Dedication: (noun) self-sacrificing devotion.
That’s what it takes to trek cupcakes all the way from Arizona to Maryland. Sounds crazy right? Well, we Crusaders are crazy about cupcakes and crazy enough NOT to worry about airport security or flying across the country with cupcakes in hand.
Healthy Guest Crusader Rebecca recently traveled to Arizona and brought me back a HUGE assortment of cupcakes, cake pops, and even local honey as a thank you for puppy sitting her new puppy, Shelby. (Yes, again, and she was a fantastic house guest again. What a sweet girl.) Not only did Rebecca trek cupcakes across the states, via plane, back to Maryland, but she managed to keep them fresh and looking perfect too!
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(Check out the my Arizona loot! Cupcakes, cake pops, and honey for my tea!)
She brought me cupcakes from two different shops, the first was Sweet Things Cupcake Shoppe in Tucson. Owner Alisa bakes fresh cupcakes, serves up ice cream and coffee 7 days a week. Rebecca picked up four flavors for me to try:
Peanut’s Perfection (chocolate peanut butter)
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After a year of writing for our blog, I have discovered I’m just as much of a chocolate cake snob as I am a red velvet snob… This chocolate cake was no disappointment though, it was moist, rich and had a peanut butter cup in the bottom of it! The frosting was simply heavenly with its fudgy richness and chocolate peanut butter flavor. I wasn’t expecting peanut butter in the frosting, and it was a welcome surprise. In fact, I’ll have to try using peanut butter in chocolate frosting sometime soon. A must order if you stop by the shop.
Mei Mei’s Mandarin
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Mandarin oranges are sweeter and tangy-er than regular oranges, they also happen to be one of my favorite fruits, and this might be one of my favorite cupcakes. The moist cake didn’t have much orange flavor on its own, but the frosting more than made up for it. I have no idea how they packed so much orange flavor in that frosting, but it sure was amazing.
Papa’s Pumpkin
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Fall might be over, but this cupcake whisked me back a couple of months! The moist and light cake had super spiced pumpkin flavor and the cream cheese frosting maintained a perfect balance of sweet and savory. I loved the sugared nut pieces on top, adding both flavor and texture to this already delicious cupcake.
Sara’s Sweethearts (strawberry cake with strawberry frosting)
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Perfectly pink… this cupcake might be Glinda The Good Witch in cupcake form. (I wonder if this cupcake also travels by bubble?) The cake was just as moist as the other cupcakes, with a subtle strawberry flavor, while the frosting screamed strawberry. The Palmer chocolate heart on top was a nice touch, creating an almost “chocolate covered strawberry” flavor.
If this is any indication of how great the cupcakes in Arizona are, I might need to plan a trip! Sweet Things Cupcake Shoppe’s cupcakes were consistently moist with perfectly sweetened frosting, and great flavor options. I thoroughly enjoyed all four flavors and am so grateful that Rebecca brought them back for me to try. You’d think four cupcakes would be enough thanks, but as you can see there are more cupcakes and cake pops from Caketinit to write about… more on the rest of the Arizona cupcakes coming soon!
- Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Elisa (Baltimore, MD)
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