K is for Kumquat
Last Friday, I had the privilege to attend the NYC Wine and Food Grand Tasting Media Kick off, courtesy of Shop Rite. A much needed way to unwind after a stressful work week I tasted tons of yummy edibles and wine tasted my way through the hundreds of wine purveyors, but as I gather my pictures for an upcoming post, I wanted to introduce all of you to my favorite discovery from the tasting. Feast your eyes on Kumquat Cupcakes, the newest in the line of cupcake trends to hit NYC.
Following in a similar vein as Baked By Melissa, Kumquat Cupcakes delivers bite-size scrumptious cupcakes in a variety of unique and delicious flavors, making them delicate savorables to be enjoyed like a petite bonbon or a rich truffle. The actual size is shown below, and I estimate the size to be comparable to that of the little cakes in those 100 calorie Hostess cupcake packs, minus the dry and dull flavor. Featuring plump moist sponge cakes with rich icing, each little bite is perfectly decorated with just the right amount of swirl of icing, to guarantee the perfect ratio of cake to icing, while being aesthetically beautiful to the eye. It’s not surprising that Kumquat cupcakes are a perfect blend of style and taste, as founder, Keavy Landreth, has formalized training from the French Culinary Institute, Culinary Institute of America, and Parsons.
Sadly, by the time I got to the Time Out magazine table where I found the Kumquat cupcakes, there was only one mini cupcake left: the Lemon and Lavender, a lemon cake with a lavender frosting. The lightly infused frosting was the perfect juxtaposition against the sweetness of the cake. Although my friend and I split the cupcake and only wound up getting about half a bite each, that bite was enough to stick in our minds for the rest of our Grand Tasting rounds. Kumquat cupcakes also come in other flavors, such as: 
-Banana Cream, banana cake with a light banana cream cheese frosting and caramelized banana
-Chocolate Blueberry, chocolate blueberry cake topped with a vanilla butter cream and wild blueberry frosting
-Coffee Caramel Bourbon, coffee cake with a caramel bourbon frosting
-Chocolate Pistachio, chocolate cake topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting and then rolled in fresh roasted pistachios
-Strawberries and Cream, strawberry cake with a vanilla butter cream frosting and fresh strawberry
-Orange Poppy Seed, Poppy seed cake mixed with a light orange zest, topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting
Kumquat cupcakes has also become a great, cute alternative to the normal 4 tier fondant wedding cake extravaganza and the now passe Krispy Kreme tower, allowing everyone to enjoy a variety of cupcakes, which is part of the whole fun. Arranged as seen above on a sophisticated cake stand tier, the effect is quirky and different, while still looking chic, and also takes all the fussiness out of the having to cart away the cake after cutting to be plated by servers. A dozen cupcakes is $15, and although Kumquat cupcakes does not currently have its own bakefront, they are located at the Brooklyn Flea Market every Saturday and other places.
Visit the website for additional details.
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YUM! Love the cupcakes!