Mini cupcakes from La Farine

A friend gave me some Birthday treats from La Farine in celebration of my birth 37 years ago on January 11th. They came in two different boxes, each sealed with a gold La Farine sticker and inside one of those boxes were three mini cupcakes.
My friend knows me well. 

I hadn't heard of La Farine before but the name sounded French and upon investigation I learned that, oui mademoiselle it is!  La Farine Boulangerie is a French bakery, as the name suggests, that has been open in Berkeley since 1977. It's menu is full of French pastries, breads, cookies and cakes. Their fresh fruit tartes might be the most delectable thing on their menu: flakey pastry filled with crème pâtissière and finished with a kaleidoscope of fresh, seasonal fruit. Oh la la. 

Mini cupcakes from La Farine Boulangerie in Berkeley 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

From the looks of the three petite cupcakes I got for my birthday, one was chocolate, one was red velvet and one with specks of looked like cinnamon in the frosting made me initially think it was churro. Would a French place make a churro flavored cupcake? I was about to find out. 

That was the first one I ate and as soon as removed it's wrapper I knew that it was a Pumpkin Spice cupcake because of it's golden orange cake. I was a little surprised to have Fall's seasonal favorite flavor in January but I wasn't mad about it. The frosting was yummy and cinnamony, the aromatic cake for as small as it was had just enough of that warm pumpkin spice feel yet it wasn't as buttery as one might expect from a French bakery. When the mini Pumpkin Spice cupcake was gone in 2 to 3 bites I thought to myself that it might have been one of the best baked pumpkin treats I've had. 

Pumpkin Spice, Red Velvet & Double Chocolate mini cupcakes from La Farine 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Next up was the chocolate one: chocolate frosting on chocolate cake. Oh my goodness, this frosting! It was so thick and rich with chocolate, dark chocolate. And it was creamy, so creamy. It reminded me of a German Chocolate Cake, the frosting did. Again, the cake was not as buttery as one might expect from a French bakery and as many chocolate cakes do it missed the chocolatey mark. But, this frosting...best chocolate frosting I've had in a long time, possibly the best chocolate frosting I've ever had. Très bon. 

Last but definitely not least was the Red Velvet one. The color of the cake was one of the lighter hues of red I've seen of this popular flavor while the flavor itself was unmistakably Red Velvet. With my first bite of it I thought, wow, this mini cupcake sure packs a punch of red velvet. It's a hard flavor palate to describe but if you know it, you know. Also unmistakable was the cream cheese frosting which was on the sweet side. While eating the frosting off of the Red Velvet cupcake the thought popped into my mind that maybe the frosting on the Pumpkin Spice cupcake was cream cheese, too. I had originally thought it was a cinnamon buttercream however they both had the same, almost tacky consistency. 

I finished all three lickity split. Un, deux, trois pour moi. 

La Farine doesn't have cupcakes on their menu, cakes oui but no cupcakes. My friend told me that it is the type of bakery that makes off the menu items so you never know what they'll have when you walk in. He hoped that they'd have full size cupcakes for my birthday but I'm happy with the three minis he got me because it means that my first taste of La Farine was three fold. 

Mini fresh fruit tarte from La Farine 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The second box, for those who are curious, housed a mini fresh fruit tarte. With it's kaleidoscope of mixed berries (mainly strawberries and blueberries) on top of an exquisite crème pâtissière inside of a flakey pastry crust (which was so buttery and so yummy) it was basically a cupcake itself. It was my favorite birthday treat and I didn't want it to come to an end. 

Thank you to everyone who treated me with birthday wishes! 

Best of shows in 2020

I've grown up going to shows since my very concert when I was 5 years old. I have worked in and around live music for at least 15 years, it is a huge part of my life. I have been fortunate that my blog has allowed me to cover so many shows over the years and I will not take any future shows I get to go to for granted, not that I did but now I definitely won't. 

There weren't many, so every show I went to in 2020 ended up making it on to my best shows of the year list. 

