Beauty is only frosting deep

Taken by Alayna

What: Chocolate Mint Cookie

Where: The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. in the Belltown Neighborhood…Click here for directions.

I’ve always said my favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip…GREEN mint chocolate chip, that is.  There is something so beautifully childish and innocent about vivid artificial coloring. It nearly accentuates my candied mint flavor experience every time I have it, whether it’s in ice cream, or Double Stuf Cool Mint Oreos.

That’s why when I walked into The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company’s doors and saw this work of art sitting on the display stand, I knew I couldn’t possibly resist.  I mean, this cupcake looks like a pure fantasy: an overflowing chocolate cake, infused with chunks of Cool Mint Oreos, topped with a heaping scoop of what imitated mint ice cream, artfully attacked with chocolate syrup, and topped with a generous chunk of sweet crunchy cookie.

The top of the cupcake is baked to a wonderful crisp—definitely something I enjoy in a cupcake.  The slightest resistance along the cupcake’s top makes it all the more satisfying.  But instead of this crisp top being a point of satisfaction, it served as an indicator of how dry the cake was. Such a shame considering what anticipation I had for this cupcake. Practically parched, the cake was awkwardly chewy and stuck to the roof of my mouth. It tasted more of flour than it did chocolate.  When combined with a chunk of the delicious Double Stuff Oreo’s, however, the cake’s disappointing flavor and texture was no problem.

No onto the frosting—It’s green, it’s beautiful, and it looks like a precious scoop of ice cream…I nearly thought that maybe it was ice cream (and how I wish it were). That would have been a sure delight.  But with one taste it was determined that it was a buttercream frosting—but what was it supposed to taste like? Mint, as its green color indicates? Hmm…Just like the last devouring of Yellow Leaf Cupcakes, the frosting embodied a very buttery taste that completely overtook any glimpse of sweetness or minty-ness for that matter. It was a failure of a buttercream by my declared standards. I hate to say it, but it was not a frosting, so much as it was a scoop of whipped, lifeless, green grease.  Extreme disappointment cascaded over my childish glee to experience chartreuse mint and chocolate goodness in cupcake form. 😦

Oh Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company…Why did you have to let me down like this? The concept of this cupcake is undoubtedly genius, whimsical, and exciting. Perhaps I just got a bad batch? But I’m beginning to conclude that The Yellow Leaf’s buttercream frosting recipes are something I don’t enjoy.  As I’ve said before, buttercream frostings are a unique balance of sweetness, intentional flavor, and light whipped consistency.

This cupcake deserves 2 NOMS out of 5. The only thing going for this guy was the explosion of Cool Mint Double Stuf Oreo extravaganza.