Lemon cupcakes from Katz

For some reason, I've not been able to find the Katz gluten-free apple fritters at Sprouts.  I haven't looked elsewhere for them yet, but plan to eventually.  Anyway, with graduation season upon us, I picked up a box of Katz gluten-free lemon cupcakes so I'd have something handy to throw in a cooler for short road trips to family graduations.  My fave lemon cupcakes from lucky Spoon have also been MIA at Sprouts of late.  Since the Katz option is individually packaged, they're better for travel anyway.     

I ended up not using the Katz treats for my travels as I found some other tasty things to take instead. But the lemon cupcakes from Katz were pretty good.  I really like the icing and prefer to eat the cake when it's not fully thawed out...it reminds me of a lemon icebox cake..though a gf version of one, for sure.  Please note that the amount of filling IRL is in no way, shape or form indicated in the image on the box.  That is almost always the case for anything filled, for some reason.  And the filling that is there hardly has any lemon flavor to it at all. 

There are four units per box.  For the price of approximately $1.25 per cupcake, it's a decent value in the gf world.  My favorite ready-made treat, which I finally found here, runs $5.99 for one piece so not a good value at all.  More about that irresistible treat later.       

Filled cupcakes at Smallcakes - delish!

OK - anyone who frequents the Gigi's in Norcross, which offers many gluten-free flavors (cupcake and frostings) six days a week, might have a hard time getting excited about gluten-free options at Smallcakes in Alpharetta.  They offer gf vanilla one week and gf chocolate the next - only on Tuesdays.  But, recently this location changed the way they offer gluten-free cupcakes.  They now don't frost the cupcakes in advance.  You get to choose your frosting which opens up many exciting flavor options!

For weeks, the frostings of the day (for gf cupcakes) were two that I can't tolerate as they are WAY too sweet.  Then, last week I called and found out about the new frosting free cupcakes that patrons get to choose the frostings for.  I left knowing I could order key lime pie frosting, but got there to find I could also order lemon drop frosting which blew my mind....lemon and coconut cupcakes are my favorites and apparently not many people like them since Gigi's Norcross rarely makes then due to their unpopularity...  But back to Smallcakes!  Needless to say I walk out with two gorgeous cupcakes with a big smile on my face.  However, when I get home to cut each of them in half (yes, I share), they are filled with something....and I'm pretty sure the cake part must not be gluten-free.  In a panic I call the store and the nice woman who made the cupcakes explained the fillings were just put in for me and they are both gluten-free.  And I must say, it's been a very long time since I've had cupcakes are fantastic as these!!!!

The cake part is flavorful and moist and the frosting isn't 2/3 of the product.  My husband enjoyed his two cupcake halves that night and said they were simply amazing.  Since he gets regular baked treats fairly often at work now, his gluten and gluten-free taste comparisons are pretty accurate.

Just like any normal restaurant, this bakery can't guarantee their gluten-free options are perfectly gluten-free, but they do take precautions considering they're in a gluten-filled facility.  I'm not sure why they don't have more gluten-free customers (Gigi's is overrun with them!), but if you're in the area and comfortable buying from regular bakeries, this place is definitely worth checking out!

      

Smallcakes - my new favorite cupcake in the ATL!

I've been meaning to post about this place for over a month now...finally, I'm getting around to it!  Knowing that a good friend of mine, who lives in Cobb county, declared the gluten-free cupcakes at Smallcakes the best around - I knew I had to check them out.  However, the location she frequented closed before I could get there.

Fast forward to March 2015 when a location of Smallcakes opened up dangerously close to us.  I assumed, incorrectly, that they made gluten-free cupcakes daily as the location near my friend did.  Thankfully, I called ahead to confirm availability of their gluten-free goods before heading over.  They only offer gluten-free on Tuesday (ironically the day I take Zumba toning) and they only have one flavor per week.  They also only have two flavors of gluten-free - chocolate and vanilla.  This was very disappointing to hear since my friend raved about flavors like red velvet, key lime pie and other exciting sounding flavors.  But I want a cupcake I don't have to buy four of (and that were not previously frozen) and I don't want to drive to Norcross to get it.

After tasting the chocolate cupcake at Smallcakes, all I could say is "I can't believe it's gluten-free!!!!"  It would be another month (yesterday) before I finally got back on a gluten-free 'vanilla' Tuesday.  Again, the cupcake was beyond amazing!  While I don't think people that are severely affected by cross contamination would eat cupcakes made in a bakery that uses wheat, for those of us that aren't overly sensitive, this is an amazing option!

