Cafe Carolina & Bakery

A few week ago, I was bored. I was hungry. What I wanted most of all was a cupcake. Unfortunately, it was a Monday. Which meant that the Cupcake Shoppe Bakery was closed. In a fit on panic, I raced over to Cafe Carolina & Bakery. I had never been there before. Unless I have a severe cupcake craving, I doubt I will go back.

Don’t get me wrong, the cupcake was delicious. There were two flavors. Chocolate & Vanilla. I chose chocolate. The cake was moist, the icing creamy and just sweet enough, but not overwhelming sweet. However, the problem was with my Chai Latte. I love Chai. But this, my friends, did not taste anything like Chai. It tasted exactly like hot milk. Now, I will give them the benefit of the doubt, and say that maybe they forgot to include something. But at the money it cost me, it wasn’t worth just throwing it in the trash.

Maybe I will go back. Try some food. Eat another cupcake. But no coffee will grace my body from there.

Cafe Carolina & Bakery
401 Daniels St. Raleigh, NC 27605
(919) 821-7117
Monday – Saturday 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The Cupcake Shoppe Bakery

I’ve been to the Cupcake Shoppe Bakery (Raleigh, NC) before, only to be disappointed. It was a Saturday, and after a day of hitting the museums with the boyfriend, I was excited to try my first cupcake shop, and possibly the first one in Raleigh. We shared the “Lemon Zinger” (Lemon cake with Lemon Buttercream) and “You Mocha Me Crazy” (Dark Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream). The cake itself was so dry and tasteless and the icing was piled so high that it was a major let down.

Yesterday, while I ran my errands to prepare for my trip, a cupcake craving hit. So I ventured downtown to try the bakery again, surprised at the amount of parking available during this busy time of day. I got the “Big Red” (Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing), and two of the weekly specials, “Chocolate Truffle” and “Strawberry Champagne”. The “Chocolate Truffle” I dug into before I could even manage a picture. Like I said, I had a craving. It was delicious. The cake was moist and even though the icing was just gobbed on top, I devoured the cake. The “Big Red” wasn’t that good in my opinion, but that may be because I realized that I’m not a red velvet fan. The “Strawberry Champagne” tasted neither like strawberries nor champagne, and while a little dry, was a somewhat good cup.

Final verdict: I was glad I went back and I plan to try the rest of the flavors. Check it out if you have a cupcake craving. Go during the week and pretty early (I went around 10) to get the freshest.

The Cupcake Shoppe Bakery
104 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27603
919.821.4223
Tues-Thurs: 10am – 8pm
Fri-Sat: 10am – 11pm