Let Them Eat Cake-Inspired Ice Cream!

Cake and ice cream are a match made in heaven. But you often have to choose one or the other. In DC, you go to Georgetown Cupcake or Crumbs for your cake fix, and then head over to FroZenYo or Pitango for ice cream. In the other Washington, Seattle is not immune to the cupcake craze, and a number of funky bakeries cater exclusively to those who prefer their cake in cup form. One of the most popular cupcake bakeries around is Cupcake Royale, which now boasts six locations in the greater Seattle area. Personally, I've never been that interested in Cupcake Royale... even though they offer gluten-free cupcakes for folks like me. At the end of the day, I'd rather eat ice cream than cake. But this year, Cupcake Royale found their way to my heart by launching a cupcake-inspired ice cream line.

Last week, my West Coast work trip brought me to Seattle. And I took the opportunity to schedule some "girl time" with my boyfriend's mom, Jan. As I've mentioned on the blog before, Jan's sweet tooth rivals mine. So I couldn't say I was surprised when she suggested an ice cream date. But when she suggested trying Cupcake Royale's new downtown location, I paused. I wasn't sure if there'd be a flavor for me; what were the chances that they'd use the gluten-free cupcakes in any of their ice cream flavors? But I agreed to give it a shot, and we set a time to meet. After all, I wouldn't starve. If gluten-full cupcakes were involved in every ice cream flavor, I could always eat a gluten-free cupcake.

 Cupcake Royale's newest shop is located right downtown at 108 Pine Street - just a block away from Pike Place Market. I know the area quite well, as I used to walk down Pine Street every day on my way to work. And let's just say that my figure is glad that Cupcake Royale wasn't downtown when I lived in Seattle... Because this location offers all 14 cupcake-inspired ice cream flavors crafted by Cupcake Royale. When Jan and I stepped inside, we were both surprised by how ice cream-focused the store was. Since Cupcake Royale is best know for its cupcakes, I assumed ice cream would be a side note and the freezer marginalized to a corner. Boy, was I wrong! Cupcake Royale appears to be giving its ice cream just as much focus and care as they give their cupcakes. Not only do they serve cups and cones of ice cream, but there's also sundaes, milkshakes, icebox cakes, and macaroon ice cream sandwiches to be had. Oh - and who could forget the red velvet waffle cones?

Jan and I arrived at Cupcake Royale during a rare slow time, so the friendly employees were happy to discuss the different ice cream flavors with us. Some flavors are indeed made with chunks of actual cupcakes, chopped up and mixed into Cupcake Royale's homemade ice cream. These "Cupcakes n' Cream" flavors include Peppermint Party (chunks of Peppermint Party cupcakes mixed into organic mint ice cream) and Red Velvet (cupcakes of the same name blended into a cream cheese and buttermilk base). But other flavors are loosely inspired by popular cupcake creations but don't include cake chunks. Great news for the gluten-free crowd! These "Bakeshop Inspired" flavors include Burnt Caramel with Sea Salt (self-explanatory) and Bananaza (roasted banana and rum base blended with homemade caramel sauce and brownie chunks). A couple other "Bakeshop Inspired" flavors jumped out to me. What the heck is Whiskey Maple Bacon Crack? The man behind the counter told me it was maple ice cream infused with Woodinville Whiskey and loaded with bits of housemade bacon brittle, or - as Cupcake Royale customers nicknamed it - "crack." This all sounded amazing to Jan and me. But when we tried a sample, we both thought it was a bit too salty and strong on the whiskey (neither of us are big whiskey fans). Next up was the Washington Hazelnut Brittle with Salted Ganache. Is there anything better than a sweet and salty ice cream with a hefty crunch? I think not. Jan tried a sample and swooned before ordering herself a scoop. Given our similar tastes, I jumped the gun and ordered a small cup as well.

The verdict? I daresay this ice cream was richer than any cupcake I've had. For this popular flavor, Cupcake Royale takes its vanilla ice cream and blends in salted ganache and chunks of brittle made with Washington hazelnuts. Everything is made in-house with local ingredients - and it shows. The vanilla ice cream is everything it should be: sweet, creamy and rich. Definitely not "light." And the mix-ins? They were simply out of this world. The salted ganache was soft and tasted almost of caramel. The salt wasn't overpowering but added complexity and depth. And the hazelnut brittle was comfort food for the sweet addict. My only complaint is that this ice cream was so rich! It left me with a bit of a tummyache; the type you got as a kid after too much birthday cake, ice cream, and candy. But, isn't that the point? And if you ask me, Cupcake Royale has a very bright future in the ice-cream making business.

The Stats:
Cupcake Royale
108 Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98101
5 other locations in the Seattle area (I visited the 108 Pine Street location downtown)
(206) 883-7656
http://www.cupcakeroyale.com/

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Is it local? At Cool Moon Ice Cream, it is!

"Is it local?"

The city of Portland, Oregon is known for its focus on keeping things "local." When it comes to food, Portland knows that "local" produce, dairy, meat and even beer are more likely to be organic, fresh, and tasty. Even the wildly-popular television show "Portlandia" pokes fun at this Portland stereotype (if you haven't seen this clip, I highly recommend it). But there is definitely something behind this stereotype; and Portlanders aren't afraid to admit it.

