Pretty, Simple, Frosting

I had seen then all month at Whole Foods, a dozen cupcakes, six chocolate, six vanilla, all 12 with a perfect swirl of pink and yellow frosting. You know when you get soft serve ice cream and you have the choice of vanilla, chocolate or swirl and that blend in the swirl where the two flavors meet? 

Now imagine that but in a pink and yellow color combo. 

Looking at those cupcakes was like falling under a pastel hypnotism spell. 

And then, one day I walked into the break room and there they were. The store bought cupcakes with some of the prettiest frosting I've ever seen were up for grabs. 

Free is my favorite flavor. 

Cupcakes from Whole Foods Bakery 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

There was half a dozen left and one of those was vanilla. I was quick to act and got two chocolate cupcakes topped with the pink and yellow frosting, one for me and one for my roommate. 

My roommate had her cupcake before I had mine (I am more of a midnight snacker). When I asked her how the frosting was she said it was good, like a sugary butter. When I asked her how the chocolate cake was she said that was good, too. 

Cupcakes from Whole Foods Bakery 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

I had my cupcake a little bit later and the first thing I tried was that pink and yellow swirled frosting. I had to! 

My roommate was right, it was thick like buttercream but sugary like the frosting on generic store bought cupcakes, only this frosting is way better. It was a really thick, sweet cream and the colors were through and through. As I enjoyed little mouthfuls of just the frosting the two springtime pastels weren't licked away to reveal a white frosting underneath some weird airbrushed food dye like some store bought cupcake/cake frostings. 

The cake was good, too and actually chocolatey! A well balanced,  semi-sweet chocolate flavor that was more chocolatey than a lot of other chocolate cupcakes I've had. It was dense enough but not decadent, moist but not super buttery because it was still fluffy but cakey. 

This standard, store bought cupcake had a chocolate cake that was pretty much just right. 

I haven't seen these or any Whole Foods Bakery cupcakes by the dozen, or half dozen since then. I have seen their huge, fancy cupcakes in the display case along with their whole cakes, assortment of cake slices and four-packs of Rubicon Bakers cupcakes. 

I imagine that a dozen cupcakes from Whole Foods Bakery is more pricey than a dozen cupcakes from Safeway or Ralphs. Based on how good they taste, I say it's is worth it if you want a dozen yummy cupcakes. 

Cupcakes from Whole Foods Bakery

photo by Nikki DeMartini