I visited Whole Foods today in search of some potato starch and did a double-take when I passed by the small gluten-free baked goods section. Did I see... cupcakes? Cupcakes! Obviously, I had to try them out! They looked so pretty, too. :)

I kept them in my refrigerator all day and finally have had a chance to taste one. The cake is a bit on the crumbly side, but it is moist enough (it's a bit dry, but not overwhelmingly so) and full of vanilla flavor. It tastes like vanilla bean, too, not vanilla extract! The frosting is a lovely vanilla buttercream with a light hint of lemon. Really, when I take a bite of the cake and the vanilla together and I greeted by a lovely, full vanilla bean flavor. So enchanting!

You know, each time I take a bite, I think that it's too dry, but by the time I'm swallowing, I'm thinking of how amazing the vanilla flavor is. I'm not sure if I will buy these again, but I'm glad I got to taste them this time. :)

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Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

After nuking the bread for ~15 seconds (it should be stored in the fridge), it was soft and inviting. The bread by itself is heavier than gluteny sandwich bread, which is really to be expected with a gluten-free bread product. Also to be expected, however, is higher quality than "normal" sandwich bread you buy at the grocery store. This bread reminded me very much of a brioche. It has a thicker texture to it, and a soft yellow tinge, both of which I attribute to the amount of eggs in the dough (at least in brioche). It also has a slight sweetness to it, which is really nice.

I ate a piece of the bread by itself with a little butter on it. Yummy! The only part I didn't scarf down was the crust, but I'm a picky girl in general and don't normally eat the crust on most things anyway. I decided to make a grilled cheese sandwich, since I haven't had one of those in years (I even bought some special cheese for the occasion). The bread grilled beautifully, and the sandwich tasted awesome! I really enjoy the soft sweetness of this bread in combination with the saltiness of the butter and cheese. Delish!

The verdict: This bread was definitely worth it. WAY better than any gluten-free bread I've bought at the store. I would buy this bread again any day, especially since the purchase ensures quality bread without me having to make it myself!

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Gluten-Free Bagels

I was very curious to try these bagels. I've made some gluten-free bagels in the past and while the experience was fun, and the results were pretty good, they were so... "gluten free". My hope was that with this purchase I would find a product better than what I'd been able to create at home. I followed the instructions provided: slice in half, nuke, apply condiments, eat. Upon cutting the bagel in half, I immediately noticed its density and "rubbery" texture. It was kind of difficult to cut through, but it was also still cold. Soft and steamy from the microwave, I spread on my cream cheese and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar.

The bagel, unfortunately, did not exceed my expectations. It was thick, crumbly, and dry. Sigh. No discredit to the baker, however, because I've been there. The bagel was essentially a relative of the GF bagels I made in the past. They taste AMAZING right out of the oven, and even pretty good the next day. But beyond that... I always ended up tossing 3/4 of my batch of bagels into the trash. And you know what? It's virtually the same with gluteny bagels anyway. Perhaps they are better when toasted, but lame-ass me doesn't own a toaster!

The verdict: I would not buy these bagels again unless I was visiting the bakery personally and could enjoy them fresh out of the oven, the way they deserve to be consumed.

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Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns

I didn't have a hamburger to test this bun on, but I did have some delicious brisket that my mom made today. As I warmed the bun in the microwave I was greeted with a nice yeasty fragrance. The bun was soft and a little flaky, which was nice. I packed it with brisket and took a bite. Not bad! The bun is light, yeasty, and soft. It's a tad bit on the crumbly side, but it's by no means dry, which is awesome! I've eaten half of my sandwich while typing this paragraph, and I'm impressed! Yay!

The verdict: I would absolutely use these buns for my hamburgers or sandwiches any day!

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase from this baker and would recommend them to anyone, especially if you are in the New York area (obviously, the fresher, the better!). Cheers!

I bought this cupcake in the bakery section at Target. The containers have a sticker on them that says Ticklebelly, but I can't find any information about them anywhere! They're so adorable with the little candy dots on the top, and each one is filled with cream! They had a variety of flavors: chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, key lime, etc.

I decided to go for the red velvet flavor since I keep seeing it everywhere lately and I've forgotten what it tastes like. Unfortunately, these cupcakes aren't gluten-free, but I only took two bites (shhh don't tell). It was tasty. The cake was moist, the cream was very sweet, and the cream cheese icing was just perfect!

This entry was featured at Cupcakes Take the Cake!

Just by looking at this cake, I could tell it was going to be moist, which is a good thing. The first thing I noticed upon opening the package was that there were syrupy strings following my cake from the package to the plate. o_O People, it looked like a spider had crafted a web underneath my muffin!

The cake smelled like sugar and oranges. I took a bite. More syrupy strings on my fingers, lips, the plate. Hmm... Moist. Orangey only in aftertaste, really. All right. It was at this point, folks, that I came to a quick realization: I had absolutely no desire to take another bite.

But, for the sake of science, I have taken another bite. Aha, I noticed this on the first bite, but now it is confirmed. It has a strange...smoky flavor to it. Whether it is from the almonds, or perhaps that is just the way Valencia oranges taste, I'm not sure. No matter, though. The point is that overall I am not impressed with this cake. It doesn't lend much flavor at all, aside from a strange one. Yes, it is moist and prettily packaged, but beyond that...

I think it's safe to say that I will not be buying this cake again. What a shame. :(