Pete's Sweets Cupcake Review

I think cupcakes are great for celebrating just about anything -- the first week of summer, a personal achievement, a personal memory of a loved one, or celebrating it's the weekend.  I purchased three cupcakes at Pete's Sweets in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, this past weekend.  Pete's Sweets looked promising on the internet, and I needed to find something good local after my return from New Orleans.  I purchased one Caramel Brownie, one Creme Brulee and One Lemon Coconut cupcake. 

These little beauties didn't disappoint.  These cupcakes are much more rich and complex than any grocery store cupcake I've encountered and worth the price of $3.25 each.  I think the Creme Brulee in the center of the photo here was my favorite.  Rich luscious Creme Brulee (I capitalize on purpose; if Emily Dickinson could make her own capitalizations, so can I.) The Lemon Coconut has a divine tropical custard filling.  Caramel Brownie has a serious caramel flavor, and this was the only one in this group that had a chocolate cupcake and a very rich chocolate cupcake.  The other cakes were vanilla and had a more solid texture and taste than the average grocery store cake. 

But I think the frosting is the strength of the cupcakes created by Pete's Sweets. There is a tall generous serving of frosting on each, and each frosting bears its own distinct flavor.  The frosting was so delicious that I could smell each flavor as I held each cupcake in turn.  And each frosting is so unique that this experience leaves
me curious as to what the other flavors of cupcakes at Pete's Sweets taste like.



By Roberta Whitman Hoff

I want to write just a little bit about the Commander's Palace Creole Scrub Chocolate Bar.

Commander's Palace (New Orleans) has their own pastry kitchen. Sounds like a wonderful luxury for the chefs and their customers.  Commander's creates their desserts in-house, and the pastry chefs are ultra talented and creative.  It is no wonder they are a frequent winner of the James Beard award.

I was in New Orleans at the beginning of May, and the Creole Scrub Chocolate Bar still lingers in my memory at the tip of my palate.  The description from the Commander's menu is that it is "a European dark chocolate bar with shrub spiked white chocolate ganache."  The ganache is what gives it its soft, rich, luxurious center.  On top is candied orange zest, and a light dusting of spiced Dixie crystals.  Translation, spiced cane sugar.  The unnamed spices are perfectly chosen and create a harmonious contrast with the chocolate.  The spiced Dixie crystals and candied orange zest are colorful in taste as well as presentation and most satisfying.  I am a lover of chocolate, and this is one of the most amazing chocolate desserts I have ever had the opportunity to encounter.  I think Commander's has divined the complexity of the Indian pallet and translated it into Southern American food.


by Roberta Whitman Hoff

@commanderspalace
#dessert
#chocolate
#neworleansfood