Kensington Gardens - The Orangery

For my Mum's birthday she was treated by her colleagues to tea for two at Kensington Palace in London and my parents decided I could tag along and they'd buy me a cake and a drink (Side note: the home made lemonade was a mistake) Naturally I decided on a cupcake and I hesitated, nearly getting the chocolate but I decided to push the boat out and get toffee. This cupcake was I think £2.49, which is possibly the most I've ever paid for a cupcake (besides one so awful it shall remain nameless) needless to say, my expectations were high.

Presentation: 3.5/5 (could do better)

The piping on this cupcake is excellent, but I felt it was lacking some wow and although there is a pool of toffee in the middle, for the amount it cost I was expecting at least some sugar flowers. You may be thinking that this is a similar criticism of the Angel's Bakery but the main difference is the price. You pay £2 for a good cupcake, but that extra 50p suggests this should be a really special cupcake. I do however like that the paper case seems to compliment the colour of the cupcake - although I have no idea how intentional this was.

Frosting: 4/5 (yummy!)

This was almost a cross between Angel's and Rick Stein's, it certainly wasn't light, you really had to cut through it with a fork, but there was a certain mousse-y-ness too it which I liked. Plus it was quite clearly a toffee frosting, aided by the centre pool of toffee/caramel. Again the portion of frosting was just right, not too thin, not too thick in conjunction with the size and texture of the sponge.

Cake: 4/5 (pleasant)

I've very little to say about the sponge, mostly because, as usual, it wasn't memorable. I wasn't appalled by it, I remember it being nicely moist and had a lovely flavour. The cake was ... nice, it didn't leave me hungering for more. It was pretty much what I expected, a scaled down version of their usual cakes, which are I'm sure just as lovely. It, as a cupcake, received very little attention beyond how to make it taste of toffee - a feat which was executed beautifully.

Overall: 4/5 (nice, better than the lemonade)

I'll admit that there was an overall heaviness to the cupcake, it took me a good 15 minutes to finish it, as I took breaks between each bite. It was a perfectly lovely cupcake, which I would be glad to re-purchase, but it wasn't extraordinary. By this I'm not surprised, they don't specialise in cupcakes, they aren't a bakery, the main choice at the orangery is the scone and so it is understandable that the scone should be much more elaborate and amazing than their cupcake (which it was).

I worry that all my reviews - no matter how much I like the cake - come out sounding negative ... I don't mean too ....

Angel's Bakery.

This is a bakery I found about a year ago in Brighton and had the good fortune to rediscover when I re-visited about a week ago.

I may as well let you know now that this bakery produces the best cupcakes I've ever tried. I will admit that it feels somewhat a disservice to this blog that I'm revealing my favourite cupcake so soon! But this will at least serve as a bench mark, something I will be comparing almost everything too in some aspect or another.

Lastly, before we go on with the show, this was a chocolate cupcake with white chocolate frosting and white chocolate curls. The price was I think £1.87, although again I'm not sure, I tend to just throw my purse at the cashier in excitement, and disregard the price haha!

Presentation: 4/5 (nice job)

This is the only place I feel this cupcake falls down. It looks sweet and yummy, perfectly suited to the baby pink napkin - but I don't think *WOW!!!* It's not quite Rick Stein's in terms of presentation. The piping isn't fantastic, although quite nice, it's not distinctive and so this doesn't quite get the five, it could achieve.

Frosting: 5/5 (OMGHHKP)

A white chocolate frosting is a rare thing which is why I opted for this over my traditional chocolate, and I was not disappointed! It was perfectly light, buttery and creamy, not unlike an elaborate mousse in texture; it was also not too sweet and overpowering but was still obviously white chocolate flavour. I think the thickness was just right, I wouldn't have asked for more, although die-hard frosting fans may waver in agreement.

Cake: 5/5 (Finally!!!)

Finally, someone read my mind as to what makes a good sponge! (about time too!) (Joke!)

It was soft and spongy yet crumbly and light. I think it could literally melt in your mouth if you had the will-power and patience not to the eat that baby as fast as you could. It was chocolate delight in all it's glory, pure and simple, it took every inch of self-respect not to beg for their recipe. It didn't taste at all manufactured, it wasn't over/underdone, not dry nor too moist and could not be improved - I'm convinced that if they tried they would ruin it.

Overall: 5/5 (Please move into my kitchen)

I know what you're thinking, "But the presentation! The presentation!" The thing is honestly, it doesn't matter. Not in this case. So often the presentation is all that's focussed on and I think this bakery needs to be commended on it's ability to stick with simplicity and put their energy into baking the tastiest cupcake it is within human capacity to bake. Also, in truth, there were other more impressive cupcakes (the red velvet I believe, although this is a territory which I have yet to properly venture) and so this bakery really does deserve 5, I've never tasted a nicer cake. Honestly.

There is a danger that every other will disappoint, but have no fear, I'm open to suggestion ;)

xxx

S

Rick Stein's Patisserie

Sorry for the long absence, I've been distracted various things, but that's not really the point. The point is I'm sorry but I've have a run of very successful cupcakes (3 to be exact) and they should unfold in the next week or so.

The first is from Rick Stein's Patisserie in Padstow - I was in Port Isaac for my holiday :) . This cupcake (again chocolate) was priced at about £1.80/90 I believe, so a higher end cupcake, but not extortionate if it's a treat. (Bearing in mind I had a cupcake instead of lunch the other day - my perspective may be a little off, I apologise.)

Presentation: 5/5 (Heck Yeah!)

The presentation of this has actually caused some controversy among my family, as my grandmother said "Urgh! That looks horrible" when it came up in my holiday photo's - although I maintain it was because she didn't have her glasses on. I think the piping is excellent and the colour is so rich and chocolatey. However what really makes this a five for me is that when I turned around and saw them I made an audible gasp, my pulse quickened and I got butterflies in my tummy. That's what makes a five.

Frosting: 3-4/5 (impressive, but good - not great)

If I were being totally unbiased, and based this rating on general impressiveness, this frosting deserves a five too, but there was something holding me back. It was amazing, there is no doubt.

I had to use teeth to bite into the frosting alone (woaah!), it was certainly not light and mousey, airy fairy some might say. I don't know how they did it but it was the chocolateyest chocolate chocolate frosting I've ever had! However, it was very difficult to finish the entire cupcake because of the rich frosting. It was difficult to eat the frosting and cake at the same time and actually, was just quite difficult to eat.

Cake: 4/5 (pretty good)

I have a confession, I don't remember the cake much, it's been a few weeks and the frosting was so overpowering I can't quite remember. I vaguelly remember being impressed. It was little to crumbly for me, it was really too messy, I do remember at one point it breaking horizontally under the weight of the frosting. Although it was clearly of a very good quality and was certainly not neglected - once again, it wasn't bad, it was probably even very good, it just wasn't memorable.

Overall: 4/5 (Nice One Rick!)

Generally I thought this a very good cupcake. It was certainly one made to impress, although I feel it would have been better suited to eat at a table with a plate and a fork rather than my lap, a bench in Cornwall and my teeth. If I were in Padstow I would certainly buy another one, but I wouldn't go to Padstow just to buy another one. Does that distinction make sense?

Moral of the Story:

Maybe I had very high expectations as it was Rick Stein's Patisserie, I expected the best from a "celebrity" chef, supposedly, the best of the best. But I don't think a cupcake can stand on reputation alone. Mr Stein, sir, the overall experience of your cupcake was delicious but as the taste was too rich and the structure too difficult to eat, it could do better.

Am I still being too picky?