Who doesn’t love a cute little German bakery? I know I find myself combing the shelves of Central Market around the holidays looking for Stollen. Who knew that it was made fresh daily, just down the street from downtown Grapevine?

Bread Haus is a family owned bakery in Grapevine that has been open for almost 20 years.  You’ll find rye breads, specialty breads, traditional German pretzels, and of course sweets.

This was one of those unexpected meet cutes. I had no idea Bread Haus even existed until I was meeting some friends in Grapevine for dinner and passed by with my windows down. I have a nose like a houndog, so the smell of fresh bread was drawling me in. As I was stopped at a light, I was looking in all directions to figure out where this wonderful smell was coming from.

Enter Bread Haus. I whipped my car right into their empty parking lot as I was already in apology mode being “one of those people,” walking into an establishment 3 minutes before the sign on the door says they were going to close.

So, sad to say I only walked out with three sweet items and a German pretzel. However, if they nearly sell out like that every day, isn’t that a sign that everything is delicious?

So, my pumpkin bar, lemon bar, and almond bar with blackberry preserves sat idly by in my car while I was driving to dinner. I was determined to wait until I got home to get into them. Of course, I fail. I have no willpower when I am directly presented with temping new sweets.

(Top left: Lemon Bar. Top Right: Pumpkin Bar

Bottom Center: Almond Bar)

The almond bar was my favorite. It was soft yet crumbly in the greatest ways. Almond bars are one of my favorite things to bake at home; so to say that this one was pretty perfect in every way, had some big shoes to fill. Inside, there was a delicious layer of some of the finest blackberry preserves imaginable.  I do love subtle changes to popular desserts we all love.

The lemon bar was very subtle. It was good, but not overly tart like I prefer my lemon bars. I did love how thin it was, so the buttery shortbread crust was not left unnoticed. I also adore a crunchy corner.  I am always partial to the corner when I make brownies.  The outer portion of the whole bar was crisp, while ensuring the insides were not over baked.

If you’re willing to place bets on me when it comes to selecting baked goods when there is anything pumpkin present; It was no shock when I snatched up the pumpkin bar and had it devoured in the 2 blocks we had remaining to get to the restaurant. It was pie, meet coffee cake, meet muffin. This was a serious ménage a trois of baked goods and it was lovely. The bottom was more of a muffin consistency, the middle was more custardy-pie like, and the top was a yummy streusel top.

I fully plan to get back to bread haus soon and sample some cookies, Stollen, and definitely a German nut roll. Word of advice; don’t go with the plan of saving your goodies for later. The smell alone will have you break any and all carb restrictions you have given yourself….I should know.

So recently my inbox and Twitter have been flooded with articles on the demise of cupcakes. Come on folks, cupcakes are not going anywhere! If a company shutters their doors, then the simple truth is they are not producing a very good product.

To this day, I still find a mile long line at Sprinkles and daily sell outs at my favorite shops. There is not a day that goes by without receiving an email or Tweet asking me for cupcake shop recommendations in a particular area in this city or even another state that I frequent.

Is the market oversaturated? Sure it is; there are cupcake shops on every corner. So, in order to avoid an untimely demise, you need to have a spectacular product that range in flavors besides the traditional white cake and red velvet.

Most recently, I have found that in Cupcakes on Command. They offer a Cupcake Taxi that loads up with a handful of daily flavors to be delivered to you when the cupcake craving strikes and you can’t (or simply don’t want to leave your comfortable confines.) If you’re in need of one cupcake or 100 cupcakes, The Cupcake Taxi will deliver.  In addition, you can place orders for a half dozen or more of any flavor they offer on their site.

Cupcakes on Command has the typical flavors; but more importantly, they offer a little something different. Tired of the traditional citrus flavors? Try a mango cupcake. This cupcake has a hint of cardamom for a spectacular subtle flavor. This cupcake houses no artificial flavors; only fresh pureed Alphonso and Kesar mangos are used.

Mango Cupcake

Enjoy peanut butter but don’t care for the sugar laden overly sweet frosting that some places offer? The peanut is the star in the peanut butter cupcake with peanut butter frosting.