1. Shakey Graves @ The Independent January 27th, 2020 

Shakey Graves @ The Independent 1/27/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Shakey Graves @ The Independent 1/27/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Four days before Shakey Graves played three nights at The Independent I figured why not try to get myself in to cover one of the shows. On the morning of Monday January 27th, 2020 I was approved to cover night two of his three night stay. I got there early to increase my chances of getting some decent photos with the only camera I have, my iPhone 8. What a magical night it was. I can still remember as chills of euphoria washed over me through out the show and I knew then that I was at one of the best shows I'd see that year. With the way 2020 turned out for live music, Shakey Graves at The Independent on January 27th held on to that top spot making it my #1 show of 2020. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Shakey Graves review 

2. Mumford & Sons @ Okeechobee Festival in Florida March 8th, 2020

By March 8th, 2020 I think everyone knew that something not good was about to happen though no one knew or could have guessed what. I usually don't review  festivals that I work or include them in recaps like this because well, it's work and I usually don't get to see much, if any of the music at festivals when I am working. At Okeechobee I was working with some of the best of the best artist hospitality workers in the biz on what was the cusp of this global pandemic. We were all looking forward to working Coachella together, little did we know that our livelihoods were about to be ripped away from us in the blink of an eye with as little as a moments notice. Though we didn't really talk about it at the time because we didn't really know what was about to happen, we could all tell, and we all knew that something was weird looming and not in the fun way. But the show had to go on and it did. It was my first time working the four day festival in Florida and on the last night me and some of my co-workers caught a few songs of the headliner, Mumford & Sons. I'd worked lots of festivals that Mumford has headlined but this was my first time actually seeing them. I finally saw "Little Lion Man" live and that made me and makes me really happy and very grateful that I got to enjoy that experience. 

Mumford & Sons @ Okeechobee Music Festival 3/8/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

3. Poppy @ Great American Music Hall January 22nd, 2020

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Not only was really hoping to be approved to cover Poppy at the Great American Music Hall on January 23rd but I was really excited to see her live! I was so curious about how she'd be live and what she would wear! This is one of those shows where I tried and tried, email after email and I did not get approved due to high demand media coverage. To my surprise, my good friend pulled some strings and bought me a ticket so I could go to the sold-out show. Bass was loud, strobe lights were blinding and the eclectic crowd that packed the room loved it. It was definitely something. Even though I wasn't approved to officially cover Poppy at the Great American Music Hall that night, I still did anyway. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Poppy review 

4. Best Coast @ The Regency Ballroom February 29th, 2020

Before flying out to Florida on March 2nd to work Okeechobee, I got a late, last minute invitation to see Best Coast at The Regency Ballroom on Saturday February 29th. Of course I said yes. I'm not a huge fan but that has never stopped me to seeing a show, for free, with a friend, let alone a good friend and it never will. It was the night before last of the Noise Pop Festival here in SF and the show that night felt like it was super close to being sold-out if it wasn't. Bay Area fans are pretty loyal to Best Coast and I love being in crowds like that. I have covered Best Coast before and this was the liveliest and most personable I had ever seen them. In 2020 hindsight I gotta say I'm happy that this ended up being the last show I saw last year. There was a great vibe in the air, along with a lot of pot smoke so I guess you can say that my show going ended on a high note.
Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Best Coast review 

Best Coast @ The Regency Ballroom 2/29/2020 
photo by Marc Fong 

5. Bag Raiders @ The Independent February 28th, 2020

2020 marked the 28th year of the Noise Pop Festival which pretty much takes over venues across the Bay Area for two weeks straight. It's a unique music festival that ranges from unknown acts, up and coming bands, local favorites and well known, popular musicians and bands. Even the press/photo passes are kind of unique: you can't get approved to cover just a show with a single, one off pass. You get a passport sort of deal so you can cover as much of the festival as possible during it's run. I went a different route and was stoked when I got approved to cover Bag Raiders at The Independent on February 28th. They've had some buzz over the years in the San Francisco music scene but I had never seen them before, plus  it was the closing weekend of the Noise Pop fest. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Bag Raiders review

