(trophycupcakes.com) – Wallingford
How I heard of this place: When Trophy first opened in the Wallingford Center, it basically made headlines! One day it’s coming soon and the next day, there are lines out the door. Now they have several locations (University Village and Bellevue), and over 20,000 fans on Facebook.
Type of cuisine: Gourmet cupcakes baked from scratch daily using quality ingredients.
Ambiance: Quaint and cute, the brown and blue-toned shoppe with stripes and swirls is a modern spin on 1950s decor. Most orders are taken to go, but (at this cafe) a small seating area is available for patrons to indulge in uber-sweet delights. Trinkets, gifts and cards are also available for purchase at this location.
What I ordered: My dining companion and cupcake aficionado and I made a special trip to Trophy on this gray and rainy, Seattle autumn day to enjoy their October, month-of-coffee cupcakes! We requested the two favorites of our barista, out of the three coffee flavors available: latte, double espresso and mocha. We opted for the double espresso ($3.50), with a soft, subtle coffee-flavored white cake and heavily-flavored espresso buttercream frosting, as well as the mocha ($3.50), a Valrhona chocolate cake topped with espresso buttercream. My dining companion, expert cupcake connoisseur, also ordered a large (16-ounce) latte ($3-$4) to help wash down the extra sweet cupcake concoctions.
On a return visit, Wednesday, October 27, 2010: Having savored the delicious cupcakes yesterday, my dining companion and I had to return for a second take on a new, free flavor of the day. On this occasion, we had one of the double espresso cupcakes (the new favorite) and one new-to-me: chocolate hazelnut. A moist chocolate cake topped with a Nutella buttercream and dusted around the edges with candied hazelnut bits. The new cupcake was sweet with a light Nutella taste and the candied hazelnuts added crispy texture to the otherwise moist, soft, creamy cupcake.
What I loved: We both agreed that the double espresso was our cupcake favorite on this venture out. The mocha was also nice, the chocolate cake complementing the espresso cream well, but the double espresso had a more robust flavor and replete with taste!
Why I loved it: When you are looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, almost nothing does it better than the abundantly sweet, plethora of flavors cupcakes with buttercream topped as high (or higher) than the height of the cupcake itself.
Cost: Average to high ($3-$4.50 per cupcake)