My dinner the other night was a frosted sugar cookie, a 7-layer bar, a couple of mini-cupcakes, some other cookies, and some baklava. I actually don't have much of a sweet tooth, but when my gym hung up promotional posters for Sugar Rush, a members-only dessert sampling event featuring some of the most sensational sweets in Orange County, I felt I had no choice but to go town on all of the free offerings of the affair. I realize there's something inherently wrong with eating such decadent treats at the gym, but rest assured, I proceeded to run five pointless miles on the treadmill upstairs immediately after I had my last cake pop. Thank you, Sports Club/LA.
Wildflour Cupakes
There was a lot going on at the Wildflour Cupcakes table. Definitely the centerpiece of the event, the offerings from this Fullerton bakery included a variety of flavors. My favorite was the Fleur de Sel cupcake. Rich chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream frosting, it's as if the salty flavor pinches your taste buds before they are enveloped in the sweetness of the caramel. The Mango Coconut cupcakes were also a delight. They also featured some of their cake pops. The peanut butter cake pop tasted just like a Reese's peanut butter cup.
Check out the Wildflour Cupakes website here.
SusieCakes
An all-American bakery that has received national press for the treats that come out of their kitchens, SusieCakes is well known for their signature cupcakes. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be seen at the event. I'll have to visit one of their four SoCal locations in Newport Beach, Brentwood, Calabasas, or Manhattan Beach to experience them. They did however feature their 7-layer Bar (above). It is baked with chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans on a graham cracker crust. It was delightfully rich, but I wasn't feeling the coconut moment. Coconut is usually hit or miss for me.
Check out the SusieCakes website here.
The Cravory
The Cravory laid out just a few of their 950 cookie creations, some of them sweet and others savory. They of course had some classic pieces, such as the Birthday Cake (Sugar cookie with sprinkles) and the Ultimate Chocolate Chip (self-explanatory). I tried one of their more unconventional creations, the Pancakes & Bacon. It was rich in the pancake and maple flavors, but the small pieces of dry bacon added a bit of salt. It was like a small bite of breakfast. Another unique and savory flavor on the table was the Rosemary Balsamic, which is one of the most popular among their signature cookies. I can see the savory cookies making good snacks, but who wants a dessert that tastes like another meal?
Check out The Cravory website here.
Bakluvit
The absolute highlight of the event for me came from the Bakluvit table. Baklava is one of those desserts I hated as a kid because it wasn't chocolate cake (How prejudice of me, right?) and as adult, I like it just fine but won't go out of my way for it. That all changed when I bit into the ChocBak, their limited edition hand-crafted baklava that won me over with its chocolateness. It's rich, sweet, and it melts in your mouth. The BakScotch was even more rich and flavorful with what their website describes as "layers of crisp fillo dough, fresh California Walnuts, and a hand-crafted lightly sweetened layer of butterscotch wonderment." The founder of Bakluvit traveled the world in search of the finest ingredients, which do not include honey or corn syrup. Wherever he went, it was worth the trip.
Bakluvit takes online orders through their webite and ships out of their Newport Beach kitchen daily. A box of 15 costs $28.00. I'll have to order a couple boxes for the next grown-up party I'm invited to.
Order from Bakluvit through their website here.
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