Bag Raiders @ The Independent 2/28/2020 
photo by Marc Fong 

6. Major Lazer @ Bayshore Drive-in October 24th, 2020

I honestly didn't think I'd work another show for a long time. When I was hired to work on the parking and traffic team for the Bayshore Drive-in shows late last year I cannot describe the joy that it brought me. One of the show dates was two back to back Major Lazer shows. Major Lazer is a dance fusion experimental project of Diplo's and Diplo is a well known DJ/producer for those who don't know. People were so excited to be there, a lot of them were dressed up in partial to full on raver gear and there were lots of sparkles being worn. I was back in my element, playing a part in bringing joy to other people, complete strangers, all there for the same reason, music. 
Ah, my heart.
People danced outside of there cars, people danced on top of their cars and in truck beds. They clapped and cheered and sang along under their mask. It was a good time, different but still a good time. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Major Lazer review 

Major Lazer @ Bay Shore Drive-in 10/24/2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

7. Atmosphere @ The Regency Ballroom February 11th, 2020 

It had been years since I had seen Atmosphere at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley. The show at The Regency Ballroom last year was definitely scaled down because of the difference in size of the two Bay Area venues but the crowd's enthusiasm was not. Neither was the rapper's enthusiastic energy. If it were any other year I can't say that this show would make it to my best of list but 2020 was not like any other year.

Atmosphere @ The Regency Ballroom 2/11/2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

8. Envision in Costa Rica February 17th - 24th, 2020

Luna Stage @ Envision Festival February 2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Envision Festival holds a special place in my heart. 2020 was the third year that I ventured into the rain forest along the coast of Coast Rica to work this, hippy, yoga, art & music festival. It's hot, it's sweaty, it's grueling and the on-site living conditions are...well, they are what they are. Working this festival has allowed me to grow as a festival worker and as a person and I get to do it with some of my most favorite people ever. Last year I worked the over night shift in the VIP cabanas and even though I didn't necessarily see any music, I was able to hear some type of techno pumping from the Lapa stage right which is right next to the cabanas from.
And, the Lapa stage goes from dusk til dawn, just like the cabanas.
The stage design of one of the main stages, Luna Stage always impresses me and it was exquisitely breath taking yet again. I don't know how they do it and I can't wait to see what they do with it for Envision 2022. 

Luna Stage @ Envision Festival February 2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

9. Andrew St. James in Nob Hill area August 13th, 2020 

Andrew St. James @ Nob Hill Area in SF 8/13/2020
photo by Marc Fong 

Musicians found creative ways to bring us shows during the pandemic: a lot went virtual, some played drive-in shows and some, like Andrew St. James, took it to the streets. These were not your typical shows, but in a year of "new normals" what is typical anymore? After five months of what felt like forever these pop-ups were some of the the only live shows being offered in SF. Andrew St James was taking requests via Instagram and then showing up and playing where people asked him to play. That's a pretty cool thing to do to keep the music alive and his music translated well to the acoustic busking. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Andrew St. James review

Drama @ The Independent 3/4/2020 
photo by Marc Fong

I didn't personally go to this show so I can't technically include them on my 2020 best of shows list. Drama at The Independent on March 4th was the last show that I got officially approved to cover for Sweet Sound Bites in 2020 & covered. I was pretty bummed I missed this show because I dig their style and it looks like it was a good one. I'm glad I got approved to cover it for Sweet Sound Bites though. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Drama review 

Two shows I had lined up and was really looking forward to were  Grouplove and Glass Animals.

I hardly ever buy tickets to shows but when I found out Glass Animals were playing intimate shows at small venues in anticipation of the release of their new album I knew I had to go! I got denied coverage pretty much as fast I had asked, no surprise there. So, I was happy to be able to buy a ticket to their sold-out show at The Independent on March 12th but it was canceled just hours before door were supposed to open.
I'd never seen Grouplove at a one off show and they had just dropped a new album in January. I was thrilled that I got approved to cover them at The Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz on March 24th and was so excited for the show. Sadly by that time all tours had already come to a screeching halt.  

