Batson's Blog

Fruit Loops donuts ?  Say what?!? They first popped up last Fall at Hardee's for a limited time, but I guess that was a successful trial run because they're back. I read that they were only available as a breakfast item, but the Hardee's I called and spoke to said they were available all day long -- at least at their location. So I had myself a cheeseburger slider and 5 mini Fruit Loop-inspired and flavored donuts! I have to say, they were all really good. Now, apparently the 5 Fruit Loops colors -- red, green, yellow, blue and purple -- all taste the same in cereal form. Maybe it's in my head, but I swear the different colored donuts each had their own, somewhat distinct taste. For example, I thought the yellow had more of a lemon flavor than the other donuts.  The green colored donut had the traditional Fruit Loops taste, for sure.  It was kind of dry without as much frosting, though. The frosting on the red donut wasn't amazing. The frosting...

Of all the cupcake shops I've been to this year, I think this week's business has the most creative name: Splat! Cakes n Such . The owner of the shop says the name was inspired by her kitchen: "Well, it is simply a fun word that colorfully describes what my kitchen looks like while I'm baking..." Splat is located right on the main street in Lowell, North Carolina. Of all the cupcake shops I've been to this year, this one also had one of the largest selection of flavors -- or at least the most unique. Every flavor isn't offered every day -- that's how they keep you coming back -- but there were about a dozen different flavors to choose from on the day I went. With so many choices to choose from, I had no problem picking out four different cupcakes. Bubble Gum Cupcake They nailed the taste on this cupcake! It seriously tasted exactly like Bubble Yum – both the cupcake and the frosting. They got the taste dead on -- unfortunately. It ...

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...

This week I went to a new cupcake shop to Charlotte: Wow Factor Cakes . The business has been around for years, but they've only done weddings and private events. There wasn't a physical bakery location that was open to the public. It's located on Park Road, right by Toast, another restaurant I've been hearing a lot about, but that's another story for another day. There wasn't an incredibly large selection of cupcakes to choose from. There's a display case and a cash register near the front of the store, while a large velvet curtain and a few stackable shelves block the rest of the store, where several bakers are busy baking and designing, presumably wedding cakes. There's enough of a selection of flavors to choose from though. I picked out three cupcakes, but I was tempted by the Cake Pops that Wow Factor offers. They are cake chunks covered in chocolate or white chocolate and placed on top of a stick. Cake suckers! Who would've come u...

Ever since I started doing these cupcake blogs I've heard about SAS Cupcakes . There are a few cupcake shops that have gotten lots of word-of-mouth publicity around Charlotte and SAS is one of them. SAS has two locations in the Charlotte area. The one I went to is located in a small shopping center at the intersection of Ardrey Kell and Rea Roads. The outside looks is unimpressive. It blends into the surroundings very well. The storefront doesn't stand out as a, "I have to stop in there!' kind of place. The inside of the store isn't as plain. It looks like a Party America that's been flipped into a fairy princess castle. There are cases of candy that can be bought by the scoop. Large lollipops, cupcake photo frames, and pointy princess hats decorate the counter and shelves. It's like a candy store, Party America and cupcake shop all rolled into one.

Straight out the gate: if you want to go to Black Velvet Patisserie , you’d better have your GPS or be a Mooresville native. Black Velvet is actually right on Main Street, but I had a heck of a time getting to Main Street. Off the Interstate, around curves, and across railroad tracks to get there. It was my first time in Mooresville. I did have my GPS, but somehow I still ended up parking about 3 blocks away from the bakery. There are a couple of small cafe tables inside the shop. It seems like it would be a nice place to have a cupcake on a sunny afternoon. The day I went there were about seven different cupcake flavors to choose from. I ended up picking out three of them.

May 31 is National Macaroon Day, so Happy Macaroon Day! What better way to celebrate than with a stop in NoDa at Amelie's to try a macaroon for the first time? I stopped by earlier this week because I knew there was a large selection to choose from. I'd always looked at the cookies in their display case and wondered what they tasted like. I was always a little hesitant to try them. Something about the name -- "macaroon" -- reminds me of something that should taste like a nut. Almonds, walnuts. It's strange, I know, but I'm not the biggest fan of nuts, so I didn't want to have a cookie that tasted like one. Upon closer inspection a few weeks ago (there was a long line at Amelie's, so I was right in front of the cookies for about a minute and a half), it didn't look like they were made of nuts at all. Instead the macaroons looked a lot like a whoopie pie, except not as soft. There were a wide selection of pastel-colored macaroons at...

Making a trip along South Boulevard this week, I noticed a large cupcake sign sitting on the side of the road . I figured I’d better stop and check it out. Sure enough, there’s a small dessert shop called Kai’s Kookies and More . There are some small tables with two chairs each inside . While there are cookies and brownies and bars and other goodies, cupcakes certainly seem to be a staple of the shop. There’s an entire list of flavors. Not all the flavors are available every day though. I immediately noticed a strawberry cupcake that Strawberry Shortcake herself would have probably had in her house. They were supposed to have a Marble Cupcake and an Oreo Cookie Cupcake that day, but they were already out, so I settled for a Red Velvet instead.

Finally! This week I snagged myself a FuManChu cupcake. Unlike some other cupcakes in Charlotte, there are some very original flavors at FuManChu -- several of which include alcohol. It's a business started up by a man in Charlotte. His website says he's trying to open up shop someplace. I stumbled upon the site last year, when it said a shop would be opening in December. Plans fell through apparently because the shop is still in the works. That means the only way to get a FuManChu cupcake is to pick it up from one of the bars that sells them. Each Tuesday and Thursday they are available at a bar or restaurant in NoDa, on North Davidson Street. I tried to pick one up a couple of month's ago, but the bar they were being sold at was closed because there was some kind of small group theatre production happening. I tried the following Thursday, but Mr. FuManChu was sick, so there were no cupcakes available that day. Needless to say, I was happy to see a tweet...

This week I decided to go North. I went to Cornelius to check out a cupcake shop I found online: Just Baked Cupcakes & Coffee House . They have a nice, little store. Because it's part coffee house, part cupcake shop, it has a different vibe than any of the other shops I've been to. It's in a brick home on Main Street in Cornelius. There are a couple of tables and a few chairs right as you walk in. With a gas station right next door, the shop is definitely a nice place to stop and get a snack if you're on a road trip. They have different flavors each day. That's a good way to get people coming back day after day. When I went they had about five or six to choose from. In addition to cupcakes they have various other kinds of bars, brownies, and cookies. I was there for the cupcakes though! The first one I had was the Sugar Cookie cupcake, which, remarkably, tasted like a sugar cookie. Topped with the sprinkles you'd find on an actual cookie, the...

The search for Charlotte's best cupcake is on! I was doing some Googling the other day, looking for someplace to get a cupcake, and realized just how many cupcake shops there are in Charlotte. There's quite a selection to choose from. Where to go? Which one is the best? Those are the questions I intend to answer. Each week I'll go to a new bakery and test out a new cupcake (it's a rough job indeed). So, without further ado, let’s get to the cupcakes! First up: Nona’s Sweets Bakery and Cafe I’ve driven by Nona’s, located in the University area, several times. I’d never stopped before though. From the outside it looks like Nona's has a decent amount of store space, but I wasn’t expecting such a large selection of sweets when I walked in. They’ve got cupcakes, cookies, whoopee pies, chocolates, fudge, caramels, cake and mini-cheesecakes, among other delicious looking treats. I was literally like a kid in a candy shop – or in this case an adult in...