Red Velvet Cupcake from Sweet Jill's

Whisps of sweet cinnamon and sugar tempted my senses long before ever seeing Sweet Jill's storefront as I walked down the sidewalk one sunday afternoon. The comforting scent of freshly baked goods frolic outside of the second street location, easily coaxing passersby inside like a pied piper of baked goodness. Stepping into Sweet Jill's is what I imagine stepping into an actual cinnamon roll might be like: an instant engulfment of warm cinnamon, buttery sweetness and spice and everything nice.

cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I didn't know what to expect my first time at Sweet Jill's because I wasn't expecting to be lured into a bakery as I explored the Belmont Shores area in Long Beach. From the abundance of indulgent aromas coating the already warm air, the cozy vibe of something fresh from the oven upon stepping inside and the exceptional proportions each mouth watering serving offers, Sweet Jill's brings the phrase "eyes bigger than your stomach" to life. The pastry cases are filled with all of the baked goods you could think of. All sorts of cookies: biscotti, macaroons, chocolate chip/oatmeal/sugar, cookie dough topped brownies, nut topped brownies, plain brownies, cakes: frosted cakes, coffee cakes, cupcakes, upside down pineapple, cheese cake bars, cakes you'd never heard of like upside down German cakes plus an assortment of morning pastries not limited to muffins, apple pull-a-parts and cinnamon rolls. 

It was that first visit when I got my first cinnamon roll from Sweet Jill's and it turned out to be the best cinnamon roll I've eaten to date. Gooey, not soggy, and served warm, you can get your cinnamon roll with or with out frosting and or nuts. I knew as soon as I walked into Sweet Jill's for the first time that I would be back because some of the biggest cupcakes I've ever seen are there. 

On my second visit to Sweet Jill's there were four cupcake flavors to choose from:
1) Carrot Cake
2) chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

3) Red Velvet 

4) Double Chocolate 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Like everything else at Sweet Jill's these cucakes are BIG. I'd say they're about three times the standard cupcake size and they all looked so good.  Three of the flavors were decked out in a healthy layer of 

off-white frosting while the the double chocolate cupcakes yielded a rich, dark chocolate frosting that looked like fudge. I was very close to choosing the chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting (the tuxedo cupcake if you will)  but my hesitations around chocolate cake swayed me to choose Red Velvet instead. It came in a plastic clamshell fit for one of their cupcakes, perfect for squish free traveling and I was on my way. 

With the dash of  rainbow confetti sprinkles on top, it's classic, homemade frosting asthetic and bright red shade of red velvet cake, this was this was a fun cupcake photoshoot. While this is a huge cupcake, it does tapper down from the dome to the cup like a pair of good fitting joggers. Unwrapping it yeilded one of the most vibrant red velvet cakes I've encountered. 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

This reddest red velevet cake isn't densely decadent nor is it moistly rich. All of the pastries and bakes goods at Sweet Jill's are baked fresh daily making the cake buoyant yet it was still buttery. Red Velvet is a tricky flavor, it's more of an essenese in my opinion. In most cases, it's a cake mix with coco powder, red food coloring and sour cream or a mixture of buttermilk and vinegar to give the cake that velvety texture. Sweet Jill's Red Velvet cake hits the bullseye. 

I appreciate the appearence of the frosting on these cupcakes. As stated above it's a classic, homemade assthethic rather than from an icing tube or rounded smooth like a cupcake helmet. 

Red Velvet cake is often paired with cream cheese frosting, probably becausethey're both subtle flavors but together they give a full flavor. 

Cream cheese frosting tends to be a little thicker than than standard frosting and not and creamy as buttercream frosting. There's also a tinge of tanginess found within it's sweetness due to the cream cheese. This cream cheese frosting is as creamy as buttercream frosting and it's definitely more sweet than it is tangy. The ratio of frosting to cake was spot on despite the size of the cupcake. Some might think, big cupcake, more frosting. Well yes, more cupcake more frosting but Sweet Jill's doesn't over do it. 

There's a first time for everything and this was the first time I have eaten a cupcake with a fork. I sat down with my cup of coffee, unwrapped the cupcake on a plate and dove into an indulgent breakfast not to mention quite a sugar and caffine rush to jumpstart the day. 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Eating this cupcake with a fork was great because it allows you to tailor each bite. More frosting? Sure. Less? You got it. Cupcake sandwhich bite (cake, frosting, cake)? Help yourself. 

Red Velvet cupcake from Sweet Jill's 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When I sat down I didn't expect to eat the whole thing in one sitting but it was too good! Plus it wouldn't be or taste as fresh if I saved some for later. 

Make sure you have cash on you when you go to get all of the treats because Sweet Jill's is cash only.