For a year when all shows were canceled by the second week of March this isn't a bad spread of shows considering how short the "season" was. There are pre-covid shows, pre-covid festivals, different kinds of shows during covid times and in the age of learning to appreciate everything you have, shows that wouldn't have otherwise made it to the list if it wasn't for the pandemic cutting things short.
I wonder what shows will be like in the new normal. 

Please wear a mask so we can get back to going to shows and so that everybody can have a happier year than 2020. 

Favorite albums of 2020

If you've read my posts about my favorite albums of the year in years past, please excuse me because I am about to repeat myself. If you haven't read my posts about my favorite albums of the year in years past, please note before reading this that I base my favorites off of how much I have listened to them.  This is not a list of the best of the best albums from the last 12 months. Rather, this is simply some albums that were released this year that I have personally enjoyed listening to loudly, on repeat. 

Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic put an abrupt halt on all live music everywhere, stabbing a hole directly through the middle of my already dead heart, music itself did not die in 2020.  

My #1 album of 2020 is still as shocking to me as it was the first day I heard it. I was shocked that I actually gave it a chance and listened to it because I have never been a fan of Halsey, not a fan of her music anyway. I am a fan of her style & her sass but her music was never been my cup of tea. That is of course until January 17th, 2020, the day that Manic was released. I couldn't tell ya exactly why I listened to it the very day it came out. 

New music?

Curiosity? 

Lured by the image of a glitter encrusted black-eye inspired, pouting Halsey on the cover? 

Halsey, Manic album cover 

Whatever it was that got me to take a chance and press play that day, I am happy that I did. 

In 2018 the single "Without Me" off of her then un-known upcoming third album  dropped after her split from G-Eazy but time would prove that this is way more than a break up album. What I hear when I listen to Manic is an album of growth, self discovery and self recovery. It flourishes with a robust mix of painstaking emotions pumping through piano key melodies swimming in dreamy beats of high and low tempos across 16 tracks with sparkly synths and ballad worthy affirmations on most. Interludes of acoustic guitar cords spring up on some tracks including "You should be sad" Graveyard" and "929" evoking a folky juxtaposition while other songs songs like "wipe your tears" have heavy hip-hop undertones. All of the sound clip samples throughout it keep things fun and interesting, like the one before "killing boys". 
 It's Halsey's keen sense of lyrical poetry transcending the raw delicacy of navigating feelings that really does it for me though. It might be formulaic and over produced and just another pop album from a pretty face and I accept that.

 I've smiled and danced, cried, sang, reflected and had an overwhelming sense of glee while listening to this album. The first time I heard the chorus of "Clementine", " I don't need anyone, I don't need anyone, I just need everyone and then some"  I thought, hey! That's me! Then when I heard "Finally//Beautiful Stranger" it cemented a revelation I had had at the end of 2019 and that's when I knew that I liked this album.

What's more surprising to me is not only did I listen to and fully enjoy this album but that it makes me feel my own uncomfortable vulnerability and I keep listening to it. 

While "Clementine" and "Finally//Beautiful Stranger" are two of my top favorite songs from the album, "Ashley", "I HATE EVERYBODY" and "929" are also on the top of my list. There are lyrics in every one of these songs that make me say to myself, "hey, that's me!" and I'm willing to bet there are a lot of people who feel the same way. That's the beauty of music. 

Run The Jewels, RTJ4 album cover 

I had known about the June 5th release date of RTJ4 a few weeks ahead of time but there was no way of knowing what would unfold around the country leading up to that day. Our country's deeply rooted racist injustices boiled over on the heels of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd by the hands of police officers. While people around the country sheltered in place we could no longer deny topics inherently pushed below the surface. 

Racism.
White Supremacy.
Privilege. 

We saw protests. We saw riots. We saw division as people witnessing the same moments in history continued to deny it's prevalence, afraid to let go of their own perceived power for the greater good of all while people like me could not turn a blind eye or deaf ear any longer. 

