Cuppycakes: Dessert You Can Feel Good About

If you are going to treat yourself to dessert, you ought to feel good about the decision, right? That's the philosophy of mother and daughter duo Cathy and Jessica of Cuppycakes bakery, whose motto for their tasty creations is "Cupcakes and confections with a conscience." 

“The business reflects the way we eat ourselves,” Jessica said. “We wanted to set a higher standard for our products to set ourselves apart in the cupcake business.” 

Using locally sourced ingredients, including eggs and milk from Hatcher Dairy, as well as organic and non-GMO ingredients to round out the rest of their recipes, the ladies of Cuppycakes make sweet treats you can feel good about eating. 

Jessica started baking in 2007 as a single mom trying to support her young children. “I loved to bake, and this provided me with a creative outlet as well,” Jessica said.

Cathy and Jessica of Cuppycakes Bakery

When mom Cathy joined her daughter’s efforts in 2008, bringing candies, homemade marshmallows, and truffle pots to the menu, Cuppycakes was born. 

The pair sell their treats primarily through delivery orders, but you can find them every week at the 12th South Farmers Market on Tuesdays, the Thompson’s Station Farmers Market on Wednesdays, and the West End Farmers Market on Vine Street on Saturdays. Amerigo in Cool Springs features one of the speciality cupcakes on its Farmers Market menu as well. 

There are several different varieties on sale at the market, and the flavors rotate weekly. At least two gluten-free options are included in the weekly rotation. Cupcakes go for $3.25 each, or in a pack of 4 for $12. Truffle Pots, Cathy’s personal favorite, sell for $3.50 each. Cookies, handmade marshmallows, cookies and other goodies range in price from $1.50-$4.00.

Ask Jessica which of her cupcake varieties is her favorite, and she almost immediately responds with “Little Lamby,” a coconut cupcake, frosted and topped with toasted coconut. This little treat will be making its market debut this week, so be sure to try one while you can. 

For more information, visit www.cuppycakesbakery.com.

Southern Speciality on Ice: Izzie's Ice

We had the 2nd Edition of Food Truck Friday at work yesterday. I missed the food part (I'd made other lunch plans) but wanted a refreshing treat on such a hot day. (Seriously--it's really already nearing triple digits? It's not even July yet!)

Luckily, Izzie's Ice was on hand.

This 100% natural, preservative-free Italian ice cart that serves up refreshing frozen sweets. If you've never had it, Italian ice is smooth and creamy like frozen yogurt or gelato but not milk-based. (Think of it almost like very finely chopped snow cone.)

On Friday, Izzie's was serving up lemon, mango, and peaches and cream, among several other flavors. The peaches and cream was made with coconut milk, which gave it an interesting twist on a standard flavor. The sample was delicious! However, I opted for mint tea, a Southern speciality. I'm not kidding when I say it was "iced" tea mixed with fresh mint. So yummy and refreshing!

Izzie's Ice mint tea ice!

Izzie's serves up 3 sizes--small, medium, and large--for $3, $4, or $5, respectively. The generous portions and unlimited free samples make it worth the price. (By comparison, those ubiquitous fro-yo shops charge at least that much and all the toppings aren't nearly as healthy!)

Next time you see the little orange ice cart under the perky umbrella, be sure to stop and sample some of Izzie's Italian Ice. You'll feel refreshed right away. A perfect summer treat!

Birthday Cake on a Stick: Nashville Cake Pops

My favorite part of my birthday every year is the influx of "Happy Birthday to YOU" coupons I receive in my inbox. Last week, I managed to eat a free dinner every night of the week from birthday coupons. (Yes, it is worth it to sign up for those email lists!)

One of these happy emails was from Nashville Cake Pops, a relatively new cakery in town that makes the burgeoning cake balls on a popsicle stick. (Think of the most moist, gooey cake you can, topped with a hard candy shell, and made to resemble a childhood favorite. That's a Nashville Cake Pop!)

For my birthday month, I received a complimentary order of 6 Funfetti cake pops in a cute package. All I had to do was email my order and schedule my pickup time. They came packaged in a cute cardboard box tied with festive red string.