Peanut butter cupcake

The cinnamon cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese could surely be considered a breakfast pastry with its light and sweet flavor. Only the finest Vietnamese and Ceylon cinnamon is used.

Cinnamon Cupcake

The key lime pie cupcake was the perfect combination of tart and sweet atop a graham cracker crust and filled with key lime pie filling.

Key Lime Pie Cupcake

The cheesecake cupcake was a rich and creamy combination of cake and cheesecake. It is a vanilla bean cake that is filled with freshly baked cheesecake and topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes on Command also has a handful of special flavors every month. They even let their customers vote on the flavor of the month. A company that values the opinions of their customers, and takes pride in the product they offer? Well, I don’t know about you, but those qualities tend to make for a lasting business.

My point is, if you’re product is exceptional and you offer a little something different that no one else offers, there will be no shortage of customers. Cupcakes on Command doesn’t just bake with quality ingredients, they also bake with imagination.

I could go on. I sampled ten different cupcakes and each one was more exciting than the last. The only thing I can complain about is that Cupcakes on Command are not located in my kitchen to provide me with the myriad of flavors on a daily basis.

(Pictured above, Left to Right, Top to Bottom:

Almond, Carrot

Banana, Cookies & Cream

Salted Caramel)

You had me at the name, I like Big Bundts. And who doesn’t? I do enjoy a good bundt cake and it is honestly about time we had a non-chain/franchise in the area. This is something I feel the city has been lacking. When I heard of a new bakery called I like Big Bundts in a non-descript area of Castle Hills, my interest was peaked.

Walking into the store, the overwhelming smell of baking cake was upon me. I could have started unpacking my things and forwarding my mail right then and there just to be around that wonderful smell.

The store lacks a little….I don’t know, quirkiness maybe? With a name like I like Big Bundts, I just expected the whole place to be just as quirky as the name sake. The store is cute, don’t get me wrong; a blue and black theme throughout. I guess I was just expecting something in the décor to tie it to the name.

But honestly, you are not here to hear about what interior decorator they hired. Once I took a look at the case filled with bundt cakes, I forgot all about the interior of the shop.

I selected 4 bundt cakes to take home with me; a hummingbird, pecan praline, cinnamon caramel apple, and a coconut.

(Top Left to Right: Hummingbird and Pecan Praline

Bottom Left to Right: Cinnamon Caramel Apple and Coconut)

These bundt cakes are not pretty, the frosting ratio is different on each of them, and some just look messy. Did I care? Not one bit after I took the first bite. These bundt cakes were so delicious that I would probably take one from the trash, or from a baby. I have no morals when it comes to good cake.

The humming bird was a buttery yellow cake filled with delicious crushed pineapple and banana and topped with a traditional cream cheese frosting. There were no pecans in this particular humming bird cake. This bundt cake had the smallest amount of frosting compared to the rest. I was a little disappointed in that, but soon got over it once I moved on to the next.

My absolute favorite was the cinnamon caramel apple. This cake was filled with loads of cinnamon and caramelized apples, topped with cream cheese frosting and practically drenched in buttery caramel.

The pecan praline was runner up to the cinnamon caramel apple. They make their own fresh pralines and fold them inside of a yellow cake that is swirled with cinnamon and topped with more of the delicious cream cheese frosting and then topped with even more delicious pralines.

Lastly, we have a white chocolate coconut. It is a pretty simple white cake that is made even sweeter using sweetened coconut and white chocolate chips. The bundt is then topped with coconut cream cheese frosting.

The bundt cakes come in several sizes with names like Bitty Bunts, Bubble Bunts, and Big Ol’ Bunts. The Bitty Bunts are almost like mini cupcakes and sold by the dozen. The Bubble Bunts are the individual sized bunt cakes. Then, of course, The Big Ol’ Bunts, which come in 8” or 10” and feed several people…or just me.

