here's a fun story - Kerry mentioned as a celebrity who buys cupcakes

[karynnj]

Chocolate ones with vanilla icing.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601093&sid=asBEtN_8hyho

In the midst of all the serious articles on 2 wars, healthcare, cap and trade, this is nice.

[beachmom]

1. Fun article, but now let's get down to really serious business:

American cake. You know, I lived in Europe for only 6 months, but I have to say I have completely lost my taste for American cakes you get at the bakery, grocery store, etc. (and I have always disliked bakery frosting). My complaint? TOO SWEET. Recently, I went to a b-day party where everyone was raving about this fabulous bakery and how great their cakes were. I tried a piece, and to me it was the same crappy too sweet cake you could get at Publix. So .... if I get to DC, I will try a cupcake but I am a tough crowd. Seeing that so many desserts came originally from Europe (from immigrants) I can't figure out the sugar disparity between the States and the Continent. My theory is that people were so excited they were in America, that maybe after finding some success here they really loaded the sugar into the cake. Then everyone got used to it, and now we are stuck with the too-sweet-cake (especially the frosting -- yuck). Only exception to me is the cake mixes. I still like making those, but even there the German cake mixes are better. More subtle flavoring. Not just eggs, flour and SUGAR.

Okay, snooty rant over. (Hmmmm ... I question the "JK is an elitist" canard if he is downing American cupcakes, lol)

[karynnj]

2. I'm 100% with you here

I think part of the problem with the frosting here is that many bakeries opt not to use butter or real vanilla because doing so would make a frosting that is not perfectly white. I wonder if they altered the cake recipe for appearance sake as well. It is usually disappointing to eat a slice of any of the decorated sheet cakes. What is weird is that nearly ANY recipe out of a cookbook tastes better than expensive bakery cake - though I do not have the skill to make it look nearly as pretty.

The difference with the German cakes could be that European style butter (which you can buy here) is slightly higher in fat - and tastes better in baked goods. It may be that we compensate for the that lost flavor by adding more sugar. (I have never been to Germany but to France and Spain where the same is true.)

My youngest daughter and I did buy cupcakes at the Chinatown cupcake place when we were in DC. They were reasonably good, but not incredible or great.

Yep, another reason to question the "JK is elitist" canard.

[YvonneCa]

3. Seriously...

...I agree with you about cake. I can't tell you how many special occasion cakes I have tossed because they were just too much. Also seriously, I am going to DC in October...so I'll have to look up this place and check it out. :7

[ObamaKerryDem]

4. Cool!

It's always so neat to get these little tidbits about him. And the cupcakes sound delicious. :p Will have to check that place out whenever I get to DC (which I intend to sometime before too terribly long). :)

And this does fly in the face of the "elitist" label, as do so many things about the Senator. That labelling still annoys me to this day..

[wisteria]

5. I have had some great bakery and supermarket cakes, none which I considered to sweet.

I am not a big fan of icing, but I do like a nice, light whipped one. Philadelphia use to have some good German bakeries and some still do baking, but only for special occasions.
The only place I ever got bakery goods that were too sweet was down in the South. My experience has been, they make their cakes like they make their sweetened iced tea.

[beachmom]

6. Helpful hint if you order sweet tea in the South:

Ask for half and half: half sweet tea, half unsweetened, all in one glass. It's perfect. Sweet, but not too sweet.

As to cake, it's too sweet to me in every region of the country. I prefer ice cream cake, actually. Or homemade cake, of course.

Edit: actually, you have a point on a more "whipped" frosting, which I think I got once in Wisconsin. That was much better than the typical "butter" icing.

[wisteria]

7. Thanks for the ice tea tip. Do you have a Cold stone Creamery in your area?

They have wonderful ice cream cakes.

[demdiva]

8. Yummy

I ate a peanut butter chocolate cupcake about six months ago and I still think about it sometimes :)