Each pop is individually wrapped so they are perfect for sharing should a girl feel so inclined. Underneath the hard vanilla candy-coating, is a cake that's so gooey and delicious, it's the perfect bite of happiness.

It's the perfect amount of sweet for an afternoon treat. (And I felt much less guilty about this than if I'd had an entire birthday cake to myself!)

Cake Pops are pretty, but they charge a pretty penny for this bite-size deliciousness.A dozen pops start at $26.99. However, there are a variety of flavors, frostings, and color combinations. If you want to make your event special, Nashville Cake Pops might be the way to go.

Just know that picking up your pops is no easy feat. The pick-up site is located on Thompson Lane in Berry Hill, in a congested area with no traffic light at the driveway. You have to be committed to get there. However, I think he might be worth it. Sign up for their email list, get some pops on your birthday, and decide for yourself.

A Coffee Shop For All Seasons

Tucked into bustling Hillsboro Village amongst a handful of other coffee establishments sits an unobtrusive little shop, bare-boned but welcoming. It is simply, Hot & Cold. Another in the city's famed Bongo Java chain, Hot & Cold keeps it simple: hot drinks, cold treats. Sounds like a play on the Dairy Queen slogan, but the result is anything but kitschy.

The small shop is edgy, contemporary, with an almost industrial warehouse-turned-loft vibe. The coffee menu features a few staples and some Fido favorites (the two coffeehouses are on the same block on 21st Ave. S) while the tea and desserts are scrawled in chalk on blackboard paint. The shop serves Partners Tea, made right here in Nashville.

For those with a hankering for something sweet, the cold side of Hot & Cold serves up local favorite Las Paletas (Mexican-style popsicles) and Jeni's Ice Cream. Based in Ohio, Jeni's uses natural ingredients and inventive combinations to create flavors like bourbon butter pecan and sweet potato with marshmallows. Yummy! And what a wonderful treat when paired with Bongo Java's coffee!

Chocolate lovers will enjoy local Olive & Sinclair chocolate either poured atop your ice cream, mixed into your coffee, or simply served in a cup for your sipping enjoyment. Yes, Hot & Cold has a  vat of warmed drinking chocolate. Like espresso, a little goes a long way but is worth the indulgence.

Hot & Cold is not only a great place to get coffee, it's a one-stop shop for several Nashville favorites. If you don't want to wait in the long lines at those other coffee shops in the Village, stop into Hot & Cold for your pick-me-up treat!

The End Notes:

• Friendly staff spend time making sure you get just the drink you're craving--even if you aren't quite sure what it is you're in the mood for!
• Modern atmosphere is fun, but not good for cozying up to discuss great American literature, theological issues, or that group project that's due at the end of the semester. 
• Because of it's location right in the middle of the block on busy 21st Ave. it is near-to-impossible make a special trip to visit Hot & Cold. This place thrives on foot traffic.

A Little Taste of Italia

A friend and I were at an event this evening. As the ice-breaker, we all had to introduce ourselves and give 3 clues about the destination we'd most like to visit. We both immediate thought Italy. Ironically, on the way home a traffic light stopped us in front of a shopping center and I saw the word gelato  (an Italian dessert akin to ice cream) illuminated in a window. Could it be true? A gelateria just a few miles from my house? We had to investigate.

I pulled into the parking lot to find Porta Via Italian Kitchen  on White Bridge Road, across the street from Target. From the parking lot we could see wine bottles and gelato cases, so of course we were in! The perfect way to fulfill our dreams of Italy.

Once inside we were greeted by the friendly wait staff who informed us that Porta Via is a full-service restaurant that has been in operation for just over a year. (Side note: How have I missed this? I have not heard anything about this place and I frequently read about food in Nashville. However they did tell me they rely mostly on word-of-mouth promotion. Consider yourself informed.)

The menu features antipasti, Italian lunch-sized sandwiches, house-made pastas (brush up on your Italian to place your order!), hearty entrees, pizza, and of course the gelato. Also made in-house, Porta Via offered 6 or 8 different flavors. For $3.50, I got two plentiful scoops of smooth, fresh deliciousness. I mixed pistachio with hazelnut for a nutty combination. Light, smooth, but very flavorful, this was a perfect evening treat! Elisa ordered lemon and cinnamon, an odd combination but individually yummy. If gelato isn't your dish, Porta Via also offered a variety of Italian pastries, including two types of tiramisu, cheesecake, and a chocolate torte served with a scoop of gelato.

