I’ll admit something straight off…I am not a big cake eater. I never have been. Add frosting to the mix and you’re setting yourself up for more of a challenge with me, because I’m the girl who scrapes off the frosting and gives it too a friend. So, when my roommate and I picked up a box of French Meadow Bakery’s Gluten-Free Yellow Cupcakes to celebrate an occasion, this product was already handicapped.
But…I always approach food with an open mind, because sometimes something will surprise me.
The box these four cupcakes come in states that inside are “delicious gluten-free yellow cupcakes topped with vanilla frosting.” I decided to give the entire thing a chance. Forget that I’m not a big cake eater and that I don’t like frosting and just…enjoy a simple treat.
French Meadow Bakery did cook up a good cupcake. But it didn’t wow me.
Thinking back on it, however, I think this product was handicapped in two ways:
- I picked it up from my grocery store freezer section. Meaning…this had to thaw in the fridge before I could consume it.
- After one bite with frosting, I scraped it off and gave it to my roommate.
When I took my first bite of the cupcake, I found it to be soft, but a little spongy. It wasn’t dense or too heavy. It was very light, packed with flavor, but the texture was a bit off for me. When I do eat cake, I like it to be moist, rich, soft. This was a little dry for my liking. Again, though, I have to remember this had previously been frozen.
I did give the vanilla frosting a fair shake. I ate a bite with it on there. But frosting just is too sweet for me in the end, so my roommate threw herself on it. She loved it and said it really added to the taste of the yellow cupcake. Perhaps that’s why she liked it more than I did. Her frosting added a touch of flavor. Maybe even improved on the dryness and spongy texture. I don’t know…and won’t know because the following night, I didn’t even eat the frosting. Just scraped it off and gave it to my roommate straight away.
This wasn’t a bad product by any means. As I said, the cupcake did have a lot of flavor. But it was just slightly off of delicious for me. It was good. But it wasn’t great. I was a bit let down by this, as it was my first gluten-free cupcake since parting ways with glutenous goodies.
Would I try their products again? Sure. I might even find a better way of ensuring the product is at its best when I sample it, instead of thawed in a refrigerator. And maybe next time…the wow factor will be there.
It just wasn’t this time.
As for the French Meadow Bakery…my grocery store does carry other items of theirs and I look forward to giving them a fair taste.
But for you connoisseurs of le petit four (that’s French for cupcake), give this product a fair shake. Perhaps it is more to your taste than mine.
Bon appétit!
The Celiathlete 