Overall, I am pretty impressed. I wouldn’t pick up bundt cakes for a party where presentation is important. However, if I am craving some delicious, superiorly moist cake, and completely ok with the fact that eating a bundt cake from I like Big Bundts will pretty much guarantee that I will also have a big bundt myself, then you can’t go wrong.

Words cannot express how in love I am with Caffé Bene. Seriously though, it borders on unhealthy to be honest.

Caffé Bene is a recently opened coffee shop of the hybrid variety; meaning, a little bit European and a little bit Korean. These are usually my favorite due to the sheer uniqueness of the combinations.

So, the first time I went in I was on a mission to sample their signature sweets which are the honey bread and their waffles.

Their waffles are Liege waffles, which originates in Belgium, but is not to be confused with a Belgium waffle. The Liege waffle comes from Eastern Belgium and is much denser than the American or traditional Belgium Waffles since they use yeast based dough. They are often smaller in size. Usually they contain a pearled sugar which caramelizes throughout the waffle.

Caffé Bene has at least ten different toppings for these crunchy confections. I selected the Caramel and Banana Waffle. Topped with ribbons of caramel and chocolate, thick slices of banana and a hefty portion of whipped cream. I was in heaven. The only thing that would have made this dish better, would have been if the bananas were caramelized.

I love carbs in all forms. This is no surprise. But there is something about biting in to the perfect piece of bread; whether it is of the sweet or savory variety. I found that in Caffé Bene’s Honey Toast.  Don’t let the size scare you off. It may be large, but it is so light that it could probably be consumed without teeth. Honey Toast is a popular Asian Dessert.  Like the waffles, they can be eaten alone or with a mecca of toppings. The Brioche bread is sweet and buttery on its own, but over the top when you add toppings.

For the Honey Toast, I selected the caramel and cinnamon honey toast.  As you can see, the bread is the star; just a light drizzle of honey, small sprinkle of cinnamon and the perfect amount of whipped cream.

This is just the beginning; they offer amazing lattes, pastries and even savory honey toast.  (just make sure if you go the garlic honey toast route, you bring lots of breath mints. I also would not recommend it for a first date treat).

Caffé Bene is one of those places that you can discover something new each time you go, making it your “new favorite.” I recommend just starting at the top of the menu and going in every day until you’ve had everything

It is travel season kids, I know I am not around much. But I have got to take advantage of this weather while it is here. I am sure you all understand.

So, speaking of the weather; this is my favorite season for food trucks. Grab a bite, enjoy it outside without sweating into your food or getting grease stains on your leather Coach gloves.

I have a lot of favorite food trucks in the city, but sometimes you just need some delicious Cajun food and don’t feel like driving 8 hours to New Orleans to get it.

When I happen to see Cajun Tailgators out on the streets, I almost always stop by for a piece of their bread pudding to eat then, and one to savor later at home.

There are few things better in this world than a good bread pudding, and few things worse than a dry, flavorless bread pudding.

It is brilliant when you think about it, that something so amazing can come from stale bread. For years I was not a fan of this dessert because it was always dry or way to oversaturated. Since there is no set recipe for this dessert, creativity is the key. Sometimes people go too far with it and it is no longer recognizable as bread pudding.

My point is, sometimes we like the traditional. While I have loved a white chocolate blueberry bread pudding and an orange cardamom bread pudding in the past, when I want a taste of New Orleans, I want a traditional creole bread pudding.

Cajun Tailgators bread pudding is simple, traditional and executed perfectly. If that in itself doesn’t make you want it, they have a truck made (can’t get much fresher than that) Bourbon sauce for the top. I don’t know about you, but bread pudding just isn’t bread pudding without Bourbon.

3600 McKinney Ave #101
Dallas, TX 75204
214-559-3483

So, Lent is in full swing. Thank goodness I am not Catholic because I have no desire to give up the things that I love. Call it selfish if you’d like, but I live a pretty healthy lifestyle save for one day a week where I stuff my face with as much sugary carbs as I can. I don’t feel like giving up that day too. Besides, if I did gave up one of my biggest vices, where would you guys go for the latest scoop on sugar?

