Although I LOVE the idea of cupcake shops, I regret to say I am usually disappointed with the reality. I have been spoiled by my mother, who always made homemade cookies, cakes, brownies, and candy - and never let so much as one oreo into the house. "Why would you eat that processed junk when you can have a freshly baked cookie?" When I was a kid, I wanted to be like everyone else - boy was I stupid. Even though I'm an "adult" my mom still occasionally sends me CARE packages with baked goods but in the months between, Vanilla Pastry Studio really fills the void.
First, the cupcakes. WOW. The icing melts in your mouth and isn't too thick or overwhelming as with most cupcake shops. The balance of icing and cake is perfect. The flavors aren't artificial at ALL, it feels like they use the best ingredients for everything. I recently had a coconut caramel concoction that was just heaven in my mouth - the cake was light and fluffy - just like mom's but the icing was BETTER (shhh don't tell!). I also love the little boxes they use to package the cupcakes, perfect for uncrushed cupcake delivery.
I also got a couple of brownies for my boyfriend which he gobbled up in about three seconds - good thing I hid a turtle one and had two delectable bites of chocolate caramel pecan goodness before he stole it out of my hands. I better get more next time!