Hazelnut and Pistachio Gelato

Despite the late hour and my doctor-recommended reduced-caffeine lifestyle, we were in such an Italian modo di essere, we had to order an espresso as well. Also house-made, the coffee was served quickly and in bright happy cups. The seats were also brightly colored, in red and lime green ostrich leather banquettes. I truly felt as though I were in a foreign cafe, not in a little strip mall shopping center off White Bridge Road.

Although I might be awake for the next 4 hours, the experience will have totally been worth it. I can't wait to return to Porta Via for dinner. And the next time I have dreams of traveling abroad, or even if I'm just having a bad day, I'm doing to skip over all those yogurt shops and go straight to this Italian getaway.

The End Notes:

• European-style gelato freshly made in Nashville. Modern fixtures create a contemporary cafe feeling in a cozy environment.
• Open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, but will host private parties on Sundays.
• Knowledgeable staff and chefs. Read about the restaurant's history here. 
• A great place to go for an evening or after-dinner treat. Seating is limited, so if they're busy, you'll have to take your treat to go. 

Crazy about this Creamery

The main reason I want to move to East Nashville is for the culinary adventure I'm certain I would have with so many delicious eateries, drinkeries, and bakeries nearby. One of the many places I wish I lived closer to is the Pied Piper Creamery, a family-owned establishment featuring "original house-made flavors and 'punny' names that get people talking" (according to their website).  Ice cream and wordplay! Two of my favorite things!

Imagine my delight when they opened a second location in Berry Hill, just minutes from my home and office (a dangerous location for sure). At this locale, the Pipers ship gallons of their ice cream across town and sell scoops out of the left side of a small duplex on Bransford Ave., Berry Hill's version of Main Street.

Deciding this week necessitated a celebratory Friday afternoon treat, I ventured over to Pied Piper Creamery for the first time. Inside the purple shack, I was greeted with cheery colors, cases of ice cream, and a jolly scoopster. The best part of Pied Piper, besides the taste of the ice cream and the clever names, is their unlimited samples policy. Try as many flavors as you like until you find one that fits. In fact, my scooper pulled out a handful of sample spoons, anticipating my indecisiveness.

I only sampled three flavors: The Movie Star, a lemon-ginger custard; Caramel Mousse, a light whipped texture with an intensely sweet caramel base and caramel ribbon; and Banana Fana Fo Fuddin, a frozen version of Mama's nana puddin. Normally a fan of banana-flavored anything, I was really hoping to like this one. It was good but was a little too sweet for my liking.

In the end, I settled on The Movie Star. My scoop master told me of the hundreds of flavors the Pied Pipers have experimented with in the last 3 1/2 years, this is still by far his favorite. I can see why. On a hot August afternoon, it was perfectly light and refreshing and doesn't leave you feeling thirsty like a lot of ice creams will. And the custard means its creamier, richer, and--in my opinion--more delicious. (I've heard arguments that its makeup technically makes it more healthy/less bad for you than regular ice cream.) Intriguing and delicious--a perfect way to end a long week.

Partnered with The Movie Star, the shop also offered The Professor, a coconut flavored concoction. On the way out, I heard him explain to the customers behind me that at one point they offered Mary Ann, a low-calorie choice with no added sugar because "Mary Ann was sweet enough."

The only downside to Berry Hill's Pied Piper Creamery is its lack of space. There are picnic tables with umbrellas outside, but there is no inside seating. With as hot as it's been lately, that almost makes eating ice cream counterproductive. Or at the very least, a race against time. But the flavors and the friendly faces make it so worth it. If you don't want to battle the heat, you can take home a pint for only $5.50. Not a bad deal to support a family of local entrepreneurs!

The End Notes:

• Delicious, home-made ice creams
• They make ice cream cakes too, so every occasion can be celebrated with the help of Pied Piper Creamery
• No inside seating makes it a "hot" spot to visit
• Two sticky but satisfied thumbs up!