If you're able to eat cupcakes from a non-dedicated gluten-free bakery, the offerings at Smallcakes are worth checking out.  Who knows?  Maybe we can eventually try other flavors beyond the standard chocolate and vanilla.  I don't care much for the fudge frosting or the caramel frosting at this place, but the buttercream frosting is simply divine!    

Allergen free bakery in Alpharetta

Another find on FindMeGlutenFree.com is Mama Bakes Safes Cakes in Alpharetta, GA.  Honestly, there are very few gluten-free, vegan cupcakes I've found worth eating so when I tried the goodies from this bakery, I tried to keep an open mind.  Understand that I've had delicious vegan cupcakes before - just not that many of them.  Even though I'd still choose a cupcake made with butter and eggs over any other version, the cupcakes and frosting from Mama Bakes Safe Cakes were surprisingly good!  Like 'I can't believe the're gluten-free and vegan' good!  My husband won't usually even taste any vegan baked goods, but I convinced him to try a cupcake and even he was impressed.  HE asked me at least twice if I was sure there were no eggs in the cake or butter in the frosting.

The staff at the bakery takes great care to explain which allergens their various goodies are free of (gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, etc.).  There are many things available to order to even pick up from the freezer out front at the bakery.  One such item that got my attention was lemon cookies coated in powdered sugar.  I don't recall the name of them, but they were by far the favorite thing we tried and I will be going back just for those incredible cookies!

If you're in need of gluten-, egg-, dairy- and even soy-free fresh baked goodies in the ATL, you might want to check out the wares from Mama Bakes Safe Cakes.  They accept walk in sales, but if you want to check out the cupcake flavors of the day, you can find them on the company's FB page.   

Cinnamon buns at Sally's Gluten Free Bakery!

Some of the best gluten-free cinnamon buns I've had in the past are not available in Atlanta and they can't be shipped here either.  So it was uber exciting when I walked into the Alpharetta location of Sally's Gluten Free Bakery and saw a sign stating they had FRESH cinnamon buns available on Saturdays for a limited time!  Even though I've had many, many gluten-free cinnamon buns that were not worth trying twice (some were not edible at all), I know that anything at Sally's is a good bet.  I bought one of the nice sized individually packaged rolls and added it to my order of their delicious pound cake.  As it turned out, I was going to a brunch in Greenville, SC the next day (Father's Day) and knew there wasn't any type of bread item I could have where we were going.

When going somewhere nice like a wedding or country club, I like to put whatever food I'm taking into a small gift bag.  No one knows you've brought food in until you pop it out and place whatever it is onto a plate.  You don't go without dessert this way, and you also have a tasty treat in case there is a gluten-free dessert that you don't care to have (like ice cream, creme brulee or just fruit).

Because it was Father's Day, the brunch fare was stepped up and included many more gluten-free dishes than the typical brunch there does.  What a nice surprise!  Even though I was quite full when everyone else went to pick out their desserts, I couldn't resist trying my special cinnamon bun from Sally's.  Just the smell alone would drive any cinnamon lover wild, but the taste and texture of the bun was so amazing it was hard to take in.  I shared the slightest little bit (only the outside part) with my husband and kept the ooey gooey part that was insanely delicious all to myself.  So it was somewhat surprising when my husband commented that the cinnamon bun was the closest thing to his Mother's (gluten) version than he'd had in a long time.  Actually, I could have cried at that moment as she is no longer with us.

It's weird how food can affect some of us emotionally.  I never thought I had an emotional connection to food.....then I was told I could never eat gluten again and found out I'd been wrong about that.  It's extra special when you find something that's gluten-free that tastes as good as (or better) than the gluten version you remember from childhood or your wedding or whatever.  Sally's cinnamon buns are definitely special, but they're not available all the time.  Be sure and check out his wonderful treat if you're living in the ATL while you can!

Sprinkles comes to the ATL

Sprinkles is often credited with starting the cupcake craze in NYC several years ago.  They've opened various locations in the U.S. and finally came down South to Atlanta.  I found out about the store opening through Kelly's blog post.

Since we were heading downtown to the Dogwood Festival a while back, we popped into Sprinkles (located at Lenox Square near the front door) for a treat-to-go on the way home.  The place was buzzing with activity and the staff seemed somewhat overwhelmed (and under-trained).  The only gluten-free flavor they currently offer is the red velvet flavor (also offered in a gluten version).  Since I'm used to choosing from maybe six flavors at Gigi's in Norcross (available six days a week!), it was disappointing to have no choice at all at Sprinkles.

