The Custom Cupcake Company Ferrero Rocher Cupcake

Product name: The Custom Cupcake Company Ferrero Rocher Cupcake
Purchase details: £2.00 for one cupcake (The Custom Cupcake Company)
Country of origin: England

I treated myself to another cupcake from The Custom Cupcake Company this week. I’d actually bought the Ferrero Rocher Cupcake before as I knew it would be a variety my Mum would like but I didn’t try it for myself on that occasion. However, it was on my wish list for future visits and my Mum had also given it her seal of approval...although she had said it didn’t taste like a Ferrero Rocher!

I had read the product description on the store’s chalkboard but, by the time I got home, I couldn’t remember the details. I did know it involved some kind of hazelnut filling, though, and I was basically expecting a Nutella centre.

Being a fan of the cake’s flavour inspiration, I was slightly surprised by its apparent peanut topping sitting on some kind of chocolate frosting. This was by no means a bad thing in itself but I knew that real Ferrero Rocher chocolates only contain hazelnuts so I wasn’t sure why these hadn’t been used instead. This topping also meant the treat predominantly smelt of peanuts, although there was a slight chocolate cake scent too.

The cake’s sponge was an incredibly dark chocolate colour and I gasped when I cut it open – the filling was so deep and fudgy! I felt I had no choice but to tackle it with a spoon.

On its own, the sponge had felt a little dry and powdery but it had a strong and slightly bitter chocolate flavour that worked well. It turned out this lack of moisture wasn’t an issue when combined with the other components anyway. The really chocolatey frosting was pretty smooth and, despite being lovely and sweet, the wealth of salted peanuts offset this and made the texture feel like that of peanut butter – always a winner!

The inner filling also aided the texture, resulting in an overall feel of chocolate fudge cake with an added crunchiness. It also turned out this wasn’t simply Nutella after all. Whilst it had nice hazelnut hints, its chocolate flavour was particularly strong – much more so than I was expecting.

I definitely agree with my Mum’s conclusion that this cupcake didn’t taste like a Ferrero Rocher, but it was very much a deliciously rich treat. It was so chocolatey that it burnt the back of my throat a little!

Now...what to try next?!

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.5/10

The Custom Cupcake Company Chocolate Decadence Cupcake (white chocolate)

Product name: The Custom Cupcake Company Chocolate Decadence Cupcake (white chocolate)
Purchase details: £2.00 for one cupcake (The Custom Cupcake Company)
Country of origin: England 

I think The Custom Cupcake Company has become my guilty pleasure – as soon as I have a non-diet day, I’m there!

Two of the apparently staple varieties that have been available on all my visits so far are the Chocolate Decadence Cupcakes that come in both milk and white chocolate. Since I’m a white chocolate fiend, I thought I’d opt for the latter on this occasion.

This cake was quite simply decorated but still looked beautiful. The yellow sponge was topped with a thick, swirled cream-coloured frosting and finished with three giant white chocolate buttons, a drizzle of melted white chocolate, and a sprinkling of edible glitter. The girl in the shop had told me that the treat was filled with a white chocolate ganache and this pale filling flowed almost seamlessly into the frosting.

As much as I love white chocolate, I often find that when it’s used in other things, its own flavour gets lost. However, on opening the carry box, I was surprised to be greeted by a white chocolatey scent. Having actually bought the cake two days in advance, I was also delighted to discover that the sponge wasn’t dry, and its sweet and creamy taste led me to believe that white chocolate had actually been incorporated into the mixture.

The generous frosting had a slightly crispy outer layer which gave way to a soft, grainy depth. As I’ve found previously, it was very sweet but, combined with the mellower elements of the Cupcake, I didn’t find this as extreme as the Berries & Cream Cupcake. The frosting and inner ganache also provided a lovely moisture, with the latter tasting gorgeously of white chocolate and having a fantastic smooth and partly solidified texture.

I’d definitely say that this was another treat for the sweet-toothed but the inner creaminess did offset this. As I’ve said, the subtle white chocolate flavour can be hard to pull off, and the sugary frosting did take away from this at times, but the desired taste was never completely lost and I think the addition of the fantastically sweet, creamy and chunky buttons played a part in this.

If I were to suggest an improvement, it would be to make the ganache a bigger feature – it was so delicious that it was a shame there wasn’t more of it! However, there is no denying that this was an indulgent treat exactly as it was.

I can’t wait for my next visit!

Appearance: 8.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 8/10
Overall score: 7.75/10

The Custom Cupcake Company Berries & Cream Cupcake

Product name: The Custom Cupcake Company Berries & Cream Cupcake
Purchase details: £2.00 for one cupcake (The Custom Cupcake Company)
Country of origin: England

When I reviewed The Custom Cupcake Company Peanut Butter Brownie, I said I was sure I’d be back – and it didn’t take me long! I knew I wouldn’t be doing my diet over the extended Easter weekend so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to treat myself to another one of their filled cupcakes.

Since it was Easter, I deliberately steered away from chocolate, and went for this Berries & Cream Cupcake instead. I must say that the in-store description that included a white chocolate icing was part of the reason for this but since, technically, white chocolate isn’t real chocolate, that didn’t count!

