Cupcakes are serious business.

And as a blogger who writes a lot about food, I take cupcake tasting very seriously :–)

Hence I jumped at the chance to taste test and provide my feedback on some of Sugadeaux’s new cupcake flavours. About 30 food bloggers and customers of Sugadeaux gathered at Provenance Food & Wine and started off the evening with bubbles and canapes, including a crystal-clear consomme with prawn and crunchy apple, pork rillette on cured beetroot and a porcini, shiitake and enoki broth with dangling enoki garnishes.

We then settled down at a long table with our score sheets and cups of palate-cleansing coffee and tea.

Eight flavours were tasted overall, from the lightest to the heaviest, just like wine-tasting. Each cupcake was split into four so in effect we only ate two cupcakes each – but it felt like a lot more. There’s a reason cupcakes are made in a petite size and should only be devoured in single serves!

If you’re hungry, be warned about the upcoming cupcake parade!

1. Elderflower

I thought this vanilla cupcake was just butter and sugar on more butter and sugar, yet a little bit bland for my liking – not one of my favourites.

2. Wattleseed Macadamia

I liked the idea of using native Australian flavours in a cupcake. The speckled look of the sponge was very appealing though ended up being a little dry, and I liked the roasted wattleseed flavour. The salted macadamias sprinkled on top were a great flavour balance for the sweet and creamy frosting. This is a flavour which will definitely be added to the new menu.

3. Lychee Jasmine

I loved the very moist sponge of this very pretty jasmine-scented cupcake and even though I’m not a fan of super-sweet frosting, the sweetness in this case suited the lychee flavour.

4. Sour Gummy

I was prejudiced against this cupcake from the start. I really don’t like those sour lollies and I don’t think sour is a flavour that belongs in a cupcake. And when it came out, the icing was a fluorescent orange with a little gummy worm poking out of it – a bit rude don’t you think? This cupcake really seemed to divide the group – some people absolutely loved it, some people didn’t. Not surprisingly, it was the least popular flavour of the night.

5. Butter toffee

I’m not a fan of toffee but I was a fan of this cupcake. A super-moist chocolate cake topped with a toffee-studded icing. 90% of the tasters liked this flavour and it was one of the outright winners.

6. Choc cherry

In primary school I won the grade Nutbush competition and the prize was a Cherry Ripe. I proceeded to devour it…and then went home feeling very ill. I’ve avoided Cherry Ripes ever since. Unfortunately, this cupcake was very reminiscent of Cherry Ripe – a quite artificial maraschino cherry flavoured icing coated in chocolate ganache on top of chocolate cake. With my childhood memories, it was never going to make the cut for me.

7. Strawberry Choc Balsamic

I loved the adult combination of strawberry and balsamic vinegar, although in fact the icing was more cherry than strawberry for me and I would have loved more balsamic to cut through the sweetness. I loved the look of the marbled icing too.

8. Mexican chocolate

My favourite – a chocolate sponge with a subtly spiced cinnamon piped frosting and a hit of smoked  chilli leaving a slight lingering burn in my mouth. Rich and sophisticated. Apparently the majority of tasters agreed with me and it’s made the cut!

And to make the night just a little more sweet, a little take home gift – shards of butter toffee flavoured with vanilla bourbon and French fleur de sel sea salt. Dangerously moreish.

Thanks to Jess from Sugadeaux for inviting me to the cupcake tasting.

Sugadeaux Cupcake Tasting, Provenance Food & Wine, 288 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 8415 0700

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