I know, I know. This is my nth post about cupcakes, but what can I say? Cupcakes have been pretty consistent in maintaining its status as "the" dessert to beat at the moment. I noticed how most of the home bakers who make cupcakes are based in Makati or Quezon City, which makes deliveries and pick-ups more complex as I live about an hour or two away from those places, respectively. So, when I found out the Patricia Jose of hey cupcake! was from Alabang, just within my area, I let out a big *PHEW*. While browsing through hey cupcake's Facebook page, I couldn't help but giggle as I read some of the typography photos posted on her timeline about cupcakes such as "Friends are good. Friends are better with cupcakes" and "You can't buy happiness, but you CAN buy cupcakes and that's sort of the same thing". As I looked through the photos of the cupcakes, my eyes widened when I saw variants based on chocolate bars such as Hershey's Milk Chocolate, Hershey's Cookies 'n' Cream, Reese's, Toblerone White, Nutella, Snickers and of course Red Velvet Cupcakes and Chewy Cookies.

            I was able to try the Red Velvet variant, a half-dozen dozen box to be exact. I adore the little red hearts at the tip of the icing on the cupcakes. If Snow White were a cupcake, this would be her. I did say this was a half-dozen box but there are only four in this photograph, yes? Well, there's a story behind that - I usually dorm in-campus during the weekdays and Patricia's cousin was nice enough to give me the cupcakes since we both go to the same school. Late night studying and 8 exams in one week is enough to stimulate my cravings for sweets (I think you know where I'm going with this). I wanted to save all six cupcakes until the end of the week just in time for their "photo op", but alas, not all of them made it home. Anyway, enough of the food drama!

         Cupcake frosting is beginning to make a name for itself - it's a smoother version of whipped sugar and although some may contest that this one was made too sweet, I enjoyed every bit of it! Its "partner", the cake base, complemented the richness of the frosting. Mmm. I tried hard to resist eating all of them in one sitting, but the only thought that kept me from doing just that was me publishing a food feature with no photos - one of my absolute worst nightmares. 

        Patricia started hey cupcake! as soon as she noticed how quickly it was making its way to dessert lovers' "must have" list, "After graduating from college, I observed that cupcakes had become a dessert favorite. So, I tried to come up with flavors that are unique and attractive and offered them initially on a limited scope." She wanted an appealing and catchy name to go with her cupcake line, which captures what one would say as soon they lay their eyes on their favorite cupcake coupled with a loud gasp, of course. 

        Patricia is no stranger to local bazaars. After being a part of COCINA (an event by UP Diliman), Soderno and The Village Bazaar, hey cupcake has garnered a following both from opposite ends of the Metro. This can be attributed to Patricia's burning desire to put up her own business as well as her training, "I've been into baking since my secondary school days. I really wanted to have my own pastry business and so I pursued it after graduating from college. I took up BS Hotel & Restaurant Management and attended baking classes."

Prices for all the cupcake flavors are as follows: P50/piece, P300/box of 6, P600/box of 12. Orders can be made through Facebook, email or by phone. Pick-up points are in Alabang and Las Pinas.

Facebook page

0927-2030504 / 0947-4086735

heycupcake@hotmail.com

         The first cupcake stop in the B.F. and Alabang area has finally opened! Passing by Aguirre Street every so often, the huge signboard with the words "Larcy's Cupcakery Cafe"was enough to intrigue residents and even those who just happen to drive by the area. A first of its kind, Larcy's Cupcakerycafe has just fed the cupcake trend even more by giving enthusiasts a chance to select a freshly baked cupcake on the spot, sit down, drink a nice cup of coffee or maybe pair it with a nice meal (they also offer savory dishes). 

          When it finally opened, my aunt suggested that we give it a try. Of course, I would never say no to dessert..or anything food-related for that matter. So on a sunny Sunday afternoon, we headed off to check out the newly opened cafe. Upon entering, I noticed that it was well-lit, with added lighting from the huge windows facing the road. Everyone was busy either eating, picking out the cupcake they wanted to try or being acquainted with the cafe's  interior.