It seems to me this year I have found more people I know giving up sweets. This makes me sad. It also makes me want to bake their favorite thing and bring it to them, only to watch their resentfulness towards me grow. Ok, so maybe I have a sick sense of humor.

What better way to rebel against Lent with the dessert menu at Max’s Wine Dive? Max’s Wine Dive opened late last year in West Village.  A few friends and I decided to head out for dinner. I took full advantage of having a gaggle of hungry ladies with me to order three desserts. Not really expecting most of them to be as massive as they were (the desserts, not the ladies), we chose the buttermilk pie, white chocolate bread pudding and the peanut butter brownie.

I do love myself some bread pudding, and this white chocolate bread pudding was pretty amazing. Just the right amount of Dulce de leche cream made this dish perfect. Not too over saturated in sauce but not dry either. Nothing is worse than a dry bread pudding.  Added was a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I am not so much a fan of ice cream with my bread pudding because I want it to stay warm, and if you don’t attack it quick enough, you’ve got a room temperature bread pudding and a pool of melted ice cream on your plate.

The peanut butter brownie was too much for me. Not saying the taste wasn’t there. It was full of chocolate flavor but very, very dense. It had the consistency of a flowerless chocolate cake. I really did not taste much peanut butter, chocolate was the main focus. The bacon toffee popcorn was a nice touch, but the chocolate ice cream on top of a dense chocolate brownie was just too much of the same flavor. I think they are on to something with the concept, but it really needs some rework. I demand more peanut butter!

I was sure the bread pudding would have been my favorite, but it was actually the buttermilk pie. It had an amazing huckleberry compote that I wished there was more of and included a dollop of thyme meringue. It had a slight crunchy exterior and not too sweet. The huckleberry and thyme flavors really worked well together and made this pie stand out for your average buttermilk pie. This dessert was much smaller than the others and the one the dessert that had spoons colliding and the table silent. No one wanted to talk until the pie was gone for fear that someone would take the last bite.

So, while you guys are all giving up on life’s greatest pleasures, I will be consuming your share, and probably at Max’s Wine Dive.

I am a huge people watcher. One of my favorite places to people watch is the bar at Bolsa during the lunch rush. The place is tiny and tables are so close, you should make sure you pop a breath mint after you’re done with lunch. With that said, I can sit at the bar and eavesdrop pass the time looking at some of the cities pretties people. I prefer to pass my time at the bar with dessert and coffee. While the menu at Bolsa changes quite frequently, the White Chocolate Rum Tile is always there.

It has a crunchy crust of ‘nilla wafers and is topped with bruleed bananas and a toffee sauce. The cake has a consistency of cheesecake meets crème brulee. Heavy Cream, butter, and white chocolate are major power players in this dessert. It may sound heavy, but add a cup of coffee and you’ve got yourself a nice mid-day snack.

(White Chocolate Rum Tile )

I often wonder when I am out mid-day during the work week if all of these people I see out and about have jobs. They enjoy themselves a leisurely lunch without a care in the world.  Sadly, pastry consumption is not my only occupation.  Packing on the pounds does not pay the bills.  However, if you’re one of the lucky ones and find yourself in Bishop Arts with a sweet tooth and no real place to be, get yourself to Bolsa.

http://www.artizone.com/Dallas/Swoon%20Pastries/Store/1532

Happy Valentine’s Day!  To me, Valentine’s Day is a near perfect holiday. Any holiday that includes eating is up my alley. And like most other American food-centric holidays, this one involves sugar!

I would no doubt be lying to you if I said I do not take full advantage of the holiday and eat my way through an extra-large box of Godiva and See’s Chocolates.

I love chocolate, I do. But why don’t we have heart shaped boxes overflowing with different macarons? No menu card included. I want to have no idea what flavor I am sampling until I take that first bite.  Unlike the box of Russell Stover that I take a bite of each piece and toss it out, we know no meringue crumb will go to waste.