After I placed my order for one cupcake to-go, I overheard the person who rang my ticket up ask what my order meant...the order taker explained it was a gluten-free cupcake.  I paid and then waited for someone to bring the already bagged cupcake to the counter.  I looked inside to see a G on top which indicates the item is gluten-free.  I love the fact that there is not a mountain of frosting on the cupcakes at Sprinkles.  I LOVED the cream cheese frosting on the cupcake - it was seriously amazing!  Unfortunately, the cake part was slightly dry and crumbly (though I've had much worse) and had very little flavor to it.  I would not purchase it again unless someone told me they improved the recipe to be much more moist and flavorful.

Since Kelly's post about the cupcake ATM indicated that gluten-free cupcakes were available that way, I checked out the machine outside the store in Atlanta.  At least the day we were there, the one gluten-free cupcake option was not listed on the ATM menu.  Maybe the gluten-free cupcakes are so popular that they ran out of them in the machine...I don't know.  The staff was so busy that I would have had to wait a while to ask them about this so I didn't bother.

It's great that Sprinkles has a gluten-free option and the shop itself is simply darling.  I love the concept of the cupcake ATM and I really wish I could say I loved the gluten-free cupcake, too.  Hopefully, most gluten-free patrons enjoy them as that could lead to the company choosing to offer other gluten-free flavors.

Thankfully, if I'm in the mood for a sweet treat at Lenox in the future, the macaron kiosk just down the mall has amazing options - all of which are gluten-free!

Killer gluten-free cupcakes in Greenville, SC!

Greenville, SC is really coming up in the world in terms of gluten-free offerings.  When I found out my in-laws were moving there, I was concerned that I might be hard pressed to find many places in the area that would float my gluten-free boat so to speak.  While I've only dined out up there once so far, at Larkin's on the River (which was beyond amazing!!!!), there are more gluten-free friendly places than one might think would be the case.  I hope to get to try more places in the area eventually!

For now, I can happily share that I had one of the best gluten-free cupcakes I've had at any bakery at The Chocolate Moose in downtown Greenville.  While checking out the cute shops on main street, I went into the bakery to inquire about gluten-free offerings just for kicks.  I had no idea that the place had gluten-free cupcakes on Tuesdays and Saturdays and was shocked - and tickled - that they had gluten-free chocolate chip cupcakes that day, served with my choice of frosting.

For some odd reason, I chose  key lime frosting just because I could. Admittedly, this combination wasn't the best I've had, but both the cake and the frosting were excellent on their own and interesting together!  The cupcake was actually so moist and tasty that I started thinking maybe they gave me a gluten treat by mistake. My husband tasted it and thought the same thing.  I found out a couple of hours that in fact, the cupcake was 100% gluten-free!

It's super easy to bake your own amazingly delicious gluten-free cupcakes at home, but I find that this treat at bakeries can be hit or miss. The places that do it right make the gluten-free cakes first thing in the morning which might be at 3 am.  By the time I have one at 2 pm, the cake part can be dry depending on how and where the cupcakes are stored.  Whatever The Chocolate Moose is doing is what every bakery should be doing!  All I know about their flour blend is that among other things, it contains millet which is a very healthy grain.

From now on, our first stop in Greenville (if we arrive on Saturday) will be The Chocolate Moose - no doubt!

   

Sugar Shack in ATL has gluten-free cupcakes

I'm on Metrotainment's mailing list and they sent out a note about their new Brookhaven establishment, Sugar Shack, yesterday. I called the place and found out they have chocolate cupcakes daily (until they sell out). I've not been or tried the cupcakes, nor do I know what their cross contamination prevention procedures are. I just wanted people to know about the gluten-free offerings. Just because Sugar Shack primarily bakes gluten items doesn't mean they can't safely produce something that is gluten-free. It does mean that it takes a lot of work on their part to do so.

Some bakeries that are now offering gluten-free items are catering to the trendy gf-ers. Those are people who typically would not know if they ate something than contained gluten. Many bakeries know what the deal is and how sick people can get if they unknowingly consume gluten by a so-called gluten-free bakery treat. As always, ask questions before ordering or buying gluten-free baked goods that are not made in a dedicated gluten-free facility.