Batson's Blog

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.

Unlike the rest of the cupcake shops I’ve tried this year, Polka Dot Bake Shop was one place I’ve been before. I first tried one of their mini-cupcakes at the 2012 Taste of Charlotte. After trying that mini red velvet cupcake, I went back for a second. Damn, they were good! When it came time for my birthday celebration, I chose Polka Dot Bake Shop cupcakes over a cake. I don’t remember what kind of cupcakes I had, but red velvet was one of them. When I went in this time around, they thankfully had red velvet as one of the options. Once again, it didn’t disappoint. I got a few other cupcakes this time though: key lime, gluten free banana and chocolate salted caramel. Key Lime I tried the key lime cupcake first. It was moist and fluffy, with a definite kick of lime. The frosting was amazing. It was thick and flavorful. Biting into this cupcake there’s a sour taste at first, but then a sugary sweetness kicks in. Then, the taste turns back to sour when you hit the l...

I went looking for The Blushing Bakeshoppe in Ballantyne, but I’m assuming it closed since I spent an hour walking around the Ballantyne Village looking for the shop. I tried calling the phone number that was listed on the Blushing Bakeshoppe Facebook page. It was still working, but I got the voicemail. Turns out, there’s a new bakery right across the street. I stumbled upon Decadent Designs Bakery . There’s a large display case of cupcakes inside, along with a couple of high tables in case you want to eat inside. I wasn’t sure which cupcakes to get as there were several flavors to choose from. Three of them caught my eye though: a chocolate-covered Boston Cream Cupcake, a Key Lime cupcake with light green frosting and a larger Strawberry cupcake that was intricately decorated.