As people rose up and spoke up, one of those people was Killer Mike. On June 1st he spoke at a press conference in his native Atlanta and two days later Run the Jewels dropped RTJ4 ahead of it's original June 5th release date. The first two singles "Yankee and the brave" and "Ooh la la" have catchy beats so it's no surprise that they're the first two songs on the album which starts with the line "back at it like a crack addict". Like their albums that came before it, Killer Mike and El-P rap about hard truths: police brutality, racial profiling, the ignorance of the history of slavery and racism in the U.S, segregation and the "war on drugs" just to name a few but this one hit different for obvious reasons.
All of the beats are different and unique from one song to the next on RTJ4. Some are more up beat than others, some are more heavy, some have more hooks than others, some are more rhythmic and they're all innovative in their own way.
Run The Jewels has always told it like it is but I think more people were really tuned in and listening this time, I know I did.  RTJ4 is the soundtrack of the Summer 2020 BLM movement. 
 As different as all of the songs sound on RTJ4, they all come together and flow from one to the next seamlessly. My favorite transition comes right in the middle of the album from the funky fresh "holy calamafuck" into the one of my favorite tracks , "goonies vs. ET".
My #1 favorite track off of my second favorite album from 2020 is "JU$T" featuring Pharrell Williams and Zack De La Rocha. 

Sylvan Essso, Free Love album cover

Free Love from Sylvan Esso came as a surprise. I didn't know they were working on new music until they teased us with a video clip from what would be the opening track "What If".

Unlike my first two favorite albums to come out this year, I believe that Free Love was created during quarantine, at least some of it.

 It's Sylvan Esso's third album and it was released on September 25th, about 6 months into the pandemic and it couldn't have come at a better time. It has a gentle innocence that wraps around you like a hug from a friend  that we all desperately want but can't have. Their ability to layer and loop  without anything getting lost is ever abundant on their third album. With it's drops and switches and wind pipes (?) "Ferris Wheel" is a fun one that will make you want to get up and dance like so many Sylvan Esso songs do. I love "Rooftop Dancing", it is one of the best, if not the best song of 2020. It's slow but upbeat. It encompasses happiness and sadness in the same breath with the help of some what I think are xylophones and the loveliness that is Amelia's timeless voice. If you close your eyes while listening to it, can you see yourself dancing on a rooftop surrounded by your friends dancing on rooftops? Can you see people down below doing their best to survive this?
Can you see
babies double dutching,
singing their names,
counting off time,
doing their thing? 

It makes you slow down and learn to appreciate everything around you just like this year has. 

2020 has been a really tough year, thankfully there were new albums to help us through it and help to pass the time. 

Making Spirits Bright: Big Freedia's Smokin' Santa Christmas

 

Brighten up your little COVID Christmas with Big Freedia's Smokin' Santa Christmas EP! Our favorite booty poppin' queen dropped the 5 song EP exactly two weeks before the "big" day. Smokin' Santa Christmas is Big Freedia's second Christmas EP to date following 2016's A Very Big Freedia Christmazz.  

If COVID is making it a blue Christmas for you: 

1. know that you are not alone, even if you are physically alone. 

2. be nice to yourself & get a little naughty with Big Freedia, you already know! 

 My favorites are "Smoked Out Santa" & "Better Be" but any of these original holiday inspired songs from Big Freedia is sure to make any grinch smile.
Big Freedia's Smokin' Santa Christmas EP is the gift everyone didn't know they needed this Christmas. 

Merry Twerkmas! 

Cupcake fresh face mask from LUSH

What's not to love about LUSH cosmetics? Not only are all of their products handcrafted and animal cruelty free, LUSH also practices ethical buying and they only use recycled, reusable or compostable materials for all of their packaging. They also have a really great recycling incentive program: exchange 5 empty LUSH product pots/bottles and get a free fresh face mask. Plus the scent of handmade lotions, potions and bath bombs that float out of LUSH stores is intoxicating, how could you not love it?

Cupcake fresh face mask from LUSH 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

After using the last of one of my favorite LUSH lotions I had 5 empty pots which is enough to claim a free fresh face mask. With the holidays right around the corner I decided to get my free gift while picking up a couple gifts from LUSH. 

