Batson's Blog

I went to Big View Diner after reading something online that mentioned them having a pretty impressive dessert section. Sure enough, they did have a nice collection of desserts. Problem is: they only have one cupcake. It's an awesome looking chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting on top and chocolate candy baked inside. It was all or nothing with this cupcake though. One chance for Big View Diner to make an impression. Chocolate Cupcake I got the chocolate cupcake, brought it home and ate it later that night. It was amazing! Seriously, it was probably the best chocolate cupcake I've had all year long. The frosting was incredible rich and creamy. The cupcake was moist and chocolatey. The chocolate kisses that were baked inside the cupcake in melted form were like a delicious finishing touch on an already superb cupcake. I think the thing that really stood out and made this cupcake so good was the mixture of chocolate flavors. You had it in cake form, fros...

It's a double dose of cupcakes today since I missed posting last week. I'd heard about DOUGH bakery several months ago. I was at an event they provided treats for and ended up with one of their business cards. I went online to the DOUGH website , but it didn't list cupcakes as one of the goodies they bake. That left me with the old fashioned option: I called them. I asked if they had cupcakes and the man on the other end told me they did. They had chocolate, vanilla and, the new standard, red velvet. Obviously, they didn't have the selection of a shop that's dedicated specifically to cupcakes. I figured I'd give them a shot. When I got to the store, it was just as the man on the phone had said. There were a handful of cupcakes available in three flavors: vanilla, chocolate and red velvet. They added some variety by mixing up the frosting. Some chocolate cupcakes had chocolate frosting while others had vanilla. Some vanilla cupcakes were topped ...

I’m going to guess that Daphne’s Bakery probably dominates the central part of East Charlotte. If you “Charlotte cupcakes,” you’ll see that there aren’t any other cupcake options in that area. Daphne’s is tucked away – off some of the main Interstates, but still easy to access, as it’s off of Matthews-Mint Hill Road. I hadn’t made my way to Daphne’s until last week. I was surprised to see there were a handful of people in there – some ordering treats and others eating lunch in the conjoined Tia Rose café area. As far as a cupcake selections goes, there wasn’t an overwhelming amount, but there were eight different flavors to choose from – including vanilla, red velvet, key lime, funfetti, chocolate and pink lemonade. I picked three cupcakes: chocolate, key lime, and funfetti.

This week I went to The Bakery Shoppe in Huntersville. I called ahead because I didn’t know if they had cupcakes there. They said they’d just put about two dozen cupcakes out 15 minutes before, so I was in luck. I used the GPS to get to there, but there’s a series of mini-malls in the same parking lot. There is no sign on the building – just one on the window – so the shop doesn’t jump right out at you. Basically, if you’re going to The Bakery Shoppe – look for Showmars and then go South, across the driveway. It’s a quaint shop inside, with some tables to sit at and a couple of large armchairs that look like a nice spot to relax if you have a smart phone to keep you entertained or some reading to do. There’s a wide variety of pastries, cookies and cakes in The Bakery Shoppe, but not a wide variety of cupcakes. Although the shop spruces up their cupcakes and offers a variety for events , there were only two different flavors in the case, so it made my selection easy enoug...