If Only My House Were Made of Cupcakes

I absolutely had to visit the House of Cupcakes in Princeton, NJ to discover what winning tastes like.  The cupcake craze that is mind controlling our nation has taught me a few things.

1.  Just because it's cute and has awesome fondant frills does not mean it is a good cupcake.

2. Less sometimes is more (at least when it involves icing to cake ratio and vice versa). 

Meet Espresso Brownie, winner of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars.  Of the six cupcakes that I hubby and I chose, this was in my top two.  The espresso flavor was subtle, which to me was a plus.  The cake had the taste of a brownie without the thickness of a brownie, another plus.  The icing was absolutely unbelievable.  I'm not a very big icing person (especially if it is basic buttercream).  But this icing, well, words cannot truly convey its brilliance.  The best I can do is to say it was very much like the icing on a hostess cupcake, but multiply that times three.  

The House of Cupcakes wasn't bursting to its seams with people, which I liked.  I have a hard time making serious life choices with people breathing down my neck waiting their turn.

And there were so many life choices to be made here.  This picture only shows half the cupcakes that they had out that day.

There were some cupcakes that I was intrigued by, but chose not to purchase.  Who wouldn't be interested in Pink Lemonade and Orange Cream Sickle?  I was a little disappointed with the Caramel Cream Cheese cupcake (pictured in the middle below).  It had a cream cheese center which was phenomenal.  However, the icing was completely caramel flavor which was a little overpowering and played down the cream cheese filling.  

Overall, I'd say House of Cupcakes was a good choice in life.  And while $11.25 might seem a lot for six cupcakes (cupcakes are $2.25 each, buy 5 get one free), it is surprisingly comparable to what other local cupcake bakeries are charging.