The first suggestion from the very pleasant and helpful sales associate was too exfoliating for me but her second suggestion was perfection! It was the cupcake fresh face mask! Though it doesn't necessarily have the skin firming qualities I was looking for (like those in RUMP, my favorite LUSH lotion which is now discontinued) the fresh mint aides in cooling irritation and inflammation while toning and retaining skin's moisture by tightening pores. So, yes please! 

Cupcake fresh face mask from LUSH
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The rhassoul mud is a gentle cleanser good for troubled skin and coco powder leaves skin silky and smooth. All of the surgical, KN95 and cloth mask wearing this year has definitely taken a toll on my skin and this is a CUPCAKE face mask. I was sold. 

The a fore mentioned very pleasant and helpful sales associate gave me a sample of Full of Grace Serum to apply before applying the cupcake fresh face mask.  It helps skin maintain it's elasticity, moisture and glow, more of the stuff I was looking for! 

I couldn't wait to treat myself to the cupcake fresh face mask when I got home that night. I rubbed the piece of Full of Grace Serum bar all over my face, letting the butters melt right in before applying cupcake. This is a thick face mask, probably because of the rhassoul mud and I slathered on a healthy serving of it.

 

Cupcake fresh face mask from LUSH
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The scent is subtle and sweet with a tickle of refreshing mint and a satisfying sprinkle of coco, I couldn't help but think I was smearing frosting all over my face. Basking in the cupcake fresh face mask made me feel yummy all over. When I washed it off about 20 minutes later I couldn't believe how soft my face felt! There's about enough cupcake for four masks and for $9.95 a pop that is quite a steal and well worth it. For whatever kind of skin you have: oily, dry, troubled, irritated, the cupcake fresh face mask is the mask you should treat your face to. 

Hurry, because it won't be around much longer. Get it as a gift for yourself and for someone else. 

Merry Christmas from Dolly Parton & Phoebe Bridgers

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, Friday was Black Friday, Saturday was small business Saturday, today is cyber Monday, tomorrow is giving Tuesday...but do you know what season it is?
It's Christmas music season. 

The day after Thanksgiving is officially the unofficial day that it is socially acceptable to play Christmas music. Ready to rock around the Christmas tree in a Winter Wonderland  listening to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas"  until December 25th?
Dolly Parton and Phoebe Bridgers have some new jingles to add to your Christmas mix this year. 

Of the 51 studio albums that Dolly Parton has released since her 1967 debut, Hello, I'm Dolly, three of them are Christmas albums:
1984's Once Upon a Christmas (with Kenny Rodgers)
1990's Home for Christmas
2020's Holly Dolly Christmas

This year's Holly Dolly Christmas was released on October 2nd and it has 12 tracks (like the 12 days of Christmas!) including duets with Miley Cyrus, Willie Nelson, Michael Buble, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Rae Cyrus and Randy Parton. 

Before she was a Grammy Award nominated artist for 'Best New Artist', 'Best Alternative Album' (Punisher), 'Best Rock Song' ("Kyoto") and 'Best Rock Performance' ("Kyoto"), Phoebe Bridgers dropped her yearly holiday song. 

In holidays' past she's gifted us versions of "Silent Night" (2019), "Christmas Song" (2018) and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (2017). This year she's given us the of the gift of a cover of the Merle Haggard song "If We Make It Through December". 
It's not your typical quote unquote Christmas song but it sure is fitting for 2020. 

Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake from Frost Cupcake Factory

I've been to my share of bakeries and cupcakeries but Frost Cupcake Factory is the first cupcake factory I've been to. 

When searching cupcake places in San Jose before a recent trip to the South Bay area, Frost was on the top of every list so it was an easy decision. I got there when they opened at 11am and was pleased to see they are carefully following COVID-19 compliance protocols for the safety of all of their costumers and staff: only one costumer is allowed inside at a time, paper towels are available outside to use to open the door and appropriate signage is up informing people a mask must be worn at all times inside. 

