Gourmet Cupcake Shoppe

For several years people have been saying that the cupcake trend is done and then I go to my friend Carrie Fisher's shop, The Gourmet Cupcake Shoppe in Midland, MI and I have to laugh. Open since 1997, they are extremely popular and are growing like crazy. They are incredibly popular in Midland, have recently moved into a new larger shop and have future plans for world domination. Even with the new shop with a bigger kitchen there have still been days when supply couldn't keep up with demand and they have sold out. They make very good cupcakes that are very popular and I predict that they will do well wherever they happen to expand to.

On a daily basis they will make a dozen different flavors, 10 that are regular and 2 that rotate. Some of the regulars will rotate on a seasonal basis but there is generally a core that will remain constant from day to day. My favorite cupcake, Maple Bacon Blueberry, is one of the flavors that rotates. Unfortunately, it wasn't featured the last time I was there. It is the best cupcake with bacon that I have ever had. They also make mini cupcake truffles, chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, and the last time I was there, chocolate covered cherry mice. While I am sure that all of this is good, when I go to a cupcake shop, I want cupcakes. Having said that, I went a little crazy the last time I went and got almost one of everything with a couple of repeaters. We actually ended up with 13 cupcakes and a mouse. The cupcakes we got were Detroit Bumpy - a chocolate cupcake with a bumpy chocolate ganache topping, Fleur de Sel - a chocolate cupcake with a salted chocolate caramel topping, Lemon Drop - a lemon cupcake with lemon frosting, Peanut Butter Mousse Cake - a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate peanut butter frosting, Ice Cream Sundae - a chocolate cupcake with a white chocolate ganache frosting topped with a cherry, Grandma's Chocolate Cake - a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles, Strawberry White Chocolate - a vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting and white chocolate sprinkles, Red Velvet- a red velvet cupcake with a cream cheese frosting, and Chocolate Mint - a chocolate cupcake with a mint frosting and an Andes Mint to top it off. All of the cupcakes were good but it may not have been such a great idea on my part to try to sample 10 different cupcakes in one sitting. While I did get some help, let us say that I was a bit uncomfortable at the end. I was uncomfortable but it was fun getting there. Some of the favorites included the Fleur de Sel, the Lemon Drop, Grandma's Chocolate Cake, and the Chocolate Mint.

The Gourmet Cupcake Shoppe makes the best cupcakes in Michigan and could give any other cupcake maker I have tried a run for their money. They are a point of pride in Midland and I am glad that they are so easy for me to visit. Hopefully, my next visit will coincide with the next coming of the Maple Bacon Blueberry Cupcake.