For some reason, I developed a hankering for cupcakes- either making my own or tasting someone else's. If done right, they're small enough to satisfy anybody's sweet tooth without being overwhelming- and a cursory review of the internet reveals that there's a wide range of cupcake recipes that include copious amounts of alcohol which to me, is always a plus. Our two local joints are Molly's Cupcakes of Iowa City and just up the Interstate, Scratch Cupcakery of Cedar Falls.
Molly's Cupcakes, Butterscotch Caramel: The Missus and I ventured down to Molly's not long after it opened to sample their cupcakes and to be frank, at the time, both of us were somewhat disappointed. Granted, we did take our cupcakes from their 'Walk of Shame' Plate (which is where their mess-ups/wonky cupcakes get sold at a mild discount) and the results were messy. The cake was crumbly, the frosting overwhelming and whole experience kinds of a weird mess.
However, I wanted to give them a second shot and I'm happy to report on the second go-round, Molly's came through quite nicely. They promised butterscotch caramel and they delivered- the cake was solid and held together nicely. The caramel seemed to infuse the entire cake, giving it a sticky toffee pudding type of a texture. This cupcake was filled with butterscotch pudding and even the frosting was a step down from the overwhelming pile that I had on my first visit. Even better: the cupcake held together! I don't know if we just got bad cupcakes the first time round or what- but Molly's Cupcakes has more than redeemed itself and it worth a visit if you're after a good cupcake in Iowa City.
Scratch Cupcakery, Mocha: I kept hearing about the magic of Scratch Cupcakery in Cedar Falls,IA. Everyone kept telling me that if you wanted seriously good cupcakes, Scratch was the place to go. So when the Missus and I found ourselves in Cedar Falls to celebrate the mother in law's (and her Mom's) birthday, we made it a point to stop at Scratch and acquire some cupcakes to see if they lived up to the hype.
Guess what? They do. We got a half dozen of them in a variety of flavors and the one that stood out the most for me was the Mocha Cupcake. Not only was the overall cake itself, nice and compact, but the cake was moist and bursting with chocolate and coffee flavors. It was topped off by the perfect amount of buttercream frosting with a single coffee bean on top. (The mother in law was less than crazy about the bean, but I didn't mind it.)
Their buttercream frosting might just be the best example of buttercream frosting I have ever tasted. It was smooth and practically melted in your mouth- it's almost worth making a trip to Cedar Falls just for the frosting.
THE WINNER: It was tough but I'm going to have to go with Scratch Cupcakery- but only by a last second field goal. I'm glad I gave Molly's a second chance because they were worth a second a look. But that buttercream frosting that Scratch brings to the table... oh man oh man oh man. It's a good thing I don't live in Cedar Falls because that could be a very dangerous temptation to expose myself too.
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