Frost Cupcake Factory 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The front of the small cupcake factory is covered in window decals celebrating the fact that Frost is a cupcake wars winner! Los Gatos local, Andrea Buswell and her Frost Cupcake Factory became the first Bay Area cupcake place to win Cupcake Wars in 2013.
We'd be proud and want everyone to know we won, too!

The front counter is filled with stacks of different cupcakes. The first thing I noticed was how much frosting is on all of the cupcakes.
The second thing I noticed was the scrumptious scent of freshly baked cupcakes.
Was I in heaven?
Frost offers different flavors everyday of the week, so I checked it out before I went and was happy to see that a Thanksgiving appropriate flavor was on the menu the day of my visit. 

Cupcakes @ Frost Cupcake Factory 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I was even more happy the day of when I walked in because the third thing I noticed was that they had the flavor I wanted! They actually had both of the flavors I wanted: Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake and Frostfetti. Go big or go home right? Well, I went big and I went home but I'm only reviewing one of those flavors. 

The masked girl behind the counter boxed them up and I was in and out of there in less than 5 minutes flat. 

Frostfetti & Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake cupcakes from Frost Cupcake Factory 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Even though I noticed that the cupcakes from Frost have a lot of frosting on them I didn't realize quite how much frosting until I took the Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake cupcake out of the box. I've had some heavily frosted cupcakes in my day but Frost takes the cake. I love frosting, love it, can't get enough of it. If you do not like frosting, you've been warned! 

Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake from Frost Cupcake Factory
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Not only is there a lot of frosting on Frost cupcakes but the ratio of cake to frosting isn't typical. When I started unwrapping the cupcake from it's paper cup I noticed that it was "short", there was more frosting than there was cake! My dream cupcake! The bottom part of the cupcake was crumbly and that's when I quickly realized that this is a layered cupcake. 

As one might guess, the cheesecake portion is the cream cheese frosting which is thick and dense, not very creamy.  It's a perfect mix of the subtle savory flavor of cream cheese with the subtle sweetness of buttercream frosting. The cake had a top layer of a buttery, moist pumpkin cake with just a hint of the popular Fall flavor and the bottom was a thin layer of graham cracker crust, just like the crust of a cheesecake. I thought that the caramel element was just the caramel drizzle on top but when I got to the middle of the Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake there was a dollop of caramel hidden inside! It was a smooth caramel, not a sticky one, maybe a combo of caramel and caramel frosting? It was sweet and salty just like caramel. 

Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake from Frost Cupcake Factory 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I ate this cupcake slowly because it's a lot to take in and I wanted to fully enjoy every bite. While there is a lot going on with the Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake, all of the flavors compliment each other really well. There's not too much of one or the other and they are all pretty subtle, so as a whole I didn't find it overwhelming. Since the flavor palette is a savory and sweet one, I didn't find this cupcake to be too sweet but I do have a huge sweet tooth.

With that said, it did satisfy my sweet tooth that night, so I waited to have the Frostfetti cupcake the following night (two cupcakes in one night is no big feat for me). 

Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake from Frost Cupcake Factory 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I haven't had it in years but Pumpkin Cheesecake is one of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts. It's a fun, fancy and yummy combo of two classics. 

Pumpkin cupcakes are super popular this time of year.  Almost every cupcake place has some type of variation of a pumpkin cupcake and a lot of pumpkin cupcakes have cream cheese frosting. 

Frost is the first place I've come across that calls the Pumpkin cake + cream cheese frosting combo Pumpkin Cheesecake, brilliant. 

It's also the only place where I've seen a Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake cupcake on the menu. The caramel and the graham cracker "crust" really tie this cupcake flavor together in my opinion. 

I am so thankful that I found Frost Cupcake Factory, went there on a Thursday and was able to try their Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake. I think this might be my new favorite cupcake place. It's definitely the best pumpkin cupcake I've had!

The Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcake is available on Thursdays but I doubt that Frost is open on Thanksgiving Day. Their Pumpkin Spice cupcake is available on Wednesdays and Fridays if you're looking for a pre or post Thanksgiving treat. 

Have a happy, healthy and yummy Thanksgiving!