Some Things are Better Left to the Professionals

Remember in an earlier post about the Yum Cupcakery how I had mentioned that one of the Cons about the bakery was that you could make your cupcake less awesome than you thought it would be?  Take a look at these two cupcakes.  One of these cupcakes was significantly better than the other.  Which one do you think it was?

I mean, they look fairly similar with both having buttercream frosting, and some type of sprinkles, but folks, that's where the similarities end.  The pink frosted cupcake is a red velvet cake with cream cheese filling, strawberry buttercream frosting and your ordinary sprinkles.  The blue specimen is a "raw" cupcake base with chocolate buttercream filling, blueberry buttercream frosting, and candied fennel sprinkles.  I'll just say, I had a "flavor adventure" by trying something new.

Pro Tip: The raw diet is typically where one doesn't eat any food heated beyond 116 degrees Farenheit since it may kill off the enzymes needed to help digest food, and it's believed to lower the nutritional content of the food being consumed.  Some food and drinks like cake and pasteurized milk are a no-go for people sticking to this diet.  

So this "raw" cupcake--er, the notion of a cupcake had to be taste tested.  I told the girl in the bakery that I would like to have a raw vanilla cupcake.  First, I was asked if I was sure that I wanted a raw cupcake.  Then, after I said yes, she proceeded to ask me if I knew that it's not like a true cake in a cupcake and inquired if I had any knowledge or have tried any type of raw cake.  She really wanted me to think twice before ordering this cupcake, which, of course, really just made me want to have it more, so I definitely had to get it now.  She took the base cake out of the fridge, and I told her to fill 'er up with chocolate buttercream and top it off with blueberry buttercream and candied fennel sprinkles.

This was not my best culinary decision.  But it's through this *rigorous* testing that we learn these things.  Here is the best way that I can describe the raw cupcake:  it was like eating a Clif bar.  Blueberry frosting was a poor pick on my part.  And as for the candied fennel?  Best when eaten traditionally, after any Indian meal.  This was one instance where chocolate does not make everything better.  I don't know what I was thinking with having a chocolate-blueberry Clif bar sprinkled with licorice bits.

If you know of any good raw cake recipes to try, drop me a line because I would love to give raw cake another shot!