I did my best to carry this cupcake home carefully but the bright pink frosting did look a bit deflated by the time I reached my destination. I still thought it looked very impressive, though – I just wish you could have seen it before I moved it! As well as the thick frosting, the pale golden sponge cake was drizzled with the aforementioned white chocolate, sprinkled with a bit of pink edible glitter, and topped with a deep red, real strawberry. Inside was a berry compote and cream filling that resulted in an appearance similar to a Victoria sponge. The cupcake didn’t smell overly strong but it did have a fairy cake aroma.

Now, I know The Custom Cupcake Company can’t take credit for this, but the strawberry was lovely and juicy! I love strawberries but I do find them a bit hit and miss in terms of their sweetness. This one was good, though, and the white chocolate drizzle helped the sweetness levels too.

I tried the frosting next and this was a massive sugar hit. It tasted a bit lemony but there was a mellower berry aftertaste to it as well. I think there must have a been a lot of icing sugar in there as it was a little bit gritty but this texture wasn’t really noticeable when combined with the cake.

On its own, the sponge tasted quite basic but had a fairly rich buttery flavour. It was, perhaps, a little dry, but I ate this the day after purchase so it wasn’t as fresh as it could have been, and this certainly wasn’t the case when combined with the other elements.

The cupcake’s filling was beautiful. The cream seemed to have a deep vanilla flavour that tasted similar to the creme layers you find in sandwich biscuits. The berry compote was a deep red in colour but also added an extra depth to the flavour (it was more than your average jam) and was very enjoyable.

Combined, the different parts of the cupcake worked very well together. I have a very sweet tooth but I can’t deny that I winced when I first tried the frosting – it was so sweet that it was almost sour! However, the filling distracted from this, and the compote also contained a couple of chewy seeds that gave the treat a more authentic feel.

This Berries & Cream Cupcake wasn’t quite as I was expecting because I’d misunderstood the description in-store. I had thought the pink frosting also contained white chocolate but this certainly didn’t taste like the case. Whilst I did still enjoy the flavour, I would have preferred a smaller quantity of frosting, a larger amount of filling, or both! However, there is no denying that this was another well-presented and tasty offering from The Custom Cupcake Company.

Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.63/10

The Custom Cupcake Company Peanut Butter Brownie

Product name: The Custom Cupcake Company Peanut Butter Brownie
Purchase details: £2.50 for a 165g brownie (The Custom Cupcake Company)
Country of origin: England

On Saturday, I was introduced to The Custom Cupcake Company for the first time, and treated to an incredible Snickers Cupcake. Over an hour after leaving (when I was nearly home), I realised I’d left behind my shopping bag that contained my Mum’s Mothers’ Day present, so I gave the shop a call. To my delight, the lady on the phone confirmed that they had the bag and that they’d keep it safe for me until I was able to collect it. I agreed to return the next day and decided it would be rude not to buy more treats while I was there!

On my original visit, the man behind the till had been extremely helpful in explaining the contents of each cupcake (they have a whopping 130+ varieties on rotation), so I knew what I was going to buy as treats for my family before I’d arrived for my second visit.

For myself, though, I knew I just had to have their Peanut Butter Brownie. I mean, just look at it!

Is that not just one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen? Not only was it huge, but the dense wodge of chocolatey goodness had been lovingly topped with peanuts, chocolate pieces, peanut butter, a chocolate frosting, caramel and edible glitter. Now, I love my homemade peanut butter brownies – they make me reluctant to try others – but this seemed to take the concept to a whole new level. I must also express my gratitude to the guy who served me on Sunday since, completely unprompted (and having no knowledge of my review), he served me what I thought was the biggest and best-looking brownie from the middle of the selection, rather than just grabbing the nearest one to him. ‘Someone’s got to have it’, he said...and that someone was me – yay! (For the record, they did all look good, this one just had the edge.)

The brownie had a cakey peanut butter scent and, cutting through it, it felt very moist and gooey. I couldn’t resist trying each part of the topping individually – the peanuts were salty, the chocolate was fantastically chunky, the caramel drizzle was nice and sweet, whilst the chocolate frosting seemed to be like a tasty buttercream.

Since one side of my brownie was an outer edge, I started here first, expecting it to be slightly dry. Whilst this wasn’t the case in itself, it was more like a standard chocolate sponge here, albeit a slightly moister and heavier one. As I got nearer to the centre, though...oh...my...days. This was like a brownie proper – it didn’t have the slightly crispy outer shell that I love but, other than that, the texture was spot on. It was so dense and stiff and, with the pockets of peanut butter throughout, it stuck to the roof the mouth in a way I really enjoyed. There were also a few actual peanuts scattered through this mixture which added a bit of crunch here and there.

In terms of taste, this brownie was extremely chocolatey. I felt that the peanut butter’s flavour in the brownie itself was quite subtle, but there was certainly a bit of saltiness. However, it was the topping that made the brownie so special – it was where the main peanut flavours came from and its rugged texture really mixed things up a bit too.

In case you were in any doubt, I thoroughly enjoyed this Peanut Butter Brownie, and it went superbly with a glass of milk. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be returning to The Custom Cupcake Company – there are a lot of treats for me to work my way through!

Appearance: 9.5/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8.5/10