Sweet Tooth Saturday – Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Perfect would be the only word to describe today. I’m racing tomorrow, and I always take the day prior to a race off from the gym, so I was able to sleep in this morning. Turns out that 6:30 AM constitutes sleeping in for me these days, but any day I don’t have to wake up to my alarm is a good day. The weather here is finally starting to cool down a bit, so I am took advantage of the breezy, upper 60s weather and took my pugs on the first long(ish) walk of the fall. We meandered around the neighborhood for a good 45 minutes, and when we got home, I decided they deserved a special breakfast.



It’s hard to tell, but in the spirit of Halloween, I used a bat shaped cookie cutter to cut a hole in some bread and then fried an egg in the hole. I think Phoebe and Chloe were fans. Being the smart pugs they are, they both devoured the egg first and then started working on the bread when they finished the good stuff.




This afternoon, Maria, Cesar, and I went to check out Tampa Bay Veg Fest. We headed straight for the Gone Bananas food truck. It was a long line, but it was totally worth it. I got Strawberry Banana Whip with raspberries and blueberries. It was light and fresh and sweet and delicious. Maria got banana whip with peanut butter, graham crackers, and chocolate covered pretzels.



We wandered around for awhile, looking at the various exhibitors and enjoying all the vegetarian and vegan samples. I tried oat milk for the first time – yum! The most exciting part of the afternoon was coming upon Simply Bars. I have read about these on other blogs and have been dying to try them, but they aren’t found in any retail locations here in Tampa. I was able to sample every last flavor today, and I came home with 9 bars and 6 bags of the new protein chips.

When we got home, it was time to whip up something sweet for my sweetie. I bought this stainless steel pastry bag a few weeks ago, and I’ve been itching to put it to use, so I chose these Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting from Glorious Treats. 


So, were they perfect, as the name indicates??  I can’t say that I’ve baked many vanilla cakes from scratch (I grew up in a house where chocolate cakes were the norm and married a chocolate cake loving husband), but I don’t think I need to go in search of any other recipes. The cupcakes were very easy to make, although I did have to make a special trip to the grocery store for cake flour. They turned out light and airy with just the perfect amount of vanilla flavor. I went with a chocolate frosting to make Cesar happy. Next time I make these, I will choose a vanilla frosting, as I think I would enjoy them more if the chocolate from the frosting wasn't competing with the flavor of the cupcake.




Although I am sad this wonderful day is coming to an end, I am excited to get up and run tomorrow morning. Time to put together a play list!