Ok, while maybe my Macaron Magister’s haven’t quite commercialized the crumbly confection to the point if it being a staple on this beloved Hallmark holiday. Still, there are plenty of places in Dallas to get a very impressive macaron.

I am amazed almost on a weekly basis of the random macaron sightings as of late. More often than not they are decent, sometimes amazing, and a handful of times simply disappointing. Most of which all stem back to quality control and realizing their finicky shelf life.

My most recent macaron encounter was with Swoon Pasteries. This is a mixed review of sorts. I was sort of not sure the approach I wanted to take with the review. I sampled two kinds of macarons; a package of vanilla and a couple of packages of salted caramel.

(Vanilla and Salted Caramel macarons)

The salted caramel was spot on.  Speaking purely of texture, they were perfect. The outside crispy just like you would expect, the foot of the macaron, impeccable and the filling outshined most any macaron fillings I have had as of recent. There was a thin, gooey layer of home made sea salt caramel, followed by a silky dollop of caramel butter cream. The added texture to this macaron was unexpected, yet brilliantly executed.

This brings me to the vanilla macaron. The flavor was there. One of my simple pleasures is a well done vanilla macaron. Unfortunately, this macaron has far exceeded its shelf life and was unbelievably stale. I hate to see good macarons die.

For me, if I know I will not eat them the very day they are in my possession, in the freezer they go, only to be brought out no more than 30 minutes or so prior to my planned consumption. Finicky creatures they are.  Not only do you have to be careful of how long they sit out, but they are so delicate that transporting them also needs to be handled with care.

I also had the pleasure of trying their signature cookie, the Sues. They are the love child of a hand-pie and a cookie. Delicious and buttery shortbread cookies filled with handmade jam. The pineapple was great, but I could have gladly eaten my weight in the apple Sues.

(Pineapple and Apple Sues)

Overall, I loved the products, just hated that one package of macarons were inedible. Not sure if Swoon is to blame or Artizone. I don’t know the ins and the outs of how the product is moved around and how long they are kept. Are they made when I place my order and picked up then? Does Artizone keep some supply on hand and someone just dropped the ball on the QC for my order? Who knows really? But as delicious as the other items were, I would be willing to place another order and give it another shot. If it happens again, then we know there is a problem because macarons are expensive and I don’t plan to keep throwing away money.

Hopefully I have not scared you away from a roulette game of pastry.  However, if you’re not a fan of gambling but still want to try Swoon, go for the Sues, you can’t go wrong.

1540 Keller Parkway Suite 103

Keller, Texas 76248

817-482-1060

Two weeks was too long, I missed you guys.  I was on vacation in San Francisco, and then my usual blog day last week was filled with catching up at work on what I missed while I was away.  But, have no fear! I am back… On to the review, shall we?

Tiny Cake Shop Cupcakes in my opinion is a near perfect little cupcake shop in a strip mall in Keller.  I had been following them on Face Book for a while (Score one for Social Media presence) and just never seemed to make it on that side of town. So, when I found myself in the area, I had pretty high hopes (We’re talking 7 inch Louboutin high hopes).

Tiny Cake Shop Cupcakes offers a handful of daily flavors. In addition, there is always a gluten free option. While I don’t need to stay away from gluten, I have a few friends who suffer from Celiac, so it is nice to have options if I want to surprise one of them with a cupcake.  Additionally, Tiny Cake Shop Cupcakes focuses on high quality and organic ingredients, like pure Madagascar vanilla, and cage free eggs. You can definitely taste the difference when quality is the focus. No use of shortening to save money here.

So, I settled on a Chocolate Caramel and a Pumpkin cupcake.  If ever someone is shopping for baked goods for me and is unsure which flavor to get, there are a few that you cannot go wrong with. Pumpkin is definitely at the top of that list. With the holidays over, pumpkin lovers everywhere are in mourning until next fall.

