I am always seeking out vegan food, and I get really excited when I find a "regular" food place that offers vegan options!
"Just Baked" is a chain of bakeries that serves uniquely flavored cupcakes. In my pre-vegan days I purchased cupcakes from Just Baked quite often. However, since going vegan I thought my visits to Just Baked were a thing of the past...until I found out that they can make vegan cupcakes to order.
Though they only offer three flavors--"Grumpy Cake," "Vanilla-Stuffed" and "Peanut Butter & Jelly"--I did not feel limited at all. I had THREE options!
Now, my birthday is today and I thought, what better way to treat myself than to a cupcake?! I KNEW I wanted the Grumpy Cake but I also thought I would try the Vanilla-Stuffed, so I ordered them both. My thinking was, I would eat one at work and save the other for dessert lunch the following day (today).
It was a tough decision to make, but I decided to try the Vanilla-Stuffed before trying the Grumpy Cake. I packed up my little "to go" dinner for work and placed my cupcake safely in a perfectly-sized tupperware container. I ate my dinner earlier than usual because I really wanted to get to my cupcake. When I'd finally finished dinner I then decided to hold out another half hour until 7:00 so I would "have something to look forward to," and the minute the computer clock changed to 7-0-0, I popped open that tupperware lid.
I took my little cupcake out and, feeling quite elegant, slowly cut into it with the side of my fork and popped the piece into my mouth.
It was horrible.
Like, not even tolerable, but really, really bad. Oh, let me count the ways. It was beyond dry, kind of overpoweringly almond-y and not so vanilla-y, the frosting was BLEGH--super sweet with large, discernable sugar granules, the frosting texture was greasy and it kind of melted/separated at room temperature. The "stuffing" inside was sooooo sweet too, although its texture was better. It had that light, foamy quality that is, I think, how fillings should be.
In all fairness, though, I really DO appreciate the Just Baked has vegan options, and that they can make as little as one cupcake for you to pre-order. Now, while the vanilla-stuffed was really quite awful, I have not yet tried my Grumpy Cake. When I do eat it, though, I will probably approach it with greater trepidation than I did my vanilla.
I have heard from many people that Just Baked cupcakes are not that great. I had no idea that they offered vegan options though. You should try The Cupcake Station downtown ann arbor, there vegan cupcakes are incredible!
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday!!! I ment to say that first in my message but I am slow today lol I think that you should make up for the lack of scrumptious cupcake and go to the Cupcake Station and get yourself a vegan cupcake that will really knock your socks off. My birthday was Feb. 5th and it was the worst birthday ever. I tried amys vegan rice crust cheeze pizza, it was horrible. Then I over ate on coconut ice cream and really felt sick to my stomach. This birthday was just terrible. I am hoping that yours was much better.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to you too! Cupcake Station has vegan cupcakes?!?! I'm sorry your Amy's was so horrible. I've had things of hers that are just awful (see my Teriyaki Wrap review) and other things that I think are really quite delicious. Suffice it to say, I will NOT be trying her vegan rice crust pizza : / That's too bad about the ice cream too. Ice cream is dangerous stuff because it's not really all that filling and once you realize you've gotten kind of full from it, it's too late.
ReplyDelete