        I mentioned earlier that Larcy's Cupcakery Cafe also serves savory dishes. You'll find in their other menu, which is hung on the rightmost part of the counter, breakfast entrees such as Vigan Longganisa with scrambled eggs, Smoked Bangus Belly with scrambled eggs, Mushroom Truffle  pasta, and even sandwiches with either pandesal or ciabatta. Why not wash down all those desserts and palatable servings with either seven coffee drinks to choose from or shakes. 

These are the packaging options customers have in case they wanna take some home or give the cupcakes as gifts. 

A small spot of the cafe is dedicated to the merchandise, such as shirts and mugs, available for sale to reminisce about your cupcake experience at Larcy's. 

Some of the cupcake flavors on their baby pink wall boards.

            Next to the counter, you'll be able to watch the staff "bake behind the scenes" and see how the cupcakes and cakes are made. I always enjoy eating places that give their customers the a glimpse of the ingredients and process that all the food has to go through before putting it on display or serving it right before our very eyes. I've always loved Willy Wonka and being able to gawk at food this way makes me feel like I'm one step closer to winning the golden ticket. Perhaps one day I'll eventually get to fly to an actual chocolate factory and drown in fudge. Hmm. Anyway, let's not wander off too far now. I'll save that adventure for another post. 

Cream cheese frosting being piped on the Pink Velvet Cupcakes. 

You can to hold onto these cute pink buttons while waiting for your orders.  

             As I undressed this well-received dessert, I couldn't help but ogle at the color of the cupcake. The shade of red was hypnotizing, but the real star here is the frosting. Once you sink your teeth into the cupcake, you wouldn't care for the base as much as the topping. It's that good. But of course, the cake is not to be underestimated - both make a good pair. I must confess, I was trying to see if I could spot the ingredients they used in making cupcakes since I bake myself. I let out a mental "AHA!" when I caught site of Anchor butter as one of their main ingredients. That explains the richness and creaminess of their icing! 

           Tall, (slighty) dark and delicious are three words to describe the perfect man..I mean, milkshake. It's been a while since I've had one of these babies and I think that if I wasn't too bashful to sip the whole shake in one go, I would have. Milkshakes always have this certain effect on me - they remind me of diners and my childhood. So as I sipped away, it was a delightful mix of recollecting and basking in the taste of the shake.

People's intense and widely shared enthusiasm for cupcakes has undoubtedly helped make this iced petite cake incredibly sought-after. As a child, I never expected the popularity of cupcakes to surpass most desserts and Kim's Cupcakes is giving dessert lovers another reason to stay loyal to this craze. Kim Jao has been selling cupcakes since she was in high school and had already been joining bazaars and supplying school organizations and a food stall at her school. Interestingly enough, it was her economics teacher who helped her discover her niche, "She taught us how to bake in class back in third year and I got inspired. After that, I started exploring the world of baking. I sold to my classmates and schoolmates back in high school. In college, I supplied for various events and fund raising activities of school organizations. Now that I've graduated, I've been focusing on how to make my business grow and how to get more people to try my cupcakes." 

Kim's Cupcakes are divided into two sets of flavors - classic and special. Classic flavors include Vanilla, Strawberry, Espresso, Cookies & Cream, Lemon Cream and Mint Chocolate all of which are P40 each while her special flavors include Tiramisu, Red Velvet, Chocolate Ganache, Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter and Yema are P50. 

You don't need to travel all the way to Bohol to get a glimpse of the Chocolate Hills. Chili's makes life a little easier and tastier by offering their Molten Chocolate Cake which to me looked like a mini volcano ( or should I say hill?) just ready to erupt!

On a related note, I was in the middle of typing my entry about my entire food experience at Chili's but I felt like this little devil deserved a post of its own.

Chili's Molten Chocolate Cake

After giving the top a quick tap, I realized that although it looked like chocolate syrup's dripping motion was caught "on pause" turned out to be a shell. And of course, an edible one at that.

Peek a boo! 

 In lieu of lava, chocolate fudge filled the hollow space of the cake, which was soft and topped with vanilla ice cream.

A flood of chocolate fudge oozing its way out of the cake. Divine! 

Three spoons and three satisfied stomachs! Definitely a lovely way to end a meal.