(Left to Right: Pumpkin, Chocolate Caramel)

I was able to catch one of their last of the season.  While it has been a few weeks since I had the pumpkin cupcake at Tiny Cake Shop Cupcakes, I remember it like it was yesterday. Now for me, I have said I prefer average or slightly smaller cupcakes so I can enjoy a variety. However, this cupcake was gone in seconds, so maybe I needed it to be bigger. Maybe I am just being greedy and pumpkin-selfish. I even shouted at my husband to turn the car around so I could get another one.  All I got was a glare, and not a 2^nd pumpkin cupcake.  This cupcake was super moist and spicy. I could smell the glorious fall spicy scent of pumpkin before I even took off the wrapper. The cupcake was topped with silky cream cheese frosting.

Another combination I love is chocolate and caramel. The dark chocolate cupcake was rich and almost fudge like. Alone, I am not sure I could have eaten it without a glass of milk. However, the caramel frosting was on the lighter side than you would expect caramel frosting to be.  Overall they complimented each other amazingly.

Ok, I know you’re probably still trying to shed those Holiday lbs. But do yourself a favor and do it AFTER you’ve had Tiny Cakes Cupcake Shop.

When I decided to do this post, I took a few things into consideration. In order to be put on my list, I must have enjoyed this cupcake on more than one occasion.  Additionally, quality and consistency is always top notch with each experience. Another huge factor is cravablity. It may sound silly, but when I am sitting at work and thinking about how much I want a Coffee Cake cupcake from Layered Bake Shop, you know it is a winner.

I won’t keep you waiting any longer. The below cupcakes are in no particular order.  Each cupcake below has been reviewed in its entirety in an earlier post, for more mouthwatering information.

- Cupcake Bliss in Bedford: http://cupcakebliss.com/  (Salty Caramel Cupcake)

Caramel cupcake, topped with caramel butter cream, drizzled in caramel and topped with sea salt.

Trailercakes in Dallas: http://www.trailercakes.com/ (PBJ Cupcake)

Fluffy, very light white cake with grape filling and topped with a peanut butter butter cream.

(Below picture used with permission from Trailercakes)

- Sprinkles in Dallas: http://www.sprinkles.com/ (Pumpkin Cupcake)

Spicy pumpkin cake with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

- Layered Bake Shop in McKinney: http://layeredbakeshop.com/ (Coffee Cake Cupcake)

Streusel coffee cake cupcake topped with brown sugar butter cream.

(Below picture used with permission from Layered Bake Shop)

 - Pink Frosting Cupcakes in Coppell: http://www.pinkfrostingcupcakes.com (Bread Pudding Cupcake)

Traditional Bread Pudding cupcake topped with creamy butter cream and layered with a warm vanilla rum sauce (Tip: Heat the container of rum sauce up first and poor it on top!)

- Cup-Cakin Machine Food Truck (all over DFW) http://www.cup-cakin.com/ (Chocolate Triple Threat Cupcake)

Chocolate cake, white chocolate frosting, and a ganache drizzle.

(Below picture used with permission from Cup-Cakin)

- Haute Mama Dessert Co. in Allen:  http://www.hautemamadessertcompany.com/ (Wedding Cake Cupcake)

Traditional white wedding cake loaded with almond flavor and topped with a rich almond butter cream.

(Below picture used with permission from Haute Mama Dessert Co)

- Sugar and Frosting in Keller: http://www.sugarandfrosting.com/ (S’mores Cupcake)

Light chocolate cake topped with marshmallow butter cream , sprinkled with crushed graham crackers and adorned with a chocolate piece)

(Below picture used with permission from Sugar and Frosting)

- The Cupcakery (Dallas and Frisco) http://www.originalcupcakery.com/ (Julius Cupcake)

Fragrant orange cake with huge chunks of fruit throughout, topped with a light orange and cream swirled frosting.

- Rush Patisserie (North Oak Cliff) http://rushpatisserie.com/ (Wedding Cake Uncupcake)

Don’t confuse this Wedding Cake cupcake with the one above. This cupcake is a traditional vanilla based cupcake with butter cream frosting. It is topped with shaved white chocolate curls. The best part is, it is served in a jar, with a spoon!

For some of you there is a 3 Day Weekend coming up. I challenge you to get out and try each one of these cupcakes!