Last week, my job took me to Portland for a few days. Anyone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest knows that December is one of the worst months to visit Portland. Rain, rain, and more rain. But I'll take a paid trip to Portland any day. Work meetings over organic, grass-fed dinners at The Farm Cafe? I guess I can manage. Networking happy hour at Deschutes Brewery? If I have to. Prepping for a presentation at Powell's Books? Twist my arm.

But the best perk of my Portland trip was the chance to see my college roommate Jamie's dad's brand-new bike shop: West End Bikes. Jamie's dad (like mine) is an engineer by trade, but his passion is biking. A couple years ago, he teamed up with a buddy to open their own bike shop right downtown. After all, Portland is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. This was my first time visiting West End Bikes, and I was beyond impressed with the store and its inventory. The shop's beautiful layout and impeccable decor is a testament to the owner's engineering background. And the inventory is top-notch. While I don't ride myself, my parents do - so I can appreciate the high-end bikes, helmets, shoes, and clothing that West End Bikes carries. If you are even remotely interested in biking, West End Bikes is a must-see in Portland. Plus, there's no sales tax in Oregon!

Given Portland's focus on all things "local," I couldn't resist trying some ice cream during my visit. After a quick Yelp search, I headed over to Cool Moon Ice Cream. This Portland favorite is located in the heart of the Pearl District - a funky neighborhood full of hippy coffee shops, local brew pubs, and one-of-a-kind clothing shops. I was drawn to Cool Moon Ice Cream after reading that they make all of their ice creams and sorbets right on the premises. You can't get more "local" than that!

A well-lit and colorful storefront invites you into Cool Moon Ice Cream, brightening the dreariness of a rainy December day. Inside, the shop has an funky ice cream parlor vibe. During my visit, the store was fully decked-out in holiday cheer. Cool Moon has over 40 different flavors of ice cream and sorbet on its website, but there are about 15 flavors on its menu at any given time. While most of the flavors sound fairly common, I did see a few unique creations in the freezer. Four flavors stood out to me, but I couldn't decide which I wanted to order. Luckily, the young man behind the counter was incredibly patient and happily gave me samples. The first flavor I tried was Salted Caramel. Personally, I don't classify Salted Caramel as an exotic flavor anymore, as it's cropping up on menus across the country. Heck, even Haagen-Dazs sells a salted caramel flavor! And, sadly, they do a better job than Cool Moon with it. I could certainly taste salt - but my hunch is that Cool Moon used table salt, as the saltiness lacked the pleasant mineral-y taste of kosher or sea salt. Also, the caramel lacked the buttery richness of the best Salted Caramel ice creams. But my impression of Cool Moon Ice Cream improved with the next sample:

Sicilian Spumoni. Cool Moon pays homage to the traditional Italian dessert with a pistachio ice cream base, which they blend orange and lemon peel, orange liquor, and cherries into. The specks of citrus and cherries were incredibly fine, so these components were overpowered by the pistachio flavor. Luckily, Cool Moon makes a mean pistachio ice cream - creamy and full of natural flavors. I was excited to see another pistachio-based flavor in the case: Kulfi. The young man behind the counter told me that kulfi is a popular dessert in India. Wikipedia says kulfi is similar to ice cream, but it's denser because it's not whipped. Kulfi comes in a variety of different flavors - including rose, cream, raspberry, mango, saffron, pistachio and cardamom. Cool Moon chose to blend three of their favorite kulfi flavors (pistachio, rose, and cardamom) into one yummy fusion. I can't lie and say I really tasted the rosewater, but I'm sure it helped to temper the strong cardamom and added to the sweet creaminess of the ice cream.

After three samples, I knew it was time to commit to a real scoop. Little did I know, but I happened to have saved the best flavor for last. I learned that Cardinal Zin is made by infusing bittersweet chocolate ice cream with Zinfandel wine and sweet bing cherries (both from Oregon). Wine and chocolate? Sign me up! I happily forked over $3.90 for a "regular" cup... or should I say glass? When you order "for here," Cool Moon serves your ice cream in a proper glass bowl and hands you a real silver spoon. How earth-friendly! Oh - and leave your AmEx at home. Cool Moon gives a 5% discount when you pay with cash. You gotta love Portland...

Christmas makes everything taste better.

The verdict? Cardinal Zin is definitely the best flavor I tried while at Cool Moon Ice Cream. The bittersweet chocolate base wasn't anything to write home about; your average store-bought chocolate ice cream is just as good. But the bites of sweet cherry and the light Zinfandel aftertaste are what won me over. Unfortunately, the texture of Cardinal Zin isn't as light and creamy as the Salted Caramel, Spumoni or Kulfi. Perhaps the Zinfandel is to blame for its ice-y texture? Overall, this ice cream was very enjoyable and the "normal" size satisfied my sweet tooth without ruining my appetite for dinner. While I would happily order Cardinal Zin again, it doesn't make my "Top 10" list. Still, Cool Moon's reasonable prices, friendly service and downtown location makes it a great family-friendly destination for tourists and locals alike.

The Stats:
Cool Moon Ice Cream
1105 NW Johnson Street
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 224-2021
www.coolmoonicecream.com