a real delight, and I'm not one that goes out of my way to eat raspberries. Agent S who is the raspberry lover, only got to steal one while the rest went to join their brother Key Lime cupcake.

Test Subject : Lemon Curd Cupcake @ $3.00 each (jumbo)
Presentation : 7
Topping & Garnishes :15
Filling : no filling
Pastry : 20
Flavor Profile : 7
Creativity : 5
Rating : 54/100 points (3 Sprinkles)

Experience
This was much like the Key Lime Cupcake, the buttercream appeared to be missing the butter factor, there was no filling in the jumbo cupcake and the cake wasn't lemon flavored either. However Agent S did say that Hello Cupcake made a nice Lemon Curd. That aside, it was still a creative way of presenting it, and had a delicious vanilla cake base.

Test Subject : Pina Colada Cupcake @ $3.00 each (jumbo)
Presentation : 6
Topping & Garnishes : 10
Filling : 15
Pastry : 15
Flavor Profile : 3
Creativity : 3
Rating : 52/100 points (3 Sprinkles)

Experience
When someone says Pina Colada I think creamy coconut, pineapple, and rum all blended together. And while it's perfectly fine to leave out the rum, the only coconut was toasted on the buttercream. The buttercream was the same used on the Key Lime and Lemon Curd, and while it didn't have a unpleasant taste, it was the texture that I couldn't overlook. More often when I look at cupcakes, I find that the frosting does not come to the edge, and that is what hurts the presentation for this cupcake. Even though I can appreciate the time it took to layer. This cupcake had a nice pineapple filling, and I believe it was pineapple from a can that had been cooked a little more to get the extra liquid out. Don't let the "from a can" fool you. The filling was great, and much better then what you usually come across when ordering already made fillings in plastic sleeves. I would have liked to seen some pastry cream, and coconut added to that filling however. The cake was flavored with pineapple, and had a different texture than the others, however still a great base. It's only fault in this review is that it was only flavored with pineapple.

Over All Sprinkle Average