Caketini Cupcakes!

It's no secret I have a raging sweet tooth. And it's no secret I freakin' looooove cupcakes -- who doesn't (see here and here for starters)?!

Why it took me eight months to learn there is an amazing cupcake bakery just around the corner is beyond me. I've tried two bakeries/coffee shops in my town on different occasions and have had mixed feelings. The all cupcake place was a flop. And the coffee shop whose owner won on Cupcake Wars had much better scones and drinks than its limited selection of 'cakes.

Now you understand why I haven't really been buying cupcakes like they're going out of style here. But now I'm not sure I can continue saying that.

Nestled on the outskirts of a cute outdoor mall sits family-owned Caketini. The cupcake display will draw you in and the flavors (and possibly Espresso bar) will keep you coming back! I'm not joking when I say this was one of the best, cupcakes I've sunk my teeth into in a very long time. It certainly takes the cake (ha) for the best tasting cupcakes in the area!

Alright so what is all this fuss about?! For starters, the Key Lime Pie cupcake. I was stuck between two flavors (that or the Orange Blossom) and the girl working the cash register told me I should hands down go for the Key Lime.

Bless her little heart.

For J.D. I picked up the Cookies 'n' Cream cupcake, which had a buttercream frosting that literally tasted like the inside of an Oreo cookie, with cookie crumbs and a simple chocolate cake.

Back to me. I mean, my cupcake.

Not only was I pleasantly surprised with the cake inside, but the frosting also blew me over. You see, it wasn't your typical flavored frosting with a boring chocolate/vanilla cake base. The actual cake tasted of lime, it was light and zesty and delicious.

And surprisingly green!

The buttercream frosting hid most of the tartiness. As J.D. pointed out, they played with the traditional meringue topping via the frosting and turned it into a tart but rich addition to adorn the cupcake. And let's not forget about the graham cracker lined "crust."

Perfection. But will I be going back for another $3.75 cupcake?!

With a menu full of hard decisions (see for yourself), including the best cupcake I may have ever tasted, you can bet my penny-pinching ass is coming back! :) Pardon my French.

After this life-changing experience, I think it's about time I get to working on baking gourmet cupcakes from scratch, and not out of a box...