Sweet Eats: Cupcake Tour of Hollywood

Carli and I have lived in LA for about a month now, and we are LOVING it. We live in the valley and we were shocked at how many trees line the streets. It reminds us of home in Wisconsin, where you can’t find an area without lush, green trees. We also love that you don’t really have to get on the freeway to drive most places (because the 101 freeway is absolute torture).

One thing we don’t love about LA is the cost of living. Rent, food, and activities all seem to cost more up here. So being the penny pinchers we are, we have been on the lookout for good happy hours, and fun things to do that won’t break the bank. We discovered that a lot of restaurants have happy hour 7 days a week! This is great news for us since we work during the week. So thanks eatery’s of Los Angeles, we appreciate your hospitality and cheap food.

So last week I signed onto Groupon and changed my location to Los Angeles, hoping to find something out-of-the-ordinary & fun to do. Lo and behold, there it was, staring me right in the face “Cupcake Tour of Hollywood with Six Tastings.” I squealed and told Carli to grab my wallet, because I just found a Groupon that was invented for us.

You guys know we LOVE cupcakes and desserts, and anything with a dangerous amount of sugar. So to say we were excited about this find is an understatement. I purchased the $45 Groupon that was good for both of us. Quite a discount, considering the website sells theirs at $50 per person (WAY out of our price range for cupcakes).

The tour was really in the Beverly Grove area. We started at Georgetown Cupcake and made our way down and around 3rd Street. I’ll break down each stop on the tour for you all below!

#1) Georgetown Cupcake

This cupcakery has become pretty famous, from the success of their TLC show, “DC Cupcakes,” so our expectations were set pretty high. They had a good assortment of flavors to choose from, and the presentation was great. The store itself was a lot larger than most bakeries (especially in LA), but there weren’t very many tables to sit at. We each were given a mini red velvet cupcake to try, and it was delicious! I’m picky about red velvet, as I’ve stated before, and they know what they’re doing. The cake was so moist, and the frosting was a lot lighter than I would have imagined, just from the looks of it. The cream cheese frosting tasted more “cream cheesy” than most, and I enjoyed that. I’ll definitely be back to Georgetown Cupcake!

#2) Tartine O Chocolat

Tartine O Chocolat is a tiny French bakery with food, as well as desserts. The bakery itself was adorable, with a wooden accent wall, and copper ceiling tiles (we were obsessed). The employee that helped us was actually french and told us a little story about the bakery, before offering up some  French Macarons. Carli and I both chose to try the pistachio-chocolate, and I’m glad we did. The outside shell was puffier than I’m used to seeing, and the center was more gooey. It almost tasted like a mini ice cream sandwich. Absolutely delicious. They gave us a card for 10% off our next visit, so I will definitely be going back for some Macarons!

#3) Joan’s on Third

Joan’s on third is more of a marketplace than a bakery. They have a large deli section, as well as regular grocery items. They did have  bakery section filled with tasty treats ( I had my eye on the peanut butter & jelly bar). It seems like a great place to pick up some fancy appetizers for a dinner party. As part of the tour we were each given a FULL SIZE chocolate, marshmallow cupcake. It consisted of moist dark chocolate cake, a marshmallow cream filling, and a dark chocolate ganache topping. I’m not a fan of chocolate cake, OR marshmallow but I wanted to give it a whirl, and I’m glad I did. The best part was the ganache topping. Oh boy. It was sooo good, I wanted to savor every last bite. The chocolate cake wasn’t too rich, and paired well with the sweet center. Sooo maybe I like chocolate cake now?

#4) simplethings

simplethings, a hidden gem, is a sandwich & pie shop. With white walls, and white tables, you wouldn’t thing it was anything special…but then you would be wrong. We were given a mini salted caramel pie to sample & HALLELUJAH ANGELS WERE SINGING IN MY MOUTH. I couldn’t believe how delicious this pie was. It looked like a normal pie: crust, caramel filling, and whipped cream. But somehow the combination of the three makes a masterpiece of a pie. The graham cracker crust wasn’t too sweet, or soaked in butter, so it didn’t compete with the ultra sweetness of the caramel filling, which had a hint of butterscotch to it. The whipped cream on top served more as another texture to taste, than anything. It wasn’t very sweet at all, but added a creaminess to the pie as a whole. I could go on and on. This was definitely out favorite dessert on the tour.

#5) Sweet E’s Bake Shop

As far as bakeries go, this was our favorite stop on the tour. Sweet E’s looks like a bakery straight from Disneyland. The whole thing is pink, pretty, and screams princess! They had a HUGE assortment of treats: cake push pops, caramel apples, whoopee pies, chocolate pretzels, and sooo much more! We were given a mini caramel apple cupcake to try, and oh how I wish it was a full-size. The cupcake had a good vanilla base, with a hint of cinnamon. the caramel ribbon on top complimented the cake perfectly, to make a perfectly proportioned cupcake. They were also giving away samples of the Fruity Pebble Treats & the Cheesecake Brownies. The Fruity Pebble treats were what I expected, delicious, but now outstanding. The brownies on the other hand were amazing! So moist, it almost tasted like brownie batter, mixed with cheesecake. MY GOODNESS. I might have to go back today…

#5) Magnolia Bakery

Being the foodies that we are, Carli and I have heard great things about Magnolia Bakery for years. So we were very excited to finally experience it. They were known for their banana pudding, which unfortunately we didn’t get to try. We were given a mini vanilla cupcake that was less than adequate for a bakery of it’s kind. The frosting was way too sweet. The cake had a bit of an almond taste to it, which was enjoyable, but in short I would never order one of their cupcakes. I will go back for their banana pudding though! I have to see what all the hype is about.

Featured image via @georgetowncupcake